Google IM [...It works already!]

Google to launch instant messaging program: report

Google reportedly plans to launch an instant messaging program as early as this week, in a challenge to America Online, Yahoo and Microsoft.

"Google Talk" will allow computer users to chat with their keyboards and allow users with headsets to have voice conversations with other computer users with headsets, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed sources.

We'll have to see how much of their protocol is open... for all of us GAIM or GAIM-derivative users (Adium X for Mac OS X), this will be yet another IM account to give to people. I still don't know how to answer, "Which account do you prefer?". Jeez, as long as we can talk, that's what I prefer!

UPDATE [2005-08-23 19:01:39]: Well, I'm on Google Talk (talk.google.com) right now! I followed the directions on this guys page ("I'm on Google Talk right now.") and it works... here's what I did in the Mac OS X GAIM-derivitave Adium X:

1. Open Adium's preferences and click on the "account" tab.
2. Add a new account by clicking the Plus (+) sign and select "Jabber".
3. Your username is your GMail email address and password is your GMail password.
4. Under the "Options" tab for this jabber account select:
   • Server should be talk.google.com;
   • Port should be set to 5222 (make sure your firewall in the "Sharing" tab of System Preferences lets traffic on 5222 happen); and,
   • The "Use TLS Encryption (if possible)" selection should be checked.

You should be good to go... I've seen reports that there are some strange behaviors between GMail and Google Talk (like adding a GMail account to Google Talk means that person's GMail address now shows up automagically in GMail)... we'll have to see what happens.

Everyone I know who knows stuff about this can't talk about it!