In the next few weeks, Google will be rolling out a version of Google Talk for Android with video and voice chat as part of the upcoming Android 2.3.4 update.
Google’s trying to expand on Android’s native connectivity features, so now you can voice or video chat with friends whether they’re on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer. You can make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi.
In your Google Talk friends list, a video or voice chat button will appear next to your contacts and you can simply touch the button to connect with them. Any text conversations from the person you’re talking with will be overlaid on your phone’s screen so you can read them without having to leave the video.
Also, if you need to multitask, the video pauses automatically so you can go back to your phone’s home screen or another app. The audio will keep going even though the video has paused. It’s currently unknown whether this version of Google Talk will support multiple Gtalk accounts. Eventually, the app will probably launch in the Android Market, as opposed to the app installing via a Google OVA update.
Google Talk with video and voice chat will gradually roll out to Nexus S devices in the next few weeks as part of the Android 2.3.4 over-the-air update and will launch on other Android 2.3+ devices in the future. The big downside to this is that Android fans with devices running 2.2 Froyo or even early versions of Gingerbread will be left out of the Google Talk fun.
To learn more about using video and voice chat, check out Google’s Help Center.
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