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WASHINGTON, US - INTERNET giant Google on Tuesday beefed up its free web-based email service by adding online video and voice chat as well as automatic translation of RSS feeds people commonly use to stay updated on blogs and news.
Gmail users with webcams can now talk to friends or family on video screens accessed directly through online mailbox pages by installing software plug-ins available online at gmail.com/videochat.
Users can make the video screens larger or smaller, depending on preferences.
Users without webcams can still take advantage of a service that allows voice conversations to be woven into email or instant messaging exchanges.
The voice and video service, similar to that offered by eBay's Skype, works on both Apple Macintosh and personal computers which run Microsoft's Windows.
Google also modified Google Reader, a popular tool for setting up Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds from favourite websites, to feature automatic translation of content into users' chosen languages.
An RSS feed can be set up using Google Reader, for example, to pull articles from a Turkish blog or website, and the content can be automatically translated into English or any of the other nearly 20 languages available.
The translations are done by machine using the Google Translate programme. -- AFP
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