When was gchat invented

How did we get from there, to having full chat conversations in tiny boxes on our mobile phones? The first iterations of chat programs were functional. While AIM was the first to appeal to the masses, many other messaging programs soon followed it.

Pidgin, started Gaim in as an open-source instant messaging client, which allowed users to reach contacts on several operating systems. Microsoft released MSN Messenger in , renaming it Windows Live Messenger in , and adding photo sharing, social network integration, and games.

But there was the issue of having multiple chat clients and missing out on messages if you were signed on to one, and not the other. In , Jabber created a world where everyone could communicate with its multi-protocol instant messenger, which was a portal for users to chat with friends and access their buddy lists on AIM, Yahoo, and MSN, simultaneously.

A similar service to Jabber, Meebo, was launched in But all of those chats were programs that you logged into specifically to chat, and it was when instant messaging became integrated into our everyday actions — like checking our email, opening a social media page, or turning on our mobile phones — that it began infiltrating our lives as a main source of communication. In , Gmail users had access to Google Talk, also known as Gchat, with their email contacts, as soon as they logged in to check their email.

It was not uncommon to lose minutes or even hours in chats when you had logged in to check your email, or chatting with someone instead of sending them an email: A sign of where we were heading in our always connected world. Or what do you hope to see? Throw some thoughts in the comments or tweet us Olark.

Check out relevant topics on: Customer Support. Karl is the Head of Communications for Olark. Got a good Olark story to tell? Email him: karl olark. Interested in live chat? Check out Olark. A history of customer service. By Karl Pawlewicz. Early s: People begin to use the Internet. You may have heard of it. This method of balloon mail was used by private activists to distribute leaflets to Warsaw Pact countries from West Germany in the mids and by South Koreans to North Korea discussing the health of Kim Jong-il.

Alexander Graham Bell is commonly credited as the inventor of the telephone, though many individuals contributed to the devices we use today. The concept of the telephone dates back to the non-electric string telephone that has been known for centuries, comprising two diaphragms connected by a wire.

Many experimented with this concept, but it was Bell who filed the patent in for an "apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically". The device weighed 46 lbs and sent digital versions of documents through phone lines via a series of dial tones. The fax machine allowed people to send documents across the world in a matter of minutes, replacing courier mail services and telegrams.

They tend to be triggered by a phone call and are most often worn at the hip. The wearer will respond to a signal by looking at a small screen on the device for an important message, which is usually in numeric code.

In , Motorola produced the first cellphone which weighed 4. ICQ was the first stand-alone instant messenger. The idea of a centralized service with individual user profiles paved the way for later instant messaging services.

In fact, Americans spend approximately 6 minutes per day talking on the phone, but more than 26 minutes texting. Originally, we had to type out each and every letter according to the numerical keypad on our mobile devices. Then, with the advent of T9, texting speeds increased.