|
Usefulness:
|
The Google Talk application that comes pre-loaded on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a decent video, voice, and instant message chat application. It is much more useful that it is on my Android smartphone (OS 2.2) because on the Android phone, despite having a front facing camera, the video chat and voice options are not enabled, but some of that can be rectified by the Google Voice application. This applications requires a Google Account to sign in, which are free and easy to get.
When using it for video chat the picture and sound are very clear. The volume is adjustable and there is a sliding measure for the image stabilization. The image stabilization can be set depending on how you're using your tablet and it will try to adjust the image to fit to how still your tablet is. Two especially convenient features are the mute and pause options. The mute option is somewhat self-explanatory, it is a simple icon button of a microphone that turns off your microphone so that the person you are chatting to can no longer hear you. The pause feature allows you to pause your camera but still lets you speak to the person you are chatting to with your microphone. When the chat is paused, the person you are chatting to can only see a still of the last image before you paused the camera. This automatically happens when you go to type something in the chat box or open another application. Most of the time there is little to no delay, but that can depend on your internet connection or data provider.
When you are running Google Talk and are active in a voice or video conversation an icon appears in your navigation bar that you can click on to get quick access to the chat if you leave the application. Notifications also pop up on the navigation bar (if you are signed in) when a contact sends you a message or tries to start a video/voice chat. There are also options regarding your chat availability status that are very useful. You can set yourself as available, available with a customizable status to describe your situation (at work, at home, contact only through instant message, etc.), busy, busy with a customizable status, and invisible. You also have the option to allow or not allow video and voice chats.
You can sign into Google Talk with multiple Google accounts and it allows you to choose different settings for each account. You can also sign out selectively with any of your accounts. There are options to set ringtones, notifications, and vibrate status for all of your accounts. You can turn on/off a mobile indicator that lets your contacts know that you are using a mobile device and you can set it up so that it automatically sets your status to away if you turn off the tablet's screen. You can still send instant messages to people who are labeled as offline, but they will only receive those messages once they come online. It is also very simple to invite others to use this application on their tablet or home computer because there is a convenient button on the top right side of the screen that is a small person icon with a plus sign next to it that allows you to type in your friends' email addresses and sends them invitations. Overall, this application is a decent video and voice chat option for tablets, but if those features do not work on your phone then it is just an average basic instant messaging application.
|
|
Ease of Use:
|
The Google Talk application is very easy to use if you are already familiar with the Google Chat/Talk/Voice features that you can run on your home computer through Gmail. But, if you are completely unfamiliar with any of those products then it can be kind of confusing because the application does not give you any explanations, hints, or instructions unless you look for them. However, having said that, Google does provide a very useful help page that you can find when you access the options menu in Google Talk and choose "Help". Overall it is easy to use.
|
