videophone
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Videophone lets kids call Grandma but not surf the web
Want to encourage your kids to stay in touch with family, but don't trust them with a smartphone? A product called the ILY family phone from startup Insensi may do the trick. It's designed to help young 'uns place video phone calls to anyone else who also has either an ILY or the iOS or Android app. Calling couldn't be simpler -- they just tap the recipient's picture on the main page of the color touchscreen. Video and voice calls can be made over the internet via your WiFi network, or you can place regular phone calls by plugging it into your landline.
Look who's talking: The birth of the video phone
The videophone was always the obvious next step in the evolution of the telephone. It's a concept that has spent decades in development. And when it finally arrived, it looked a bit different than had always been imagined. Follow along, as we explore the bumpy road that led to those FaceTime and Google Hangout sessions you enjoy on your device of choice today.
NTT DoCoMo hands-free videophone prototype replaces that off-center webcam stare with your digital doppelganger (video)
In a sort of reverse-Project Glass, one of DoCoMo's latest prototypes flips its cameras back at the wearer. This hands-free videophone headset ties together seven separate cameras, each recording 720p video from wide-angle lenses. Aside from the single camera pointing behind the user (and beaming the background image), the rest of them point at the users' face, recording different quadrants. These are then composited together, creating a three-dimensional avatar of the user that's then broadcasted to the other caller. The model then nods, blinks, and moves -- all based on the camera footage -- all in real-time. In its current guise, the bottom half of the face is still composed from high resolution stills captured beforehand, but the program is able to animate the mouth based on the words and tones that the built-in mic picks up. NTT DoCoMo had some lighter, slight less clunky, future prototypes on show, and suggested that the headset could have medical applications, embedding further sensors that could gauge blood pressure, pulse and temperature and possibly broadcast this data during a call to your future physician. Work is currently underway to utilize smaller, higher quality sensors. We take a closer look at CEATEC after the break.
Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC's latte, still a bit hard
Webcams have certainly narrowed the distance between loved ones, but it's hard to argue that two people hovering over their laptop screens can rival an in-person conversation. Moving things over to the big screen could make the exchange much more comfortable for everyone involved -- you just need an HDTV, and a Biscotti. The small black box should be ready to turn the biggest screen in your home into a high definition video phone fairly soon, having just landed in the FCC's living room. Packed inside is a camera, microphone and 802.11b/g/n WiFi -- plug the contraption into your TV and you can instantly make calls to family and friends, with no monthly charges. A pair of HDMI ports let the device serve as a bridge between your television and cable box, so folks with limited connections don't have to choose between Dad and Mr. Mom. Biscotti will also interact with computers, tablets and smartphones via an as-yet unnamed "video player" to bring life-sized video chat to the masses. There's no word yet on pricing or availability, but if the FCC has finished nibbling at it, then it shouldn't be long before we get a taste ourselves.
Tango brings video calling to desktop PCs -- giant baby head not included
Back when we first laid eyes on Tango, the startup was sticking strictly to mobile, serving up free video calls over 3G, 4G, and WiFi to both iOS and Android devices (with front-facing cameras, of course). Now the company's thinking big -- quite literally -- with the announcement that it plans to bring its video calling service to PCs sometime later this summer. As of now, it looks as if this will be a Windows-only affair, and will remain free of charge -- as before, you won't need to register to get your videophone on. We've yet to see Tango at work on the big screen, but from what we gather from the press stills, the desktop edition will bring a bit of the old Apple to your PC. Full PR after the break.
Patent suit du jour involves videophone features, hits Apple and AT&T
For non-practicing entities -- companies that make a living purely out of holding patents and then licensing them to and/or suing companies that actually make things -- business is good (as usual). The latest NPE strike, reported by FOSS Patents, means that Apple, AT&T and US Cellular are getting hit with lawsuits saying the companies are infringing videophone patents. The suit, filed by Visual Interactive Phone Concepts Inc. in a Michigan District Court, says the use of a "videophone interactive mailbox facility system and method of processing information" violates two patents. The patents in question aren't very detailed, and seem to be more a vague method than an invention. The allegations claim that the 2 cellular companies and Apple services "act as a mailbox facility system." Well, OK then. Since the claim is so generic, it's likely other mobile phone OS and hardware vendors that include video calling functionality in their products will be sued as well. VIPS Inc. previously reached settlements with the targets of patent suits in 1999 and 2007. We'll see how Apple and AT&T choose to respond, and whether they think the cost of litigation will outweigh the cost of simply biting the bullet and licensing these patents.
Leadtek AMOR8210 videophone makes US debut at CES
Even though we're still not convinced we'd ever need a videophone, we'd be remiss if we neglected to tell you that the kids from Leadtek have announced the US launch of the AMOR8210. Already making a pretty big splash in Taiwan, this bad boy features a cordless handset, VoIP and plain ol' telephone support (via respective RJ45 and RJ11 ports), widgets (including audio and video players) and integration with surveillance and health monitoring devices. Pretty, pretty, pretty good, if you ask us. Interested? PR after the break.
SBN Tech to show off Android-based IP Video Phone at CES
Haven't heard of SBN Tech? You're not alone, but it looks like the company is now set to make the rather valiant attempt of trying to stand out from the pack of Android tablets at CES next week. Its hook, however, is that its tablet isn't actually a tablet, but an "IP Video Phone," which may or may not be similar to the device pictured above that the company's been showing off recently. Of course, while the company may be touting it as a "video phone" first and foremost, the device appears to be a fairly standard Android tablet underneath that guise -- it packs a 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 screen, an SD card slot for expansion, and the company notes that you'll also be able to use it for email, Twitter, Facebook and all your usual Android apps. Still no word on pricing or availability, but those details should be making themselves known soon enough.
Vision Digital Video Phone marks underwhelming return of Ojo
Well, this answers that. Back in early 2008, we wondered whether or not Ojo had gone dark once and for all, but it seems as if the video calling outfit has been brought back from the grave... for no apparent reason. The Ojo Vision Digital Video Phone is now on sale through the company's revived website, offering a 7-inch color LCD, a video output and a design that simply had to have been ripped straight from 1994. Of course, it's not like we haven't been to this rodeo before -- Verizon itself gave it a whirl (twice!), and promptly decided that its funds would be better spent elsewhere. We suppose not everyone is ready to move right along to mobile video calling, and if that's you, the source link has all the details on monthly plans. Just grab a paper grocery bag to wrap the unit itself in, okay? Trust us, it's for the best.
Drug vending machines start trial in UK, allow awkward videophone conversations with your pharmacist
You've got to imagine the Japanese are green with envy right now, as the BBC report not one, but two different drug vending machines are being tested out under Her Majesty's watchful eye. The first of these experiments is run by supermarket chain Sainsbury's, which has installed a pair of drug dispenser machines in its stores. They identify users by their fingerprint or a unique number, demand PIN verification too, and then finally accept your prescription. Then -- and this is the really silly part -- a pharmacist comes along, picks up your prescription, fills it out, and deposits it in the machine for you to pick up. So it's impersonal and unnecessarily convoluted, great. PharmaTrust seems to have a slightly better idea with its videophone-equipped, ATM-style robo-vendor: it's intended to allow pharmacists to approve prescriptions off-site and out of usual working hours by letting them speak to you via videophone. It could in fact be a big benefit in more remote areas, depending on how patients take to it -- we'll know more when the trial starts up in participating hospitals this winter.
Adobe FlashTime to bring peer-to-peer video calls to Android (video)
With tongue wedged firmly in cheek, Adobe has named its latest little bit of demo software FlashTime and given it a quick spin to whet our appetites. Built using the forthcoming Air 2.5, this peer-to-peer video chat client harnesses your smartphone's camera to get some direct visual communication going with your fellow Android lovers. Okay, so Android users already have other options for doing just this very thing, but the point being made here is that you can do just about anything with Flash, and since it's Flash it'll be easy to port around to other platforms. Skip past the break to see the demo, which has a multipeer chat session with a desktop Mac thrown in for good measure. [Thanks, Faheem] Update: Just for clarification's sake, Adobe's Mark Doherty got in touch with us to say there are no plans to release this little mockup client and that indeed the FlashTime moniker is a mere placeholder. Ah well.
Inbrics' SoIP S1 tries to make videophone converts out of us yet
We saw some incredibly cheap, ill-thought, Android-based videophones at CES this year, but this wasn't one of them. The SoIP S1 from Inbrics is running Android, of course, but it's under that same fine UI skin that Inbrics has coated its M1 Android slider in. The result is a finger-friendly device with nice software for making calls and sending messages -- though it could really benefit from an external text-input device of some sort, and luckily there's Bluetooth onboard to make that a possibility. There's HDMI, Ethernet, USB and an SD slot around back, and the device is designed to sling video calls and media playback to a TV over the HDMI plug or DLNA (there's also WiFi onboard, natch). For VoIP there's a wireless handset embedded in the base of the unit. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see a demo of the video calling in action, and the big hangup with most of these video calling stations is still here: there's no mention of the big standards in video calling like Skype, Google Talk or iChat, so it's hard to see this catching fire with people who actually video chat. Still, at least Inbrics has roughly half of the software problem solved. Check out a video walkthrough after the break. %Gallery-83037%
Movie Gadget Friday: Code 46
Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema. On our last visit, we examined the computer hacking fantasies of 1980's adolescents in Weird Science. Skipping on from software-engineered babes to a bio-engineered society, this week we investigate the gadgets in the human-clone-saturated cities of Code 46. Though most of the futuristic technology in this 2003 film is in the form of mind-altering viruses, the everyday devices used by Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton slightly stretch today's technical specs in true sci-fi form. Memory Videobook Preventing scrapbooks from being left behind as primitive forms of experience archiving, this gadget combines the cheap plastic form of photo-books with a relatively thin interactive screen. The device captures first-person memories from a user in the form of lossy video (alas, the specs behind memory capturing have yet to be released, much to our irritation). Playback and fast-forward/rewind are enabled through basic scrolling gestures on either the corner of the video or the opposing soft-acrylic, touch-sensitive finger pad. Similar to Americhip's video-in-print technology, the memory videobook appears to use a TFT LCD, but with a far more outstanding resolution. While this memory scrapbook device is far from chic, we kind of respect that it stays true to its historical laminated, cutesy form despite the high tech modifications. More after the break.
ASUS AiGuru SV1T videophone adds 7-inch touchscreen to 70s nostalgia
You've got to hand it to ASUS -- the little Taiwanese company isn't afraid of pushing the limits in niche markets. Above is its latest Skype-certified AiGuru dedicated videophone, the SV1T. The major new feature of the all-in-one device with WiFi (or Ethernet), VGA webcam, mic, and speaker is that large 7-inch 800x480 pixel touchscreen. A compelling device if they can get the price right; its predecessor listed for $300 -- about $201 too much in a market saturated by cheap netbooks.
UMEC's Android videophone and MID prototypes stray from the beaten path
We've seen plenty of odd Android permutations, but UMEC seems to be striving to do something all its own. It's showing two devices it currently has in the works, one is a videophone / hub / DECT phone / etc. unit (pictured), which might be at home on a countertop, while the other is a brightly hued MID, with similar internal specs but more portable aims. Both are running ARM Cortex A8 processors (like the iPhone 3GS), though there's some significant OS optimization to be done: everything was incredibly sluggish on the videophone, and the MID was locked up at the time we dropped by. UMEC also doesn't have the touchscreen drivers working for either device, though the good news is that they're looking at both capacitive and resistive touchscreens, based on what the reseller that picks these up desires. Luckily, the videophone has USB plugs galore (along with plenty of Ethernet jacks) so we were able to get a quick demo of the device using a mouse and keyboard. The MID also has a full-size USB plug, and both devices sport HDMI out, so the end usage for both of these is really up in the air. Check 'em out on video after the break.
LG's GD910 watchphone cheaper than expected, still worth more than your Dick Tracy collection
We've been tracking LG's G910 pretty closely since it was announced late last year, because as you can clearly see it's a videophone in a watch and if that concept doesn't get your gadget senses tingling you're probably dead inside. But, we were somewhat afraid when early reports indicated that the couture-phone's exclusive partner in Europe, Orange, was going to be engaging in a bit of price gouging, selling the thing at a whopping £1,000 / €1,144 (about $1,500 at the time -- now well over $1,600 thanks to our flimsy currency). The official price has finally been confirmed, and it's an ever so slightly more palatable figure of €899 ($1,290) when signing up for a 12 or 24 month contract. That's still too rich for our blood, or wrists, but hopefully you fabulously wealthy commenters will give us some real-world impressions free of marketing inanity.
ASUS AiGuru SV1 Skype videophone hands-on
Sure, it's frumpy, overpriced and rather pointless for anyone who owns a computer with a webcam and knows how to use it, but ASUS and Skype are after the grandma / grandpa / computerphobic set with this here AiGuru SV1 videophone, and aren't doing horrible job of it. The screen is great, the icons are ginormous, and operation couldn't be much simpler. Unfortunately, the video quality is pretty inexcusable for a dedicated box like this: the VGA image is crap, and the framerate is totally weak -- it could've been a problem with the network we were on, but it looked like a straight-up wired router to us. What gives, ASUS?%Gallery-32244%
D-Link intros GVC-3000 video phone for India
Standalone videophones may not be quite as plentiful as you may have expected them to be at this point in the 21st century, but D-Link looks to at least be doing its part to keep our 1980s / early 90s selves happy. It's new GVC-3000 model also takes things a bit further than most, with it able to be connected to a TV or projector for some big screen videoconferencing, and it apparently able to function a with minimum bandwidth of just 128 kbps as well. That, the company says, makes it ideal for its target market of India, where the phone will set you back between Rs 23,000 and Rs 25,000 (or $540 to $580) when it lands in September.[Via About Projectors]
Tandberg E20 desktop videoconferencing phone says 'Me too!'
Tandberg looks to get a piece of the desktop videoconferencing market with its E20 desk phone. The company promises DVD-quality video (at 448P) in a fast, secure, and relatively affordable -- at least when compared to its massive telepresence systems -- package. The E20 is compatible with most IP phone and video services and also includes a 20kHz speaker phone, and -- perhaps most importantly -- a 10.6-inch widescreen LCD display with WXGA resolution. As far as speed, it's listed with SIP up to 1152 kbps. Priced at $1,499, Tandberg argues a couple of these are a lot cheaper than a business-class ticket for that meeting in Europe. Expect to see availability in early 2009.[Via InformationWeek]
Nokia's patent for potential N85 reveals unstoppable camera fetish
Nokia's always coming up with some new harebrained scheme for cramming a gargantuan camera lens into one of its new phones -- trust us, if the Finnish phone giant could accomplish this task by breaking into Fort Knox or compromising your precious bodily fluids, it would. The latest effort by Nokia comes in the form of a patent that might point the way to an upcoming video phone, possibly the N85, which could give current compact shooters a run for their money. Current thinking on that device is that it'll be a video-oriented successor to the N96, with a WQVGA screen and a 5 (or maybe even 8) megapixel camera. It's mostly conjecture at this point, but we hope Nokia accomplishes it with a thinner device than we're looking at in this patent.
