It has only been a few months since Google turned on WebRTC in Chrome’s developer channel. Now, support for the HTML5 realtime audio and video specification is available in all Chrome builds (though it’s still hidden behind a flag on the stable channel).
WebRTC has already been billed a “Skype killer” as it can adeptly handle voice and video chat on the web, and it’s perfectly suited to apps like Google+ that want to offer plug-in free communication to their users. But Google’s got bigger plans, and it’s pretty clear that they’re going to offer up an open source alternative to Skype built right into the Chrome browser.
In addition to calling features, Google plans on adding support for screen sharing in future versions. That’s really the last piece of the puzzle at this point. As the bits and pieces comprising HTML5 continue to evolve and offer developers the opportunity to build desktop-like functionality into their web apps, it’s just going to get easier and easier for Google Chrome to match Skype blow-for-blow.
It’s also worth noting that Google is planning to encrypt all WebRTC activity inside Chrome. That’s important, since it provides users with a layer of privacy and security as they converse with friends, family, and colleagues — or even random Google+ Hangout denizens.
While challenging Skype (and by association, Microsoft) might be one objective, it’s certainly not the only goal Google has here. They’re still laser focused on the ideal that the Web is the platform of the future — and that Chrome offers users the best possible way to experience all the Web has to offer.
icreati: Hi-Tech News.
source: http://www.geek.com
