Google Chat

I finally got the Google Chat in Gmail, and it is great! I can chat and look up emails at the same time! I chatted with Cary, and the chat box doesn't disappear while I'm looking at emails. Of course, switching to other windows or tabs doesn't allow the box to carry over, but you can choose to pop it out, if that's your preference. It doesn't blink orange (for some people, that may be a plus) every time a new message arrives. It changes the title instead.

One thing that might be undesirable is that Google Chat can save your message. You have the option of going "off the record", but I'm not sure what happens if one chatter says yes, and the other chatter wants no.

Meanwhile, click on the ads and support Google in its campaign to bring information to the world. Sure, it gives me money too, but that's an added bonus. :-)

UPDATE: Apparently, if one user wants to go off the record, that is honored on both sides, so the other user would also not have a record of the chat conversation, keeping the privacy.