google talk

Latest update: 8:57 a.m. PT

Google Talk went down hard this morning, but is getting back up and running.

"The problem with Google Talk should be resolved," Google wrote on its App Status dashboard at 8:25 a.m. PT. "We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better."

The Google Talk service, which works across Windows, OS X, and Linux, allows users to hold text, … Read more

If you're looking for one less thing to clutter up your Gmail space, GTalk can be one of your bigger offenders if you're using it to communicate often with friends or colleagues. Just taking a look at my own personal Gmail account, I'm kind of shocked how many threads there are for conversations I've had in the past year. On my work account I like to keep logs in case I need to reference instructions, facts, or quotes from people I've talked to. However, on my personal account I don't need to keep track … Read more

Google initially supported chat with its client software, Google Talk. Then, it integrated chat right into the Gmail interface, allowing users to chat from any browser, without having to install software.

The official Google Chrome extension, Chat for Google, now lets you conveniently have chat windows outside of your browser. You can even start Google+ hangouts from it.

After installing the extension from the Chrome Web Store, right-click on the browser button to configure its options.

If you're restricted from installing software on your computer (maybe at the office) or you prefer not to use the Google Talk client, … Read more

After teasing Twitter followers earlier today, Google's Nexus account has announced that the Nexus S will be receiving a software update over the next few weeks.

The notable, and likely only, feature in this update is the integration of video chat over Google Talk. Once Nexus S phones are loaded with this latest release, they will be able to video chat with other Google Talk users whether on a desktop or Honeycomb (Android 3.0) tablet.

Calls can be made using Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G networks, taking advantage of the front-facing cameras found on many Android phones. According to the Google Mobile blog, this will be preloaded into all future 2.3 devices. … Read more

Always looking for new ways to deliver its search results, Google has rolled out a new app that combines instant messaging with search.

Launched today as the latest experiment in the Google Labs playground, Google Talk Guru offers you a chat session through which you can ask certain questions and receive responses from an automated bot set up on the back end.

For now, the app can handle only certain types of questions from among a limited number of categories, such as weather, sports scores, math equations, definitions, and translations. But like other Google Labs apps, it's something to … Read more

Unfortunately Jeff can't make it to the show today, but our good friend Kenley jumps into the hot seat to fill Wilson's shoes while he pulls out his beautiful hair trying to play sound engineer for the day. Meanwhile, we're making last minute predictions on what the Apple Music event will bring, so head over to CNET's live blog for more details and in-depth post show coverage.

The average e-mail user gets hundreds of message everyday, and while spam filters get rid of most of the junk, we're still blasted with e-mails from work, mailing lists, Facebook, and more low-priority comments. Gmail recently rolled out a new solution to organize your messages called Priority Inbox.

The Gmail feature automatically sorts your incoming e-mail into three sections: "important and unread," "starred," and "everything else," and the idea is to target messages that aren't outright spam but still aren't important...Google cleverly calls this "bologne," or BACN. The service also improves accuracy as you use it and will sort sort between senders you reply to and others that you just skip over, hopefully helping you sift through the piles of mail you get a day.

We've seen plenty of strange Nintendo Wiimote accessories in the past, but the new detachable controller from a company called Mojowijo is by far the most NSFW. The device attaches to the Wii's accessory port and uses Bluetooth to run wireless software that basically turns it into a partner-controlled "marital aid." Its patent-pending "Motion2Vibration" technology transforms one user's motions into vibrations signals that get sent to another selected device, even if they're in another part of the country. Get it?

Thanks again to everyone who entered our JetBlue All You Can Jet contest! We've selected two winners for the seven-day and five-day passes and will announce their names on tomorrow's show where we'll welcome hypnotist Paul Ramsay back into the studio! On his last appearance he hypnotized me into forgetting my name, so who knows what'll happen tomorrow- tune in at 11:30 a.m. ET to find out!

Google has finally added one of the biggest omissions to the Web-based version of its Google Talk service: size limit-free, P2P file transfers.

The feature, which has been a part of the service's desktop software since mid-2006, went live on the Google Talk widgets inside of iGoogle and Orkut on Monday.

The endgame here--which Google says is coming, is to bring file-sharing into Gmail's integrated Google Talk. Imagine, if you will, a situation where you want to share a big file, and Gmail's attachment limit is just not cutting it. Your options are simple: you could hop … Read more

As a longtime fan of Meebo, the browser-based, cross-platform instant-messaging service that requires no software and costs no money, I've been waiting forever for an iPhone companion.

The wait is over. Meebo for iPhone is here, and it's perfect. I can't envision myself wanting or using any other IM app.

Meebo supports all the major networks--AIM, Facebook, Google Talk, ICQ, Windows Live, Yahoo--and dozens more you've probably never heard of. (Batanga? Decayenne? Outspark? Guess I'm not as social as I thought I was.)

If you're already a Meebo user, just sign in; the app … Read more

Pidgin has introduced a major update with version 2.6.0, and the current bug-fixing 2.6.1, and along with more than 100 fixes between the two comes support for Google Voice and Google Talk. If you're on Windows, though, this won't mean much--the protocol currently only works with XMPP at the moment, not the derivative protocol that Google uses. Pidgin Portable 2.6.1 is also available for USB keys.

Other changes include splitting the Yahoo protocols into two, one for Yahoo Japan, and one for the rest of the world. Both protocols in Pidgin now … Read more