As an online alternative to Google Talk and instant messaging altogether, Google has added a chat feature to Gmail that will be added to all accounts within the next few weeks. The chat feature allows you to talk to any person who uses Gmail or the Google Talk client directly from your browser with no download required. This is especially useful for those who are behind a corporate or school firewall that blocks google talk and other instant messaging services.
Automatically, the chat will be logged in the ?Chat? menu alongside your email inbox. Chats can then be searched just as you would search through emails. If privacy is an issue, either person chatting can choose to go ?off the record,? and the chat will not be saved in anybody?s account.
Via JakeJarvis