Google instant Messenging for real ?

Very interesting link on Silicon.com found on Julien's blog tonight: Google might have an IM strategy hidden somewhere...

"Such speculation isn't new but it's gained legs as some intriguing facts have come to light this week. First, although few people seem to realise it, Google already owns an instant-messaging (IM) client called Hello that it picked up this summer with its acquisition of photo-sharing service Picasa." "Richard Smith, a well-known security consultant, said he examined the code in the desktop application and found included in the program files a new protocol: "google_im://". (A protocol allows desktop software to interact with the web browser.) "This is a good sign there's an IM client," he said."

I wrote a while ago that Skype is also developping a very discreet IM strategy, that no one talks about... I wouldn't be surprised at all, if a SkypeIM to SMS were made available on the market real quick...

The next big question is how IM communities can be monetized... ask the big telcos why they are all developing big IM strategies? Fear of cannibalization of the SMS business ? Cross-selling opportunities like MSN is doing ? Attraction tool like AIM does it ? Retention tool like Yahoo ? Business models include licensing of technology to very large operators, interconnection costs, subscription to the service on mobile phones, per message taxation (read SMS-like), etc. Funny market indeed.