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Google Instant Messenger all Rumor

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the or-maybe-this-is-just-a-clever-distraction dept.

Jbravo writes "Search, blogging, maps, photos, email, and now a portal, Google has kept adding to their array of services. Is an instant messenger next for Google? Most recently Google has been said to be buying out a company called Meetroduction, LLC for their instant messenger Meetro. So, is it true? Is Google writing the check now? Well, after a chat with Paul Bragiel, CEO of Meetroduction, the word is not right now. He called the whole story 'rumors.'"

7 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps not the right approach for the market by Sv-Manowar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A lot of people already have IM networks that they're locked into because their friends/contacts are happy with that network and use it. In europe, its extremely common for people to have MSN, whilst the trend stateside seems to be more toward AIM (with MSN still significant there too). Google could do better by adopting something like XMPP/Jabber and either using a client that supports MSN/AIM/ICQ protocols or the server-side protocol translation that Jabber supports. A solid Google IM client based on XMPP might be just what the standard needs to build profile (whilst still allowing easy adoption through MSN/AIM compatibility)

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    Business Voyeur
    1. Re:Perhaps not the right approach for the market by slashdotnickname · · Score: 5, Informative

      In europe, its extremely common for people to have MSN, whilst the trend stateside seems to be more toward AIM (with MSN still significant there too).

      or you can get an awesome open-source program like miranda which supports ICQ, AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, Gadu-Gadu, Tlen, Netsend and tons more... all in a ~3meg memory footprint.

  2. Too many already by ilyaaohell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Any company trying to roll out yet another instant messenger would be making a mistake. There are already three uber-popular, incompatible networks, not to mention the handful of smaller protocols. None of them really offer anything that the others don't have. Enough is enough.

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    UNIX: A computer user is defined as a programmer. WINDOWS: A computer user is defined as a consumer.
  3. Ummm, they already have an IM client... by todesengel · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sure they don't advertise it, but Hello is a Google product...

  4. Brilliant move by google if they do that. by elucido · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Because people search google, an IM would be genius. People who search for the same thing could meet each other through google IM. Almost like how technorati and other sites do it, google could take it one step further. Imagine the waste IM client combined with the google search engine.

  5. Jabber? by vidarlo · · Score: 5, Interesting
    If I where google, I'd go for a solution based on Jabber, as this allows
    • Connectivity with other nets (MSN/AIM/Yahoo!)
    • Connectivity with other jabber users
    • Allows a p2p structure, which is cheap for google
    The fact that the technology is there, might be impotrant for google, since it is a solution that just has to be deployed. Only problem might be how servers cope when they get 100K users, and how google will ensure connectivity with MSN et al without being sued for something...
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    Assembling etherkillers for fun an profit
  6. Web-based client? by helmetnerd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It doesn't have to be their own IM network. I could see Google coming out with a web-based IM client for an existing protocol, in line with their web-based desktop philosophy. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing a nice lightweight AJAX-stylee IM client built into my google account for when im not at home.