Google Talk users will be transitioned to Hangouts after February 16

In a little over a week, Google will prompt users on Google Talk (GTalk) to move over to its new Hangouts service. After the transition, the GTalk will be shutting down altogether. Google has been redirecting those looking to download GTalk to Hangouts for quite some time, so the transition doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Hangouts offers a more unified overall experience, with messaging, SMS, calling and video chat packed into it. Unfortunately Hangouts has not seen a wide adoption by users, who seem to prefer alternative options like WhatsApp.

Transitioning to Hangouts won't be an issue for most mobile users, as transitioning to Hangouts comes with various advantages. The Windows Phone users who don't have a Hangouts apps, and use various third party Google Talk apps will have to find alternatives quickly.

Still Hangouts is one of Google's solutions to convergence, and with this final push they would hope that all users on Google's platforms will stick with Hangouts as a solution to their chatting needs.



source - PhoneArena