Doesn't Seem To "Pull A Google" With Wow Factor

Unlike some past Google products, like Google Maps or Gmail, Google Talk does not seem to "pull a Google" as I like to call in in rewriting what we expect from an application or service. No "wow" feature jumps out at me or Gary Price, Search Engine Watch's news editor who worked with me on the story. Voice quality is supposed to be that factor -- and perhaps it is more than we're realizing. More on this below. But aside from that, there's nothing stunning.
Admittedly, I'm not an old hand at IM, not having used it much until the past year or so. But I've used both AOL's AIM service and Yahoo Messenger enough to know that Google Talk has no real bells or whistles that those are lacking.
This is also a good point to note that Search Engine Watch has no intention of suddenly diving into instant messaging coverage. If you want to learn more in depth on the subject, check out a site such as Instant Messaging Planet or read up on IM via Wikipedia's entry on it. IM isn't search, so it's not where we'll spend our time in depth.
Having said this, we'll dive in a bit this time to look at what Google offers and touch briefly on how it measures up from my and Gary's experience. Just bear in mind this is not a comprehensive feature-by-feature review, nor is it meant to be.