Google Gmail Introduces Free Video and Chat Features

Google Gmail has added free video and voice to chat features. The new services are free to Gmail users. The voice chat service works by using a Web browser plug-in.

Google Inc on Tuesday has launched video and voice chat for its Gmail services. The services are free to users who have a Gmail account. The services are compatible on Microsoft Corp Windows and Apple Inc's Mac computer systems.

Google Gmail video and voice chat requires a free Web browser plug-in and a Webcam. Gmail users can activate video chat and voice within their account. The new services are the latest added features to Google's popular e-mail services.

Users without a webcam installed can still participate in the voice chat service. The service allows voice conversations or instant messaging.

Gmail users can maintain a buddy list of their family and friends through the new video conferencing application. The video and voice screens are user friendly. Users can resize the video screens by making them larger or smaller. There is also a preference tab for users to save their current chat settings.

Moreover, Google introduced is a new automatic translation feature for RSS feeds. The Google Reader has been modified to do auto-translation depending on the language set by the user. RSS feeds are commonly used to receive updated articles from news Web sites and Blogs. The new feature supports up to 20 languages.