14 DAY TRIAL // There are a multitude of file-sharing options out there. For huge files, there are always peer to peer protocols like BitTorrent, you can share files on countless 'file locker' sites like Rapidshare or you could use simple tools like Drop.io. Yet, there are times when even the simplest of services is too much of a hassle, for example when wanting to share a file with someone you're chatting. Most major IM clients have had file-transfer support for a while, but Google has just gotten around to it in its web-based IM clients for Google Talk.
"Have you ever wanted to quickly send a file to a friend who's online? Now you can share pictures, documents and other files directly with your friends while chatting in iGoogle and orkut, without having to switch to email to send the file as an attachment. File transfer works directly in the browser so you don't need to install anything. Just start a conversation with a friend and click 'Send a file...' in the 'Actions' menu. After you select a file, your friend will be asked if they want to accept the transfer," Bruce Leban, software engineer at Google, wrote.
File transfers were possible in the desktop Google Talk client, but it is the first time the web-based implementations get the functionality. The chat tool in the customizable iGoogle homepage and on Google's less popular Orkut social network have gotten an upgrade and users can now send files to one another through the browser with no need to install any plug-in or tool.
Google announced that is had also given the chat app in iGoogle and Orkut a visual update and also added a few new tools. The chat window has several new buttons for video and voice chatting, but also for launching a group chat. However, the chat app in Gmail, arguably the most used of the three, is not getting the same treatment for now, as Google probably wanted to make sure that the new features were ready for the prime time before introducing them in Gmail, one of its most important services.