http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Tech/Story/A1Story20081112-99990.html
WASHINGTON, US - INTERNET giant Google on Tuesday beefed up
its free web-based email service by adding online video and voice
chat as well as automatic translation of RSS feeds people commonly
use to stay updated on blogs and news.
Gmail users with webcams can now talk to friends or family on
video screens accessed directly through online mailbox pages by
installing software plug-ins available online at
gmail.com/videochat.
Users can make the video screens larger or smaller, depending on
preferences.
Users without webcams can still take advantage of a service that
allows voice conversations to be woven into email or instant
messaging exchanges.
The voice and video service, similar to that offered by eBay's
Skype, works on both Apple Macintosh and personal computers which
run Microsoft's Windows.
Google also modified Google Reader, a popular tool for setting
up Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds from favourite websites,
to feature automatic translation of content into users' chosen
languages.
An RSS feed can be set up using Google Reader, for example, to
pull articles from a Turkish blog or website, and the content can
be automatically translated into English or any of the other nearly
20 languages available.
The translations are done by machine using the Google Translate
programme. -- AFP