videocalling
Latest
Rogers Wireless introduces RAZR 2 V9
Since AT&T's already had its moment in the spotlight with the Motorola V9, Rogers decided a me too moment was appropriate and has earmarked this fella for Canada. Like its AT&T sibling, the Canadian V9 packs quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA, Bluetooth, and 128 MB of memory, but unlike it's US twin, also rocks video calling. Pricing starts at $399 on 1 year to $299 on a 3 year term or $199 on 3 years if you opt for a Vision video calling plan. The Motorola V9 is still listed as "coming soon" on the Rogers page, but we expect that'll change real soon now.[Thanks, Treatz]
AT&T considering video conference calling?
We're hearing whispers of a focus group held by AT&T where they were showing off a video calling service on an unknown mobile. The handset was described as a BlackJack-like handset, but thicker, with a forward facing camera -- of course. When in-call, the main screen showed your caller, but a sidebar apparently held other smaller video feeds. We're really hoping this is rumor-becomes-truth, because the only thing better than AT&T offering video calling, would, of course, be multi-person video calling. iChatMobileAV anybody?[Thanks, prettyboyy]
AT&T Video Share goes national, now live in 160 markets
Following an earlier limited rollout to Atlanta, Dallas, and San Antonio, AT&T has now taken its "video call lite" service -- Video Share -- to all 160 of its 3G markets nationwide. Like the service itself, the compatible handset lineup is extraordinarily limited at the moment; only the SYNC, A717, and A727 from Samsung are being officially advertised, though we know the LG CU500v should work as well. Pricing remains unchanged from before: a stiff $4.99 monthly for 25 minutes of usage, $9.99 for 60 minutes, or 35 cents per minute.[Via Phone Scoop]
Hands-on with Rogers Wireless' Samsung A706
We have been jonesin' to get our hands on the Samsung A706 -- also known as North America's first video calling handset -- since its release a couple weeks back. Seeing as the details for this HSDPA-packin' video-callin' bad boy have been laid out in a couple other stories, we will skip all that technical stuff and get you straight to the pics. Hit the link for more! Roger's A706 Gallery [Thanks, Treatz]
Rogers serves up North America's first video calling service
With the introduction of the video call capable A706 this week, Rogers is now about to bust the doors wide open with the first North American video calling service. To celebrate the launch, we hear Rogers is going to be offering some crazy incentives to get the ball rolling. The word is that by just picking up the handset on a three year contract and tacking on a inexpensive Vision plan -- as little as $5 CDN a month -- you will get three years of unlimited video calling, three months of unlimited Video on Demand, and three months of unlimited Internet access. Also in there is Rogers' VOD service which will see you watching MTV, YouTube, Sportsnet, MTV, Access Hollywood, Tonight show, CNN and more. Since that is hardly enough, Canada's 3G provider is including 25 XM channels with 5 of them exclusive to Rogers Wireless. All of this falls into the too good to be true category, so we will hold our collective breath and wait to see what's what, but know that we are seriously hoping some of Rogers altruism rubs off down here.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
KTF's EV-W100 with Max Headroom technology
This reminds us a little bit of voice-to-SMS -- it's a feature that's been perverted in such a way that the original intent has been somehow lost in translation. Don't get us wrong; with HSDPA, 2 megapixel cam, and A2DP, the EV-W100 from KTF is nice and all (it is, after all, a Korean handset), but the draw here seems to be special software that'll replace the outgoing video on video calls with an animated avatar as a "security" measure. Now if we're not mistaken, it takes two to tango when it comes to video calling, so why not just not hold a video call if you're concerned about the peeps on the other end seeing what's going on? No bother; we guess it's pretty cool that a talking pig is one of the avatar choices.[Via textually.org]
Imaginarium's Cam1 brings video calling to kids
Imaginarium's telephony devices for children haven't typically looked like phones -- though we reckon that's by design -- and the trend continues with its latest, the Cam1. The rather beefy looking Cam1 is focused on video calling, giving parents an opportunity to get some visual confirmation that their children are safe and sound (though we're wondering what the toddler in the press shot here is doing far enough away from her parents to require a video call). Other features include 20MB of onboard memory, microSD expansion, and big, colorful buttons that we kinda want to press.
Cingular to demo video calls at CES
It's been a long time in coming -- and even its latest upcoming equipment doesn't seem to support it -- but Cingular (or should we say AT&T?) wants everyone to know that video calling is still very much on its agenda. Demos of the feature, made possible by WCDMA's capability to rock voice and data simultaneously, will be taking place at AT&T's CES booth next week. We don't know the full lineup of handsets Cingular will be using for the exhibition or whether said equipment will make it into Cingular's lineup down the road, but one device we know will be shown is the LG CU500v, a video call-capable update to the venerable CU500. Yeah, that's right -- that six month old, HSDPA capable CU500 is obsolete. Some of us haven't even worn the new phone smell off our 8525s and BlackJacks yet, but we doubt they're updatable; no front-facing cam, after all.
Cingular-branded Motorola V3xx hits the FCC
It may be no match for its MAXX cousin, but the scrappy lil' Motorola V3xx (alias "MOTORAZR xx") does alright for itself -- especially this side of the pond, where folks are still relatively starved for HSDPA-equipped handsets. The latest FCC filings reveal that the V3xx will be heading to (or at least tested by) Cingular, which we can say with some confidence thanks primarily to a user's manual absolutely riddled with Cingular references. With just a 1.3 megapixel external camera and that please-make-it-stop original RAZR styling, the V3xx seems ultimately destined for one of the lower tiers in Cingular's 3G lineup, but the presence of a secondary forward-facing cam indicates that it could also end up being one of the first to support video calling.[Via Phone Scoop]
Radvision gets PCs in on video calls
While lack of product (and network, in most places) is the US' biggest roadblock to acceptance of video calling, the technology hasn't exactly captured the hearts and minds of consumers where it's been rolled out, either. There are a few believable theories why it hasn't taken hold: size of the screen, quality of the video, cost, the fact that you're making the call in your skivvies, et cetera. Radvision thinks it might have a lot to do with the fact that PCs are already well-established in the video conferencing game and they've been unable to play nice with 3G handsets thus far, prompting the company to develop "PC-to-Mobile," a PC client enabling video calls to handsets and vice versa. The solution appears to require carrier acceptance and implementation, meaning that unless your operator of choice decides to sign on Radvision's dotted line, you might not be able to get on the action -- but given that video calling likely hasn't made anyone a dime yet, these guys might make quite a splash.[Via The Inquirer]
Has-beens, wannabes unite to launch LG CU500
"Ms. Berkley, this is so-and-so with Cingular Wireless. We'd like to have you come down to Mr. Chow for a few minutes, pose with a new phone we're launching, smile, maybe answer a few questions about your illustrious career, and generally act like you give a crap. We'll snap a few photos and throw in a couple hundred bucks to make it worth your time. Whadya say?" We're guessing LG's CU500 HSDPA video-calling clamshell is getting ready to roll, now that Hollywood's B-list has come out in full force to promote it. We've never been so attracted to Elizabeth Berkley in our lives.[Thanks, Jonathan]
Samsung ZX20 poised to usher in HSDPA age on Cingular
It could end up being a photo finish between the ZX20 and the LG CU500 in the race to become the first HSDPA handset on Cingular's 3G network -- but for the ZX20's sake, we hope it launches first, because it's the ugly duckling when you put these two first-gen devices side by side. At any rate, we can now say with some certainty that the ZX20 will support video calling after the FCC dropped some user's manual goodness on us. Besides that and the aforementioned HSDPA, the ZX20 adds Bluetooth 2.0, but is otherwise a dead ringer for its pappy, the UMTS-only ZX10.[Via phoneArena - Thanks, Jordan]
