Introduction
Google video chat is a feature that allows a user to make video calls all over the globe through its chat software and Google Mail service. To use video Google chat software, you need to have a microphone, a Web cam and an earphone.
To get Google video chat software, you should type www.google.com/chat/video in your browser. Once the download page of video Google chat software is loaded in your browser, you can start downloading the software by clicking on the ‘Install voice and video chat’ button.
Once the video Google chat software is downloaded, install it on the hard drive of your computer by following the instructions displayed on your screen during installation. The person you want to make a video call should also have video Google chat software.
A user of video Google chat software can send voice messages of 10 minutes to any contact. Such voice messages are delivered to the recipient’s mail box in case the recipient is offline. A user doesn’t have to ring the recipient’s phone number to send messages.
You should restart your Web browser after the installation of video Google chat software so that browser plugin for this chat software also get installed. Browser plugins are available for video Google chat inside Gmail. The plugin is available for Fedora Linux, Windows Vista, Debian Linux, Windows XP, OpenSUSE Linux, Windows 7, Ubuntu Linux and Intel based Mac OS X.
Another way to do video Google chat is through Google Mail. You need to have a Google Mail account to start Google video chat. To make a Google Mail account, visit www.gmail.com and then click on create an account link. You need to fill the details and submit the information.
Once your Google Mail account is created, you should sign-in and start adding Gmail contacts of your friends so that you can chat with them. You can also invite friends and relatives to join Google Mail. Once you have people in your friends list, you can do video Google chat with anyone from your Google Mail contact list.
By using the chat service, a user can easily receive as well as make calls to anyone through Gmail. A user should have a full Google voice chat account in order to take calls. All users outside the United States can’t use full Google voice chat account from February, 2012, which means they cannot get calls in Google Mail.
There is very high encryption during connection between the video Google chat software and its chat server. Encryption is not supported while chatting through a proxy like IMLogic and also through Gmail because they use HTTP connection. Messages are unencrypted from one end to another.
Tips and comments
Video Google chat servers allow encryption to a few XMPP clients locally. A call and data encryption feature will be added by Google in the future. By using off-the-record encryption, end-to-end encryption is possible over video Google chat servers. Video Google chat also allows offline messaging between Gmail accounts. This offline messaging service was introduced on October 31st, 2006.
