It looks like Google is finally moving into the Instant Messenger (IM) and VOIP arena with an upcoming release of Google Talk. The L.A. Times is quoting a source close to the services that said that Google will launch the services soon, possibly as early as this week.

The discussion of a Google IM began last year with an examination of Google’s early desktop search program that contained a protocol named ‘google_im://’. The buzz grew even louder in July of 2005 when Google made public steps into the IM market with the acquisition of Picasa. More recently, a rumor surfaced that Google was considering an acquisition of the location based instant messenger/consolidator Meetro, which has since turned out not to be true.

Google continues to fill out its product portfolio to catch up with and often pass its competitors, and IM has been an obvious whole in its offering. Given the advancement of VOIP and the shopping of Skype for a strong funding source, it quite reasonable that Google would jump into the this area with both feet.

Are consumers willing to create yet another instant messenger account or are they looking for a IM consolidation program such as Trillian? A hybrid approach similar to the one being taken by Meetro that uses both a proprietary network and consolidates other networks is likely the best approach, but Google may not have this luxury given the competitive nature between Google, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft.