Google Talk, one of the search giant's services that were updated very rarely, remained one of the simplest instant messengers on the internet. As you may know, Google Talk is based on XMPP protocol, the same technology as Jabber servers that allows you to chat with friends using simple and quick functions. The chat client also contains a Jingle feature that allows you to communicate via VoIP, eliminating the need of text typing.

Google Talk was updated very rarely and with simple and unimportant features, remaining the same simple instant messenger client. One of the major updates concerns an implementation in the Gmail service - Google's mail solution that allows mail customers to chat with other Talk users using a simple HTML platform integrated in the interface of Gmail.

It was very hard for Google Talk to become the most popular instant messenger client on the internet because the domination of Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger is well known in the entire world. It seems like the search giant is planning a more exciting future for Google Talk as Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager of Google's enterprise division, said for internetnews.com.

"Girouard said that Google Talk, which currently allows users to make VoIP calls among themselves, will be beefed up to integrate with traditional phone systems as well as VoIP offerings from other vendors," the publication said.

If you want to test the Google Talk client, you can download it from Softpedia as a free download or you can log into your Gmail account and you should find the web chat already activated. If you can't see the web-based Google Talk, you should go in the bottom of the page and click on the "standard with chat" option. Remember that for both methods you need a Google account!