Google Talk brings browser based chat to iPhone - but no voice

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 03 July 2008 20:21

Your IT - Mobility

Already there is speculation Google might launch the software as an iPhone 2.0 application so that it can take advantage of the iPhone notifications that substitute for programs running in the background. 

Back to the iPhone version of Google Talk.

Google’s Connors explains that “we've tried to keep the design as faithful to the desktop experience as possible, so it should be familiar to you.”

Connors continues: “You can select from a quicklist of the people you contact most, search your contacts, and manage multiple conversations. You'll never have to miss out on the latest gossip or updates from friends just because you're away from a computer.”

On the Google Mobile blog page, several comments praise the new web messaging tool, but ask when versions will appear for other browsers on other smartphones, as users lament the iPhone only status for now.

Others say they’re happy using existing messaging apps that require a jailbroken iPhone to take advantage of.

One also wonders when Google might add a VoIP capability to Google Talk, too.

Anyway as a new web app, it works very nicely indeed on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Hopefully Google does indeed turn it into a proper iPhone 2.0 app and considers releasing web apps and software for other brands of smartphone, too!