New Google Talk features – pictures, themes and berries

If you’ve been observant lately, you’ll notice a few changes with Google Talk. We’re assuming your installation has already auto-updated—a really great feature with GTalk and most other desktop applications from Google. You’re usually informed by a blue bubble on the top part of the GTalk window whenever there’s a new feature installed.

First, GTalk now allows you to have your very own profile pictures. Just like with Yahoo! Messenger and other instant messaging clients, you can now select among a pre-set array of avatars or icons that represent you in the GTalk world. If so desired, you can use your own image from your hard drive. Your correspondents will see this picture beside your name in their contact lists and during a chat session (unless they turn it off).

To change your profile picture, simply click on the image beside your name in the contact list, and select among the pre-set choices or click “more pictures” to upload your own.

Second, you can now change the look and feel of your chat session windows. You can select among “bubble,” “classic,” “serene,” and “swiss,” either with pictures or without, or “ping pong picture.” The user-selectable themes can be set up under Settings | Appearance.

Here’s what we think of the themes:

• Bubble – Looks a bit like Apple iChat’s own chat session appearance. Conversations are shown in bubbles of differing color. If you choose the Bubble Picture, both ends’ profile photos are displayed inside each bubble.
• Classic – This is the usual GTalk theme. You can select, though, whether you prefer seeing the profile pictures or not.
• Ping Pong Picture – This is the only option you cannot have without pictures, as the profile photo is integral to the design. More like iChat, with correspondents’ messages appearing on either side, this theme displays conversations with the correspondents’ profile photos at alternating sides. The alignment of the text is also different—your own messages are left-aligned, along with your pic. Your correspondent’s messages and profile pic are right-aligned.
• Serene – This is a theme very soothing to the eyes, as each transmission is separated by a thick, light-colored line. You have the option of including profile pictures or not.
• Swiss – This one is a bit more on the avant garde side, with a prominent black line separating each message. You also have the option of using profile pics or not.

Last, but not the least, one great new feature is BlackBerry integration. Google Talk should now work with the highly popular BlackBerry mobile email devices-cum-cellular phones. To access, BlackBerry users just need to browse to www.blackberry.com/GoogleTalk.