Gmail is a pretty good phone

So yesterday, I’m minding my own business, checking my email, when Gmail decides to point out a new menu option labeled “Call Phone“.  If you missed it, it’s listed under the Chat menu on the left hand side of the screen.

I didn’t have the time, or a mic, so I just logged the incident in the recesses of my mind and went about my business.  But tonight, I was using my netbook which coincidentally has a mic built in…

So I hit the link.  It makes you install a browser plugin, and restart your browser, but then … oh, then you have a full on telephone built into your computer – without any need for an external application.  The thing runs straight through the regular Gmail interface.

And it really works.  Well.

Apparently, it will do video chat too – but I’ve only tried it with actual telephones, so I don’t know how well that works.

And the best part? Free calling to Canada and the US in 2010.  It wasn’t explicit, but I’m betting that means it will cost something in 2011.  But who cares? It’s free now, and totally awesome!

Chatroulette remodeling?

It seems that everyone’s favourite random penis viewer video chat site, Chatroulette, has been taken offline while changes are made.

The site’s spartan video chat page has been replaced with an announcement stating:

The experiment #1 is over now. Thanks for participating. Renewed and updated version of the website will be launched today.

Anybody know what “the experiment #1” actually was?