Google Babel To Be Unveiled At Google I/O Conference, Change Name To ‘Hangouts’

Google will unveil the Google Babel platform when the Google I/O conference rolls around according to a new report.

The Babel platform is a new system from the search giant which hopes to tie together Google’s main platform-based products. Users can converse with one another using the system without needing to share the same account types.

The Babel system will be renamed Google Hangouts, sharing its name with the currently supported Google+ Hangouts system which offers video messaging and chat capabilities for groups of social network users.

Google is attempting to create a social network that not only focuses on traditional social networking but also on productivity and increased communications across its various platforms.

Google Hangouts incorporates GChat instant messaging and will reportedly allow users to archive Hangouts, block users, and even jump back to a previous version of the company’s chat services (for a short period of time after launch).

The Google Hangouts platform is based on the XMPP open chat and messaging platform which Google already utilizes for its Google Talk service. In theory the use of XMPP will allow Google to implement Babel via iOS devices in the future. In fact code hooks discovered inside the Google Hangouts platform point to support for multiple OS and device types.

Some experts believe that Google’s ability to attract more than one billion users could ultimately allow the search giant to create a messaging platform bigger than BlackBerry Messaging and Apple’s iMessages.

The platform with its focus on bridging the gap between software platforms should be a big win for Google if it is implemented and launched properly.