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Skype's Android and iOS apps let you video chat with 24 other people
Group video calling on our smartphones isn't a new idea, but Skype -- arguably the most well-known name in video calls -- hasn't supported it, until now. Today, Microsoft announced that group video calling will start rolling out in the Skype iOS and Android apps. For starters, the capability is going to be available to Skype users in North American and western Europe, but full worldwide availability is planned for the end of the month.
Apple's FaceTime finally goes cellular, says so long to WiFi restrictions
We've been waiting for it, and Apple surely took its sweet time to give it to us, but at WWDC 2012, FaceTime was finally let loose from its WiFi bonds, leaving us all free to video chat over cellular data. This is great news for all those Apple fans who resolutely refused to use similar services from Skype, Tango, or Google, that have been around for ages now. As for us? Well, we'd say it's better late than never. For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub!
Fring launches Group Video Calling beta
Sure, we may all remember the Skype and Fring video calling debacle, but that's all water under the bridge for Fring as it launches its Group Video Calling beta. That's right, you and four buddies can now video chat in real time from your iPhone or Android set -- if you're one of the lucky few to get in while the call for testers is open. Details are pretty meager here, and there's no mention of any type of desktop client support, but the quality in the demo looks to be pretty top shelf considering your handset has to deal with not one but four displays. How long it'll run or how many users are being accepted is also a bit of a mystery but we'd expect signing up will likely solve some of those riddles. So, tell us: is this something you'd use? Love? Please let us know in the comments below how you get on.
Skype's acquisition of Qik is now complete
Huh, that was fast. Barely one week has passed since Skype announced plans to acquire rival Qik, and now the buyout is complete. Skype celebrated with a blog post announcing the deal and reaffirms that its teams will be "working together... to make our mobile video products even better." Not to worry, Qik faithful, we doubt you're world will change much -- not yet, at least. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Skype announces plans to acquire Qik
Well, we can't say we saw this one coming, but Skype has just dropped a bombshell right in the middle of CES -- it's announced plans to acquire rival video calling company Qik. No terms of the deal have been disclosed, but Skype says that the transaction is expected to close this month. According to Skype, the two companies will "focus on providing a richer, more integrated experience that will allow people globally to share experiences in real-time video across different platforms," and it notes that Qik's "deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype." Head on past the break for the official press release.
Fring adds Dynamic Video Quality to its video calling apps
Fring is working hard to seize on this (hopefully temporary) gap in the video chat firmament, where Google is lacking in a first party mobile video chat solution, Apple's supposedly open FaceTime standard has yet to be opened, and Skype is dragging its feet on a mobile video call implementation. We're not sure how long that will last, but until then we're happy to have Fring sprucing up its own cross-platform solution. Fring just pushed out new Android and iPhone versions of its app that include "DVQ," or "Dynamic Video Quality" for video calling. It's pretty simple: the video quality automatically (and asynchronously) adjusts to use your available bandwidth, with an emphasis on keeping the audio stream pure and uninterrupted. It might sound like a no brainer, but it's a nice touch -- particularly for folks straying from WiFi and trying their luck with carrier data. Check out a video of DVQ in action after the break.
