The release of Google Desktop won't be the only Google event this week. Rumors on the search engine's plans to launch an instant messaging client have been around for some time, but this week, the rumors might come true.

Google officials said that on Wednesday a new product will be launched, but they didn't want to reveal any other details. Still, a source close to the company told LA Times that Wednesday the company's IM client, Google Talk, will be announced. Another source said that Google Talk has been tested for approximately a month, but that he's not sure if the release will take place on Wednesday.

Moreover, Neowin has discovered that Google has an active Jabber server, which convinced them to speculate that the new IM client will be based on open source technology.

This wouldn't be the first time for Google to use open source products for its own products, Google Video Viewer is a good example, the application being based on an open source program, Video LAN Client.

Just as Yahoo Messenger and other IM clients, Google Talk is expected to offer voice support.

After introducing features such as home page personalization, e-mail and Google Desktop, Google Talk is another step in transforming the search engine into a portal.

Google Talk will have to face a tough competition from AOL, Yahoo and MSN, these companies' IM clients having the advantage of a large user base and a rich history of instant messaging.