It looks like you won't have to wait for Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) to hit your device to get the new SMS-integrated version of Google's chat app called Hangouts. The company began rolling out the official update today.
Hangouts lets you send Google Talk and text messages from the same application, as well as engage in video chat. You can also embed animated GIFs in conversations or let contacts know what device you're chatting on and from what location.
There are a few caveats associated with the update, however. The SMS and MMS integration that Google announced last week will only work with devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above. Also, if your device comes with a separate text-messaging app that you can't remove, you'll see messages sent to both applications, meaning added data clogging up your phone.
Although the update is live today, it may take some time before you see it on your Android device, provided it has one of the right versions of Android.
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