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Skype teases video recording and sharing 'as it happens,' inventing synonyms for 'video calls'
It's hardly a secret anymore that Skype will be making some manner of video-related announcement at CES, but now the company's stepping up the hype offensive with a series of teasing videos and tweets. The common thread between the vids is that they're all shot in remote locations or on the move, eliminating the current PC / Mac dependency for video chat and forcing our minds to consider mobile, perhaps smartphone-shaped, devices instead. What Skype's promising is that we'll be able to share our favorite moments "as they happen," which together with all this video recording stuff seems to point to only one thing: video calling on mobiles. Only mystery left now is which platforms will get it when.
Yahoo! Messenger and ooVoo Mobile do video chat on Android, but only for a lucky few
Two video chats enter the ring, only one comes out. In this corner it's ooVoo Mobile, a portable version of the (somewhat) popular desktop video chat application that will let up to six users simultaneously swap bitrate over 3G, 4G, or WiFi -- but only if you have an HTC Evo or Samsung Epic. In the other corner it's Yahoo! Messenger, with version 1.3 adding video calls and similarly limited device support, though this time it's the myTouch 4G and the Evo getting the nod. So, Android owners, which of these is going to reign supreme? Or, are you going to tap out and stay cozy with Qik? Hit the Android Market now and place your bets. Update: We're told that Paltalk has also recently released an Android app to the Marketplace, giving you yet another way to say "hey."
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.
Screen Grabs: Two and a Half Men discovers FaceTime, still searching for humor
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. We were going to say something funny, but then we just got depressed that this show is still on TV. You disappoint us, America. Oh, and Hawaii Five-0 did it first. [Thanks, Michael C.]
Skype 5.0 for Mac Beta is now available -- includes group video chat
A beta version of Skype 5.0 for Mac has been released, and it includes not only some new features like group video chat, but also becomes more Mac-like by putting all of the information and controls in one window. The existing Skype client scatters windows hither and yon; one for chat, one for a list of contacts, and so on. The Mac Address Book is now integrated with Skype, so you no longer have to keep a separate contact list for the app. Adding new contacts is much simpler than before, requiring just a search and single click to include them in your list of Skype users. To dial people directly or send SMS messages, there's now a floating dial pad that appears when needed. A new sidebar in the all-in-one window features your contacts and contact groups, as well as providing access to recent conversations. But the biggest feature so far is group video chat. All participants in a Skype group video chat need to have Skype 5.0 or greater for Mac or Windows running on their machine. It appears that you can chat with up to three other people. There's also a "push to talk" feature that can be enabled to require you to push a certain key combination (Control-Option-Command-Up Arrow) to speak. When you remove your fingers, you're automatically muted. Frankly, I think they could have used something a bit more simple than that key combo. A video discussing these features is on the next page.
Qik integrates deeply into myTouch 4G's hardware, Android contact book
Surely you've heard of Qik by now, right? It's most closely linked to Sprint's EVO 4G, but it looks as if the video calling service is now siding with another "4G" carrier: T-Mobile USA. Shortly after T-Mob tossed off the gloves and proclaimed to be "America's largest 4G carrier," Qik has come forward with an interesting tidbit about the newfangled myTouch 4G. According to it, the "integrated T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik will be the first to offer integration into the native Android address book with the benefit of indicating live presence allowing customers to connect with friends and family through live video conversations and video messaging over T-Mobile's network and WiFi." We're even assured that T-Mobile Video Chat will offer "dramatically improved video quality and frame rates compared to other video calling solutions on the marketplace through deep hardware integration," and users can even see if folks in their contact book are able to video chat at a glance -- no trial and error necessary. We'll be testing this stuff out in our upcoming myTouch 4G review, but be sure to let us know how it's treating you in comments below. You know, if you're an "early adopter."
T-Mobile starts up 4G ad campaign by poking a stiletto into AT&T's network (video)
We suspected T-Mobile's new advertising campaign would ruffle some feathers, but we weren't ready for quite such brazen trash-talking right off the bat. Of course, it's trash talk dressed up in a pretty white and Magenta dress and delivered in the most angelic of voices, but T-Mobile makes its point to AT&T subscribers loud and clear: we got 4G, you don't. Whether you consider the network's current 21Mbps theoretical max a true representation of 4G or not, we'll leave up to you; just make sure to join us past the break for the Apple-scented commercial, which also teases the myTouch 4G, a HSPA+ handset that T-Mobile happens to be launching today. Update: AT&T isn't taking this one lying down. It countered with the following statement this afternoon: "T-Mobile's claims about 4G are based on the same HSPA+ technology we have deployed to 180 million people today, more than T-Mobile's reported 140 million, and we'll have it rolled out to 250 million people by the end of this month, substantially more than the 200 million T-Mobile says it will have by year-end."
FaceTime for Mac hands-on: it works, it's rough
We've been anticipating FaceTime for the Mac ever since we spied the feature on the iPhone, and now Apple is making our dreams a reality with a handy new beta Mac OS X application dubbed "FaceTime." It's not an iChat replacement; far from it, in fact. Instead, the standalone, lightweight app dedicates itself to FaceTime calls only, with no sign of your handy AIM or Gtalk buddy list to help you along. It pulls its list of contacts strictly from the Mac Address Book, with no editing available in app, and you'd better hope you have a good handle on that list of contacts (our Gmail-tainted version could certainly use some work). You have to click on a person's name and then guess which email or phone number they have associated with a FaceTime account -- none of the helpful icons from the iPhone have made it over to guide you. It took quite a bit of extra-FaceTime communication to sort out what was what, but once you guess at the right bit of info to place the call with, it's typical Apple simplicity. From the phone side it's intuitive enough: call the email address associated with an Apple ID and you get the computer, call the phone number and you get the iPhone. Conveniently, your computer will "ring" even if the app is closed, though you can turn this feature off in System Preferences if it unsettles you. Hopefully Apple takes this "beta" moniker seriously and has some extra features to add before it releases the final version of the app. We also wouldn't mind seeing this folded into iChat proper -- why have two first party video chat methods? Either way, computer-to-phone conversations are here to stay. The payoff? The psychedelic experience of viewing four Paul Millers simultaneously. Update: Want a special little bonus? You can apparently video chat with iChat and FaceTime simultaneously, though we tried to add Skype as a third conspirator into the mix and failed (there's a pic of our experiment after the break). Oh, you should also know that there's apparently no way to shut off the video in FaceTime outside of quitting the app or physically covering up the camera. EXCLUSIVE: Is Steve Jobs Watching You Sleep? More at 11. %Gallery-105587%
Updated Yahoo Messenger app now live in App Store, 3G video calling bonanza awaits you
Not stoked on Skype or FaceTime? Looks like you've got another option, bub. That overhauled Yahoo Messenger app we told you about 48 hours ago is now live in the App Store, offering multitasking on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, 3G / WiFi video calling (iOS to iOS, iOS to Android or iOS to PC) and instant notifications. Users interested in making voice calls can also tap into their bucket of Yahoo Voice Phone Out minutes, but it'll only work in America, France, Germany, Spain and Singapore at the moment. Hit that source link to get your download on, cool?
Yahoo messenger coming to iPhone and Android with cross-platform 3G video calls
You'll be seeing a lot more of the good ol' Yahoo smiley on front-facing cameraphones soon -- the web portal's VP of Mobile David Katz says that a new Yahoo! Messenger with cross-platform video chat is headed to Android and iPhone. Originally confirmed for the new T-Mobile myTouch, it's presently been submitted to the iTunes App Store for review. It'll reportedly work over both 3G and WiFi connections and freely conduct video calls with any other device running Yahoo! Messenger, including webcam-equipped PCs. Look out Qik, Fring and Tango -- there's a new sheriff in town.
T-Mobile HTC Slide to provide non-FaceTime video chat with iPhone 4
FaceTime is one of the most visible features of the iPhone 4, with much of the advertising for the newest iPhone showing off the emotionally-rich video chat capabilities that FaceTime provides. But if your friends are on another network or don't have an iPhone 4, it's impossible to use your phone to video chat with them. Yahoo! and T-Mobile would like to change that. T-Mo announced earlier in the week that an upcoming Android phone, the HTC Slide, will come with two cameras arrayed much in the same manner as those on the iPhone. The Slide will also provide video chatting with any other phone equipped with two cameras, including the iPhone 4. Since FaceTime is an Apple-specific feature, how is T-Mobile going to do this? Through Yahoo! Messenger. The current iOS app doesn't appear to currently support video chats, but Yahoo!'s admission that the capability would be available for the iPhone 4 indicates that an upcoming version will take advantage of the built-in cameras. Yahoo! Messenger will not only provide video chatting with other mobile devices, but it should also make it possible to share some "face time" with Yahoo! Messenger users on Macs and PCs as well. It's expected that the HTC Slide from T-Mobile will be available prior to Christmas, hopefully bringing the new versions of Yahoo! Messenger for iOS and Mac OS X that will make possible video chatting for the holidays.
Want FaceTime on 3G? Try Tango
Tango is a video and audio chatting app that does what FaceTime should have done. It works on a 3G (or a 4G) network. This free app was released last week and I have been testing it over the weekend. It performs pretty much as advertised using it on my iPhone 4. You can make and receive calls over either a WiFi network, or over the cellular network. Even better, the app works with a variety of Android phones including the Droid, HTC Hero, Evo and Nexus One so you're not stuck with just iPhone users. When you get the app you register for a free account. Your name and email address is all that's needed, and the Tango contact list will instantly display friends who have signed up. Contacting them is as easy as clicking on their name. You have the choice to do an audio-only call or a video call. Both iPhone 4 cameras are supported, and just like FaceTime, you can switch cameras while a call is on progress. How well does it work? I tried a call to an Android phone running Tango and it worked fine. An acid test was a call from a friend visiting China. He called me from the Great Wall, and the video was passable and audio was fine. He said he was in an area with intermittent 3G and Edge, and his connection kept switching, but given the conditions it did work well. If the Tango app notices network issues, it puts up a warning on screen. Eventually the video locked up and the call dropped, but it was better than expected under challenging international conditions.
Cisco to announce high-def consumer telepresence device next week?
Cisco is certainly no stranger to the telepresence world, offering a high-end system catering to your high-paid CEO and his high-def boardroom. However, that doesn't do Ma and Pa Internet User much good when they want to dial up their offspring and see how the grandkids are faring. This, it seems, is Cisco's next step, with the company launching an "inexpensive home telepresence product for personal use" according to All Things Digital. At a press conference scheduled one week from today, a device and service are expected to be unveiled with a cost between $200 and $500 (depending on carrier subsidies) that will enable easy high-def video calling -- something SkypeHD and others do today, but supporting devices have been slow to find success. What will this device look like? Well, Cisco Senior VP Marthin De Beer said earlier this year: "We didn't buy Flip to have it be only a video recorder." He also said: "We would absolutely love to integrate with FaceTime." That latter bit sounds a little optimistic, but high-def telepresence that's as simple to use as a Flip HD? It could be good -- or it could be another FlipShare TV.
iPhone 4 hits UAE and Qatar, but without FaceTime installed
The iPhone 4 launched this weekend in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but buyers wound up with a surprise -- their handset's front-facing cameras couldn't do FaceTime. The National reports that the video chat feature is missing from phones sold at UAE carriers Etisalat and du, as well as those from Vodafone Qatar. Carriers are blaming Apple for the missing feature, and spokespersons from both Etisalat and Vodafone say they're speaking to Cupertino about reinstating FaceTime post-haste; It was reportedly advertised on Middle Eastern versions of Apple's iPhone website until around September 20th, when all references to FaceTime were removed. TUAW reports that some UAE denizens have actually tested FaceTime on phones bought abroad and found it working just fine, but that the functionality disappears after installing the local version of the iOS 4.1 update. RIM's Mike Lazaridis famously warned that countries threatening to ban the BlackBerry might thumb their nose at other forms of internet transmission too, but if's far too early to tell if Apple was pressured into removing FaceTime or chose to for another reason entirely. It's worth noting that both the UAE and Egypt (also missing FaceTime website ads) have banned certain VoIP services in the past. [Thanks, Mohammed]
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.
FaceTime headed for Mac OS X and Windows next?
It seems more than a little odd to us that Apple hasn't bothered to make FaceTime compatible with its own longstanding desktop video chat service, iChat, but we've at least supposed that it's an inevitability with whatever upcoming Mac OS X update or software bundle that Apple deems appropriate. Now Mac4Ever, who was spot on with a pile of rumors last year, but hasn't succeeded with its recent prediction of an iLife '11 launch in August, is saying that Apple is prepping FaceTime both for Mac and PC. We don't know if that means building a whole copy of iChat for Windows, or just making FaceTime compatible with some existing PC video chat service, but it would certainly improve the odds of us ever finding a legitimate use for FaceTime.
Qik happy to work with FaceTime APIs; anticipates 75 million copies preloaded next year
What's new with Qik, the cross-platform video chat and sharing service that made a splash on Sprint's EVO 4G? Oh, not much -- just some plans to make sure the app is the most popular client around. Qik reps just told us the company's definitely planning to integrate FaceTime compatibility (sound familiar?) as soon as Apple rolls out those free APIs, and is presently engaged in deals to make sure Qik comes preloaded on devices from most every major carrier and handset manufacturer worldwide. Presently preloaded on the aforementioned EVO 4G, Epic 4G, Samsung Omnia II and Nokia's N97 and N97 mini, the app is estimated to come standard on a total of 75 million devices by the end of next year. How many of those phones (and tablets?) will have front-facing cameras is a question for another day. Update: Qik pinged us today to let us know that FaceTime isn't a sure thing -- rather, they're just looking to take video sharing and calling to as many systems and platforms as they can, and they'll certainly look into FaceTime when Apple makes APIs available.
Switched On: FaceTime prepares for prime time
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Perhaps the most-predicted announcement from Apple's September 1 press event is the addition of two cameras to the iPod touch. Long before Apple revealed its FaceTime videoconferencing software with the iPhone 4, various disassemblers noticed that there seemed to be a place left open for a camera in the last iPod touch, despite Apple's claim that the product didn't "need more stuff." Nonetheless, few could deny the usefulness of such an add-on, particularly when paired with the touch's relatively generous internal memory capacity. Now, though, adding image and video capture to the touch makes even more sense. Apple's FaceTime video chat software is Wi-Fi-only, and while 3G support would certainly make It more useful on the go, imbuing the iPod touch with the ability to make video calls greatly expands Apple's addressable market with FaceTime, brings the touch into a whole new category and possibly makes it the first affordable, carrier-independent mass market videophone.
Skype 5.0 beta brings 10-way video calling to the world
Skype's Windows client is showing a bit of ambition today as its latest beta version now boasts a mighty 10-way video calling implementation. The earlier v5.0 beta threw up five-way vidchat, but it'd seem Skype kept its software engineers working through the summer and now we've got double the visual fun. Which would be awesome if we actually had nine other people we cared to see while talking to them. This update also brings a UI makeover, your typical stability and call quality improvements, and a neat automated call recovery feature. Download away, if you must.
Is Microsoft quietly opening up a Kinect beta program?
Well what do we have here? It appears our friends over at Joystiq have received word from diligent tipsters that Microsoft's Connect customer feedback service is sending out Kinect beta program invites. Details are predictably sparse, but naming ironies aside, the note does specify that chat will be limited only to those involved in the preview program. While this isn't really surprising given the context, Joystiq surmises that this choice clarification could hint invitees will have the chance to sample the video chat app available through the Kinect's new dashboard, which was shown off at E3. Unfortunately, Ballmer and crew have yet to lend any official credence to these murmurs, though apparently the email address behind these notes is valid. It's also not that outrageous to imagine Microsoft wanting to spin Kinect's wheels in the wild before releasing it to the unwashed gaming masses on its official November 4th launch date. Considering the program would have to put hardware in the hands of testers though to pull something like this off, we're counting on more than a few overly excited gamers shining additional light on the situation should things get serious.
