When people think about office productivity, Microsoft and Google are by far the two most common names to come to mind. First launched 26 years ago, Microsoft Office has been the industry leader in workplace productivity since long before Google was even around.

As of writing, Google Chrome is by far the most widely used web browser on the Internet – and for good reason. It is fast, clean, versatile, and delivers a great browsing experience to its users, regardless of the device they use. But as Chrome becomes more popular, its Web Store has become bloated with thousands of add-ons.

For a corporation as hugely successful as Google, it may seem somewhat surprising that when it comes to instant messaging and chat apps, the company has failed to make much of an impression. But with free apps virtually destroying cell phone companies’ SMS revenue to become the communication method of choice, Google has decided it wants to take another shot at it.