Later this year, a new Google chat service will be introduced. More and more details are beginning to emerge about the service, ahead of the expected unveiling at the annual Google I/O Developers Conference. Do we really need yet another chat service?
This new Google Chat service will have the name of Babel, although it was previously being identified as Babble. Babble might have been an easier one to pass through, however, as there is already a site with the name of Babel that allows chatting internationally. That’s going to get very confusing, although there is no current trademark on the name.
The new Babel chat will unify all chat services under Google. Instead of having different features and abilities from Google product to Google product, such as Google+, Gmail, Google Drive, etc., it will all be one unified service. Additionally, it will work seamlessly across platforms, whether it’s Chrome, Android, or iOS.
The features of Babel will allow you to access the same conversation from anywhere and will have a new conversation-based UI. There will be advanced group conversations with notifications across all devices. It will also allow you to send pictures within the chat.
This all sounds great, but do we really need yet another chatting service? We have Skype, Oovoo, Facebook, and a whole host of other apps and services, each with a slightly different feature set, allowing you peruse documents, draw on a whiteboard, talk via live video, etc. So with all of that, why do we need yet another service?
The answer seems to be in what Google has planned. Google, no different than any of the other big tech companies, seems to be trying to keep their users from straying to different companies, apps, or services. If a user is checking out their mail in Gmail, then decides to enter into a chat, they want to keep the user there on Google. They don’t want them going to Skype, Facebook, etc.
Of course we don’t need yet another chat service. But Google needs us to stay with their products and not go elsewhere. Because they’re Google, they know we’ll at least try out their chat service. And for anyone who is already using their existing chat services, they’ll of course stick with this one as well. It’s not a service that’s needed. It’s just one that is going to get used whether we need it or not.
Will you have a use for the new Google Chat service or will you just stick with your existing chat services regardless? Chime in below in the comments area and let us know what you think.
Laura has spent nearly 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with more than 10 of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past three decades. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.
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