Andre Yoskowitz
20 Mar 2013 21:16
According to multiple sources, Google is planning to merge their messaging platforms into one single service, dubbed "Babble."
Google, in there ongoing expansions into multiple fronts, has let their messaging platforms run rampant. Currently, there is Google Talk, Google+, Voice, Google Hangout and Chat for Drive. All work towards the same end, but behave differently and do not really collaborate.
The sources claim Google is seeking to end this by creating a new service fresh, a cross-platform solution that would take on up-and-comers such as WhatsApp and Line and also established services like BlackBerry Messenger.
Reads one source: "Babble continues Google's trend towards organization by conversation. You can share photos in chat windows just like you would in G+ Messenger, start a Hangout with anyone in your contact list, and the conversations are threaded across all the existing services. Moving forward, the individual services will all be pushed onto the single platform, and you'll be able to use the same chat window across all of Google's products with the same features available everywhere. It's not so much releasing a new product as it is pulling together all of the existing products under a single branding."
Google is expected to at least show off a beta of Babble at this year's I/O conference.