Digital Trends

Google's Gmail has added both free video and voice chat to its arsenal via a plug-in.

Instant messaging services have it, and now Google’s Gmail service does too: free video and voice chat. The company has issued a plug-in to allow users to communicate by voice or video chat with other Gmail users, Information Week reports.

All you need is a computer running Mac OS X or Windows XP or Vista and any of the browsers that support Gmail (which, of course, includes Chrome). And a Webcam and microphone, naturally.

Google claims that Gmail is the first Webmail service to offer this. Rajen Sheth, senior product manager for Google's enterprise group, said:

"It actually is something that can help people, especially, in tough times, to save money. It makes it so you can do face-to-face meetings without travel."