Google is set to unveil a new messaging service and app that will unify a number of its text, voice and video messaging products into a single service.
The Verge reports the service, being developed under the working title ‘Babel’, will be released to the public under the title Google Hangouts.
Google has a number of messaging products on the market, including Google Voice and Google Talk, although the current version does not include SMS and MMS syncing.
The app will use Google’s Holo interface, with Gmail set to have its interface updated at the same time Google Hangouts is released.
The new service will also be integrated with Google Now, allowing users to, for example, set themselves a reminder in Google Now to send a video message in Google Hangouts at a future point in time.
The news follows in the footsteps of Microsoft’s decision to kill off Windows Live Messenger, formerly known as MSN Messenger, with the instant messaging service integrated into its Skype service.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
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