Fring bends under the pressure of iPhone video calling, Skype temporarily locked down
By Chris Ziegler 
posted July 9th 2010 7:42PM
posted July 9th 2010 7:42PM
We guess this is a "good" thing in a roundabout way, but Fring has just dropped the knowledge that its video calling update for the iPhone 4 has been so wildly successful that they've been forced to temporarily restrict Skype access to "free up capacity" for direct Fring-to-Fring calls. Hopefully the company is hard at work beefing up its infrastructure to bring everything back to normal -- but in the meantime, at least you've got an easy way to look your EVO-toting friends square in the face without having to actually see them in the flesh. Perish the thought![Thanks, Roy]
@huskie fluff
Bring the Fring videocall network down due to being overwhelmed with data, sort of implies that a lot of iPhone 4's are managing reception fairly well.
Dubious Trade-Off... IMO
Fring is single-handedly, The WORST, GLITCHIEST, MOST FRUSTRATING APP, IN BOTH THE APP MARKETPLACE AND THE APP STORE....
Seriously, I have had to create 4 accounts, sign in and out 20+ times, restart my phone, re-attempt video chats 100's of times, It seriously is almost as if it IS COMPLETELY UNTESTED, For both the iPhone and Android..
Facetime Video chatting is about 10x the quality of Frings,
Qik Video Chatting on the EVO, 5-6x The quality of Fring,
And Fring has no Anti-feedback mechanism so theres just infinite echo.... ITS TERRIBLE
QIK, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR iPHONE 4 APP TO WORK WITH EVO VIDEO CHATTING!!!
(qik's anti-feedback mechanism is a bit strange but works very well, if you call someone they can hear you, But you cant hear them until they hold the "TALK" Button, and during that time they cant hear you, It may seem rudimentary, but when you get the hang of it , it makes the audio experience much better and is very usable)
I just got done video chatting with a freind over WiMax from Vegas, and i was watching his dogs, I flipped the phone around, And he was able to make his DOG Sit, Sit Pretty, Roll over, Etc, FROM VEGAS! Over Video chat!!! ;-), It was pretty awesome....
On fring... The dog looks confused and runs away from terrible feedback and the video is unwatchable.
@ivealwaysgotmail
I second the sucky (yes that's the technical term for it) quality of fring. As soon as I read about it on Engadget I downloaded Fring for my EVO. I had it on my phone for about 5 minutes before it locked up and the OS automatically prompted me to force close it, 30 seconds later it was uninstalled from my phone.
@theaussiepunk Yep, QIK Is the only way to Go for video chatting on the EVO Right now
@ivealwaysgotmail
Qik is shitty too. So you EVO fanboys can either have a crappy qik call or a crappy fring call. Such freedom.
@Christopher02 yes but we don't need to be on WiFi :P
@Christopher02
Lol @ your Obvious fanboyism, I (just today) did facetime RIGHT NEXT to QIK over WIfi, And QIK is pretty close to facetime's quality and eliminates the Echo effect problem....
+ i can actually use it when im not at my house... Which... you know... Makes it so its useful in situations when i dont ALREADY HAVE A WEBCAM AT MY COMPUTER..... so... for REAL LIFE QIK is much better, Thats all there is too it..
you can keep making your video calls from your local starbucks, or from your house sitting right next to your laptop, Ill do it on venice beach talking to my freind in vegas walking down the strip...
@ivealwaysgotmail
Or using Fring anywhere I damn like.
IPhone invented fring
Makali invented stupid.
@HAL2000
Just like ur iphail
Just got the call. My Evo is HERE!!
My problem with Fring is that it doesn't actually work properly. I tried with both the iPhone and Android clients, and it would either say that my username was used (it wasn't), or that my credentials were wrong. Or that it wouldn't register. Eventually, I managed to create an account and login about 2 hours later (I was watching TV, so I kept re-trying since my iPhone and Android phones were next to me). Their forum and BOTH the Android/iPhone store pages is full of complaints of people with the same problem! And this problem existed BEFORE they went live with video yesterday (so it's not an expected "loaded server" problem).
The other problem with Fring: you can't change your password. You have to email support, delete your account, and then re-create it. This is crazy, and it was the final straw.
So I gave up on them... I just can't take this service seriously. They need to stop trying to add more features in expense of stability, speed, and security. Usually it's a "pick any two" deal, but in this case is "none of the three".
Good people at FringLand LLC: wake up, and get it right. I'd love to see this actually working properly, because it can help me communicate via video with my mom who lives very far from me (my mom has a Symbian phone with a webcam that Fring supports). But as it is now, the service is not usable or up to my standards.
Fring is decent. video looks like shit though even on wifi. Apples facetime is much better.
@Cg006 Fring is about as descent as a diarrhea sandwich
Just a question for an ignorant brit, why all the fuss behind video calling.
Us in the UK were video calling over 3G like 6 years ago, it worked and it worked fairly well. But the novelty of video calling quickly wore off, are you Americans new to this or something?
Or is video calling hype just another product of Apple?
@QwaF This is Apple's creation. Anything endorsed by Jobs gets a go. Besides, the phones you were using 6 years ago weren't as widely adopted as the iPhone is.
This report sort of backs up what some of the research done by the analytics companies. Namely that iPhone users are more web active than other users. I suspect this has to do with the ease of use and the "it just works" UI. Therefore, you have more of the general public types using this service.
@kent99 Yeah it's the same here in Australia. Video-calling is nothing new and it works exactly like a phone call (none of this app fring qik business), but the reason i think that this feature is only new to the US has a lot to do with their telco networks and the quality of their 3G, even though now they've got sprint with their 4G
@MiddleFinger
That's what happens when you give a five year old internet access.
@kent99 "Besides, the phones you were using 6 years ago weren't as widely adopted as the iPhone is."
But that's the point. They were. (Ok, maybe not exactly 6 years ago, but still...) Take any 3G phone with front facing camera (which has been standard for years except for the supercheap and business models on this side of the pond): Bingo - video call facility.
...Roundabound...
Man, I wonder how AT&T's network will hold when all the iPhone 4 users start video calling over 3G?
@ObsceneJesster iPhone is a monster that will eat carriers. It will be interesting to see what happens to Verizon.
Already two posts about the new Fring update, but yet not a single post about the Qik update that brought video to video calling. They didn't even slightly mention it in the Evo software update article that brought it to us. Hmmm.
@Indie
I remember seeing a video call between Android phones demonstrated on Engadget not too long ago. Maybe you missed it.
Who wants to look at iFanboys?
I just tried the Fring on both the Iphone4 and Evo last night and this morning. It is what it is. I will admit it does look better on Iphone---Evo's front facing camera is not well lit...so you had better have great lighting...i also agree about the infinite echo and feedback when phones are too close in proximity. Over Wifi clearly was better than 3g on both phones. Sound quality not the best...but again it is what it is. When did a new cell phone feature become so mandated? ALL of the front facing camera's suck. Its a new feature on US phones...give it time. Since cell phones have become hot commodities, they will continue to drop in 6 month increments, just in time for holidays and sales.
*I chose the Fring over the preinstall Qik based on hands free and the computer to phone, etc. Although i would rarely use this feature-as its not a deal breaker for me-the fact that Qik requires me to hold a button to speak would be...then again, this is really not that exciting. Since more phones are coming out with more and more megapixels...we should demand a better front facing camera- as well, on the Evo i would settle for just being able to switch to the rear camera!
it's time to stop trying to use "roundabout" in every post btw
@MiddleFinger
What is up with you? I'm asking a simple tech related question from a curious outsider, yet you come in attempting to start something with your 1980s stereotypes.
Tried it on my friends iPhone with my Evo .......worked like a charm on 3g. A lil chopy and fusy but good enough
@aliaselchore
A Little?!?! What?!
Have you seen facetime? Or Even qik?
Frings video quality is on par with a finger painting in comparison to QIK even.
so i can make a fring to fring video call on the iphone 4? gee, that's about 5 users worldwide. skype needs to release their version supporting the front camera and it's a gamechanger. facetime is a great thing, but for only those who you know have an iphone 4.
So can I expect the full skype experience on smartphones anytime soon?
Damn, lots of bad reviews in the Fring App here..I haven't had any issues with it...thankfully.
I like Apple's facetime
I guess that's what happens when you put Fring on a device that actually, you know, sells.
@Perspective
I guess that's what happens when you put Fring on a device that restricts it's own, otherwise great, videocalling features.
Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, Whatever... ALL NEED TO BE ABLE TO VIDEO CALL EACH OTHER... Of Course Apple with there proprietary control freak ways wants to dictate to you that your only allowed to use facetime with other iphones and if you want to talk to your andorid buddies... your gonna have to fring, qik, skype or whatever you can get to work.... NUFF SAID...
fring has bit off more then they can chew... there servers are overwhelmed with everyone now wanting to video call...and... SKYPE needs to get there shit together and enable real face to face with cross platform between all phones... I don't care how good Facetime looks... If it is restricted to only other Facetime phones... Everybody wants to rule the world... and of course none of this shit would even happen if ALL platforms were on the same page when it comes to video calls.
@ScreamingFlower
So make an Android App using the open FaceTime specification, do something constructive rather than just whining about it.
Isn't Android "open" so YOU can do whatever you want?
@hill60 ... I don't make Apps... I buy the ones I like... and FaceTime in the market around 2 weeks... I'm sure Android developers are on it... oh.... and I absolutely luv whining about vomit like this... just so YOU can marinate in it! ... now that's what I call constructive!
Great. The only reason I downloaded this app is now gone…
The 3G calling feature is cool too — too bad I don't have 3G within an hour of my house. Thanks, AT&T!
I tried this with my mates and it's crap! Like apple said, the networks just can't handle it at the moment. I do think this face chat stuff is a bit of a gimmick.
C'mon Skype, you need to update your app a.s.a.p.
oh good, now iPhone users can use video chat that looks to suck about as bad as the video chat on Android. I am shocked at how much better video chat is using Facetime than really any other video chat I've ever done (including AIM / iChat on the computer). The picture is so good, no lag... makes me really unwilling to put up with junk apps like this.
I'm not sure how these things work but can Skype command Fring to stop incorporating Skype into their app permanently? Is there a risk that such a thing could happen?
Leave it to iphone users to screw up everyone else infrastructure.
This why I hate the iPhone! Now I can't do video calling on my Nokia! You bastards!