Say hello to Gmail voice and video chat

Google had today launched voice and video chat, right inside Gmail. It is an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video. Google had built this product using Internet standards, such as XMPP, RTP, and the newly-standardized H.264/SVC video codec.

Check it out in the product video below, and then head on over to http://mail.google.com/videochat to try it for yourself.

Once you install the plugin, to start a video chat, just click on the “Video & more” menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose “Start video chat.” You’ll have a few seconds to make sure you look presentable while it’s ringing, and then you’ll see and hear your friend live, right from within Gmail. You can click the “pop-out” iconto make the video larger, or click the fullscreen iconin the upper left-hand corner for a fully immersive experience.See this all in action in the video below:

If your Gmail is not set up for your Webcam or Mic device, you’ll need to go to “Settings” -> “Chat” to configure your settings: