So what's the deal? Well, it's real and it's here and it's Jabber-based. It's not released until tomorrow (Wednesday), but if you're using Gaim, use the following settings to connect via the Jabber protocol:

Username: Your GMail Addy WITHOUT the @gmail.com
Password: Your GMail Password
Alias: Whatever you want.
Server: gmail.com

Under "Show More Options:"
Connection Server: talk.google.com


Key points from the review:

"Basic IM capabilities, high-quality and easy to use VoIP, complete integration with Gmail, and a simple, ads-free interface."

"Google is keenly interested in keeping the protocol open, and in fact you can access Google Talk's servers with any Jabber-compatible client like Trillian, Gaim, Adium X, and iChat."

"Google tells us that SIP support is coming soon and are in talks with Skype, AOL, and Yahoo! concerning interoperability."


Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is the ability for a Jabber server to use "transports." This allows soemone to, via a Jabber server, talk to anyone on any IM service transparently. This kind of ability could be the "killer app" for Google Talk ... it's only a matter of whether they'll go through with it.

If you're connected to the server, IM me by adding robertpaul AT gmail DOT com to your buddy list.

Update - 11:14PM
The official Google Talk client is now available here. The download is a mere 900KB.