Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    Google Chrome as Skype Challenger with WebRTC

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    June 22, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google released WebRTC software to open source in May and now the company is tucking the technology into its Chrome browser, according to some sleuthing by CNET.

      WebRTC comprises real-time chat software Google’s gained from buying Global IP Solutions (GIPS) in 2010, a deal that frankly I’d forgotten about.

      Open-sourcing that technology recalls what Google did with On2 Technologies codec, which it turned into WebM.

      Just as Google launched WebM as an open source codec to encode and decode video and audio content in the Web browser, WebRTC is positioned as an “open technology for voice and video on the Web.”

      To this point, real time communications required proprietary signal processing technology delivered through plug-ins and client downloads.

      Through WebRTC, Google will give developers access to signal processing technology under a royalty-free BSD license. This will allow developers to create voice and video chat applications via simple HTML and JavaScript APIs, said Google engineering director Rian Liebenberg, and Google product manager Jan Linden.

      Those engineers said WebRTC would work with browser rivals Mozilla and Opera — its fellow WebM cohorts — to introduce this software into the computing world, but the first instantiation is clearly coming via Chrome.

      Linden said June 20 the WebRTC code is now about to land in Chromium as third party software to bring media processing capabilitiesto real-time communication to the open source browser project. Linden added:

      “We are working hard to complete the remaining steps for a full integration in Chromium and Chrome including JavaScript APIs in WebKit and handling of the native audio and video capture and rendering. When we are done, any web developer shall be able to create RTC applications, like the Google Talk client in Gmail, without using any plugins but only WebRTC components that runs in the sandbox.“

      Ah ha! Many of us have long been waiting for Google to stitch VOIP across other Web services besides Gmail, something it added last summer. Adding chat capabilities to Chrome is natural, though I expected it to come via Google Talk/Google Voice integration.

      Clearly, WebRTC is that same play, albeit for Chrome and other browsers that choose to embrace it.

      Why Chrome? Think of Google’s search engine as a big, banal canvas, with its myriad Web services serving as a broad palette from which the company can color in its quest for ubiquitous Web advertising.

      Chrome is becoming a bigger part of the palette, serving as the front door for Chrome OS-based notebooks. Google just added Voice Search for the desktop to Chrome as well.

      Soon, we will see add real-time chat in Chrome, not unlike Facebook Chat but with video capabilities as well. Think Google Talk, only in the browser.

      There are a lot of fun things about this. Start with the fact that Google would add another lpiece in its unified communications puzzle, joining Gmail, Google Apps, and Google Voice.

      It would also be another way for Google to attack Microsoft, which is acquiring Skype.

      With voice and video delivered in the browser and backed by Google’s cloud, you can kiss some of those Skype downloads goodbye. CNET certainly addresses this well, noting that there could be several rival Web apps as a result of WebRTC.

      This is assuming the technology works and Google lures users with free domestic and low-cost long-distance calls via Google Voice.

      Very exciting!

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×