Yesterday, Google officially announced the “opening” of their instant messaging program to all IM systems using the XMPP protocol. This allows users to communicate with friends on services such as Earthlink, Gizmo, Tiscali, Chikka, MediaRing, and more.
Any other IM provider can also adjust their settings to connect freely to Google Talk without needing to negotiate with Google beforehand. The search giant plans to utilize the SIP protocol, which is the leading technology for Internet telephony today.
“We are very pleased and hope to take a significant step forward in our strategy to make IM and VoIP as mainstream as email,” said Mike Jazayeri, Product Manager of Google Talk.
Google introduced Google Talk in August, but it did not immediately create a buzz due to the program’s somewhat basic features. Nevertheless, observers predict that Google has many unique cards to play and will unveil them soon in an effort to surpass Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and AIM from America Online.
