Google Makes Video Chat In Gmail Easier

Interesting timing on this one. The same week Apple intros a video-calling iPhone and Sprint intros a video-calling Android phone, Google reminds everyone that they can do video chats within Gmail.Gmail has offered voice, video and group chat for quite a while. To use them, you have to know where to look, and the video chat feature requires users to install a plug-in first. It's not the most intuitive or straight-forward tool to use. That's why Google refreshed it a little bit.

Now, rather than interacting with the menus to initiate video, voice, or group chats, Google has added three little icons that make it a cinch. Simply press the graphic of the one you want to do, and bingo, you're video chatting.

But what do you do if your friend doesn't have the necessary plug-in? Google now has yet another icon that, when clicked, will invite your friend to install the plug-in. Google already did something similar with iGoogle and Orkut. Google says users will still be able to "go off the record," block people, and send SMS messages from chat.

Now about a native video chatting for Android phones...