2013-03-19 17:55:50 - The next major software release from GChat re-designed from scratch to meet the needs of the modern online chat owner: GChat Video Chat 3

After a considerable development effort, GChat is pleased to announce the next leap in chat software innovation - Video Chat 3. It seems that three is the magic number for the company: third major software version, three great updates to it to date and three memorable feature overhauls. So what's changed and what are the big hitters in this release? Numerology not withstanding, the software carries a redesigned, global menu bar, dynamic languages functionality and a flexible plugin architecture.

GChat, like other chat focused software houses, always puts a webmaster's user experience at the forefront of what it tries to achieve with every major update. This is the person who buys, installs and manages the chat - the key and primary

consumer of the product. Such an individual is normally a tech savvy community builder, who will use the software to run a business and will carry the brand for the company. The key requirements of this type of consumer are ease of access, smooth learning curve and speed. The speed of carrying out common administrative actions matters the most, because in real-time communications control can be quickly lost if a webmaster cannot react quickly to a dynamic environment.

To address these needs, GChat has moved key tools and control options inside an elegant, unified and logically structured global menu bar, which replaces the icon grid of its predecessor. But wait, isn't the grid paradigm the be-all-end-all of anything to do with the web? Well, actually it turns out that in a chat administration scenario it requires more clicks and more navigational steps than a categorised menu system. After a number of experiments, the design team felt that what works, resonates well with the end users and increases productivity is the way forward.

Trends are great, and the team was sure the time of tiled grids will come into its own with more touch-enabled devices in the market; but for now, as Microsoft's recent example with Windows 8, shoehorning a particular type of experience across all platforms and niches could prove more a hindrance than a bold innovation. Besides, the new administration menu in Video Chat 3 also fits perfectly alongside the dynamic languages functionality and integrated user search field.

Dynamic languages is really the jewel in the crown of this software release. Traditional localisation can take time and considerable resources, not to mention the additional user interface work required. But as the web moved away from static pages, so did Video Chat 3 move towards an interface for the control panel and chat client that can swap its multi-lingual hats on the fly. Indeed the technical wizardry that went into the effort of having the software conversant in the widest possible selection of human languages would take a volume of printed text in itself.

And yet the end result is easy to capture in a simple maxim - global software wins in a global world. With version 3, not only were the users pleased to find their language natively supported, they found they could actively participate in the localisation effort with simple and easy-to-use tools - a first for any application in Video Chat's class. Thus by utilising the power of crowd sourcing, GChat was able to quickly gain market share in countries where alternative solutions struggled to take hold over the years, due to the timescales involved in top-down localisation.

Finally the plugin architecture milestone is something the company's strategy has had on the horizon for a while. Inflexible software is dead software, particularly if it's in the cloud and served through a browser window. The plugin approach lets GChat focus on current and future functionality expectation of chat communities across the globe, by dropping in well-tested, self-contained bits of code where it is most needed; whilst keeping the underlying system stable, secure and performing to its best form. In quick succession Chat Robot, TriviaBot and Statistics modules followed popular consumer demand - feats which could have taken many month to add to a monolithic software design. The new plugin architecture now forms the bedrock of a successful hosted chat service offered by GChat, giving the company the power to rapidly turn consumer demand into working solutions in a blink of an eye.

GChat Video Chat 3 pushes the boundaries of what's expected from a chat application. It also illustrates that carefully calculated risks taken early on in the development process can still pay big dividends in the long term, even under rather dampening spirits of an economic doldrums. GChat's development team is proud of their accomplishment and are looking forward to a runaway success in retail, as product of their many combined man-hours enters commercial channels this year.



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About Video Chat

GChat Video Chat is a modern, comprehensive and truly global flash chat tool, perfect for live video and voice communication. It is easy to use and install; it supports multiple languages, platforms and payment gateways. Database integration is easy to implement via the admin panel, so your users don't require to register twice. It's equipped with a fully featured administrative options, video gallery, customisable banner tool, widgets and games.

About GChat

GChat is a communications and web software development company. We specialise in live video chat, but offer a diverse portfolio of products and business support services. Indeed, we are pleased to lend a hand with web design, development, hosting and SEO, and more. Our technologies support individuals, communities and SMEs. GChat is a UK based company with a global outlook and scope of operations.