Slashdot | Google Instant Messenger Coming Really (or Not?): "MSN has:
- reliability issues where it will go down for whole days or mornings at times- happening maybe every couple months for year. Google could use their high-availability knowledge to keep this lifeline alive
- integration to PSTN. If Google IM is always open, it's an easy transition to call family all around the world cheaply without the need to switch home phones and get a separate service (Skype for example).
- Fewer ads. Google would make its money on PSTN services, video conferences, features like '3-way calling' and 'conference calling' that need the network to merge several streams together or manage them. Google could make the ads smaller and less intrusive
- Fewer full-screen emoti-blips *hehe*
- file sharing, music sharing, resource sharing.

There is tons of untapped potential that M$ isn't doing. M$ is instead adding in full-screen emiti-blips (if I wanted a program to take over my whole screen when I'm working on something else, I would run a game.. It's happened before... typing in my credit card number and a MSN window takes focus... good thing I don't look at the keyboard when I type).

IM isn't just IM anymore. IM is about communication, information sharing, etc. All of Google's services are INFORMATION (search, maps, etc) or COMMUNICATION (gmail, talk) based- they're just adding more to the mix."