A few weeks back I introduced you folks to Meebo, a browser-based IM aggregation client that leveraged technologies collectively known as AJAX. Now meet Gtalkr, a Flash-based implementation of Google Talk. I have been playing around with it for a few days, and as a Mac user, I can finally enjoy the GTalk IM Service. It is fairly simple product to use. Go to this website, use your Gmail ID and log in. Nothing to download, nothing to install. But ease of use is not the only thing. In many ways it is like GTalk plus. (I wish it looked prettier, but it works nicely
It can index conversations, and allows you as a user to search the conversations. (I am worried about my chats being stored on someone else’s server, but then I imagine rest of the IM services also do that on their servers.) You can also read short previews of your Gmail messages as well. You can invite your Gmail contacts by clicking on the “Add or invite a friend to Gtalkr” link. You can drag and drop the names from your contact list. (This is the list of people who have emailed your Gmail account.) For windows users, they also have a Gtalkr notifier. Mac version is in the works. Other nagging aspect of the service - no support for smiley faces, or you cannot import your photo/icon. (The icon image import is working now, even on Safari.) But then they are in beta!
Given Gtalkr leverages Flash 8, independent developers can simply write apps that work with this client and leverage the GTalk network. Actually, Macromedia is working closely with Jabber folks. I asked CEO Dudley Carr about the potential apps that can be built to ride this browser based client, and he emailed me this reply:
We’re planning on adding extensions that will have integration with del.icio.us, flickr, and other web-based services. The current set of default extensions in Gtalkr are Yahoo! maps which is Flash-based thanks to Yahoo!, a To do list implementation, and a Buddy Pounce implementation which is the example implementation that we’ll share with other developers. With some modifications, the news reader could be brought back as an extension to Gtalkr.
I wonder what Google thinks of the name, Gtalkr? Not to mention that they have built an extension for Yahoo Maps. Here is a link to their API information and how you can build your own extensions to it.
Update: While iChat is a good client for Mac users who want to connect to GTalk, it does act up behind corporate firewalls for some odd reason. I think this is a clear option, where you can do chats using a browser. Secondly, since app is called Gtalkr, it works only with the Gtalk network and not other Jabber networks. (Thanks Boris, good to have you back!)
32 comments so far
12:01 AM PT
As a Mac user, you’ve been able to use GTalk IM since day 1…just use iChat’s Jabber option.
GTalk does not (yet) speak to other Jabber servers, so you’re stuck talking to only other GTalk users, but IM most certainly does work through iChat. iChat only allows one Jabber account to be active at a time, so you have to choose to either talk to the GTalk universe only, or all your other Jabber contacts.
12:05 AM PT
yeah, but try using it behind a corporate firewall and GTalk just doesn’t work too well. I agree, the GTalk is limited to Google’s network, but I don’t see much traction for Jabber elsewhere right now. I think this is a good start and the app is called gtalkr after all. :-)
12:06 AM PT
Awesome stuff. A bit humorous that the first mapping extension made available for Gtalkr is Yahoo! Maps. I guess it makes sense since Yahoo! does offer a the API for its Flash mapping service.
12:10 AM PT
Gtalkr
An awesome implementation of a simple idea. Gtalkr is a Flash based web client to Google Talk. Meebo kinda pounced on the idea of getting your IM clients online, removing the hassles of maintaining different IM clients on your desktop and allowing yo…
1:51 AM PT
Gtalkr, Web-Based GTalk客户端
以�看到过Ajax驱动的Meebo:Web版IM网站。今天看到了Gtalkr.com,Gtalk的flash web版,说它是web版,更�当的应该说是Gtalkr=Web Flash Gtalk+Plus.
2:30 AM PT
http://2entwine.com/ has more feature rich gtalk complaint flash based IM tool..
4:06 AM PT
[...] Meebo. (via) by Scott | posted in Asides Trackback URL | Comment RSS Feed Tag at del.icio.us | Incoming links RSS Integrated In Yahoo! MailBeta [...]
8:28 AM PT
Does no one else have a problem with going to an unknown website and plugging in username/password?
The functionality of these services is great but I get chills thinking about privacy, security and identity theft issues.
8:48 AM PT
Scott,
I think it’s a fair enough of concern that entering your Gmail credentials in a brand new website is probably a bit worrisome. To put you hopefully at ease, we don’t store your password anywhere on the server. The communication between your browser and our server, and between our server and the Google Talk server is secured using SSL.
Our privacy policy has been completed, but I’ll re-iterate all of these points and more in that document.
9:01 AM PT
[...] Om Malik of Business 2.0 was nice enough to write an early review of Gtalkr. In the review comments I found a concern voiced by Scott about the whether or not to trust us with your Gmail credentials, and since we don’t have a proper privacy policy in place, now is probably a good time to state our position concerning your privacy. [...]
10:30 AM PT
[...] A posting on Darkness Productions, alerted us to GTalkR, a Flash based service for chatting on the Google Talk system. It has, what looks like, a very pretty and easy to use interface. Om Malik took a look at it, and he liked it, though he questioned the storage of chat logs on their servers. [...]
10:32 AM PT
As a Mac user, you can also use the excellent Adium.
iChat and Adium should work behind any corp firewall that allows outbound TCP connections.
1:59 PM PT
Supposedly Identity 2.0 will solve the password trust problem; you can log in to a service but they never see your password. But when will it deliver?
2:43 PM PT
[...] The interface is a clean, has lots of gradients, but in my opinion is a little cluttered looking. You will see your contact list on the left. You can see online and offline contacts, search through them, and even invite anyone to get a Gmail account and use Gtalkr. On the right you will see collapsible areas for recently received email, invitations, and an extension area which allows you to view Yahoo Maps (Yes, Yahoo Maps on a Google client), create Todo Lists, buddy signon notifications, and you can even use the Gtalkr API to create your own. There is also a great feature called, Chat Inbox, which allows you to search through any conversation that you have had using Gtalkr. It does store your conversations, but as Om Malik has pointed out, it shouldn’t worry you too much as most clients do this as well. There are also some additional features to help you with your searching, such as filtering by contact name, adding of labels to conversations and even starring conversation to show importance. [...]
6:41 PM PT
Gtalkr, Flash + Gtalk
Gtalkr, a flash-based website to access Google’s Gtalk, launched yesterday. It allows you to access your Gtalk instant messaging account without a client, from any computer. Comparisons will inevitably be drawn to Meebo, a similar service, alth…
9:18 PM PT
[...] Más info en lo de OM [...]
7:16 AM PT
[...] For the moment, I don’t see that it’s useful as most of my pals have not migrated to Google Talk yet, though I admire the simplicity of the interface. In addition, Gtalkr is neither a Google’s service nor affiliated to Google. So, try at your own risk! To know more about Gtalkr, Om Malik has a very good review on it. [...]
3:45 PM PT
Most IM services do *not* log your conversations, that’s very close to defamation. Google, for instance, specifically states that “Google Talk does not archive the contents of your text or voice communications on Google’s servers.”
Feel free to give up your privacy by giving unknown third-parties complete access to your Google accounts, but lets not get hysterical.
2:59 PM PT
[...] The GigaOm blog post and comments page [...]
10:53 PM PT
[...] Google has plans to integrate GTalk chat/IM service with its popular GMail email service. On the urging of some readers including Venkatesh and Gtalkr’s Dudley Carr, I checked my GMail, and discovered a “chat” entry in the left hand menu. When I clicked, this message came up: Get Google Talk so you can chat and make free voice calls with friends. Your Google Talk chat history can be automatically saved right here in your Gmail account. Also coming soon: chat in Gmail! Looks like you can soon chat from within the browser, ala Meebo. Maybe this will get some life into the Gtalk platform, which like most (if not all) Google efforts has been slow out of the gates. [...]
11:06 AM PT
Interview with Gtalkr Co-Founder Wes Carr about Flash and Web 2.0
If you haven’t heard of Gtalkr
5:11 AM PT
[...] The Unofficial Google Weblog, part of the Weblogs Inc., adds another buzz: “Gtalkr fills in some of the missing pieces of the desktop Google Talk, such as conversation searching, and starring as in Gmail. The last part of the buzz has been confirmed by Om Malik. Techcrunch have made a deeper coverage of the functionalities. [...]
6:38 AM PT
[...] The Unofficial Google Weblog, part of the Weblogs Inc., adds another buzz: “Gtalkr fills in some of the missing pieces of the desktop Google Talk, such as conversation searching, and starring as in Gmail. The last part of the buzz has been confirmed by Om Malik. Techcrunch have made a deeper coverage of the functionalities. [...]
4:05 AM PT
[...] The Unofficial Google Weblog, part of the Weblogs Inc., adds another buzz: “Gtalkr fills in some of the missing pieces of the desktop Google Talk, such as conversation searching, and starring as in Gmail. The last part of the buzz has been confirmed by Om Malik. Techcrunch have made a deeper coverage of the functionalities. [...]
1:25 AM PT
Hi, was wondering if anyone could point me to a list of web-based open source voice and messaging applications in the same line as Meebo and Gtalkr?
12:13 AM PT
Hey Gtalkr service has been abandoned by the site owners. Is there any other similar serice online?
7:34 AM PT
created a website last pm ; now will not take password; suggestions?
7:35 AM PT
Created agmail website; cannot get into the site ; will not let me log in.
Any suggestions???????
4:52 AM PT
hello ))))) hi hi hi
i’m gtalk user in myanmar
now gtalk close .
pls reply ; how to use gtalk another way .
pls ; like gtalk website
7:51 AM PT
Cell Phone Ringtone Composer Notes
Very well, he had heard all the world presents to those who complained bitterly of the United States in the past been not wholly without sympathy, haven’t you?
9:02 PM PT
gtalkr is down. server return “object not found”. Btw do you how to sembed etup googleaps gtalk on site.
9:04 PM PT
sorry, crappy keyboard
Does anyone here know how to embed googleaps gtalk on website. I cant found any references from g.aps documentations.
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