Starting today, the users of Gmail service will be able not only to communicate through chat and e-mail but also through voice and video, thanks to a new plugin released by Google.

In order to gain access to these new features you should download the plugin from here, run the installation program and restart your browser.

After signing in into your Gmail account, you should enable the new feature from the Options menu in Chat windows and, in a matter of seconds, you will be able to see and hear your friend.

According to Google, the new feature work on all major browsers and it doesn’t matter if you are working on Windows or Mac, because the program is available for both operating systems.

Of course, a Webcam is also required and in case you don’t have one Google offers some help, here. Google has teamed with camera maker Logitech to offer users healthy discounts on webcams.

The feature is not yet available to all Google accounts, but it should be in the next few days. This addition is just the latest in a series of improvements unveiled by Google in the past few months for its e-mail service.

“‘The idea was to make it quicker and easier to communicate with other people by whatever means is best convenient,’ said Google spokesman Jason Freidenfelds. “‘It's a nice alternative for businesses looking for another way for people to connect," he added.

However, this news means that Gmail will enter in a direct competition with Skype, which has 300 million users.

In the last two months, Google Labs provided Gmail with emoticons, canned responses, contacts improvements, advanced IMAP controls, Mail Goggles and integrated Google Calendar.

However, despite its improvements, Google’s Gmail is ranked third, far behind Microsoft’s e-mail service and Yahoo’s Mail.

According to comScore in September there were 113 million users of Gmail, while Microsoft has 283 million worldwide users and Yahoo is very close with 274 million.

Let’s hope that thanks to the new feature, Gmail will be adopted by more and more users.