Looks like the rumors were true.

Google Talk is now live and you can chat with your gmail loving friends with just about any Jabber supporting client**. They have their own client for windows that also works as a gmail notifier as well.

The service just works based off of your Gmail address, so you don’t need to sign up for another account and anyone else using gmail is essentially a user as well.

Why is this a big deal? Because Google is trying to standardize IM the way that email is standardized. Remember when CompuServe users couldn’t email Prodigy users? That is where we are at today with Instant Messaging, but hopefully with Google throwing its weight behind Jabber we might not be here very long.

If you look on the “About” box available through right-clicking on the system tray icon you will see in very faint lettering the following:

Which is “play 23 21 13 16 21 19 . 7 1 13 5″

Easter egg?

wumpus.game ??

**Other clients supported currently:

• GAIM
• Adium
• iChat
• Psi
• Trillian