The best replacement for gtalk is bbm.

The best alternatives to gtalk are rated as following:
★★★★★  bbm
★★★★  gchat
★★★  yahoo messenger
★  ym
★  google messenger
  jabber

Your alternative for gtalk is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about gtalk, one probably shouldn't forget about gmail.

Other search terms related to gtalk and their ratings are:
★★★★★ gmail
★★★ send file option
★★ jabber
★ miranda
asterisk
gaim
You have in mind a companion for gtalk and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of gtalk in all years. Click on graph for more.
gtalk
bbm
gchat