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Motorola selling Droids faster than it can make them, has up to four videophones in pipeline
In case you're not yet convinced that video chat is the next big thing phone makers are going to push on us, let Motorola's Sanjay Jha enlighten you. Having just launched the video-centric Motorola XT720 in Europe (sans a front-facing camera), Jha is promising that his crew will deliver between two and four handsets this year with the equipment necessary to carry out video calls. Funnily enough, Moto's co-CEO describes himself as someone who's "never been a great believer" in the functionality, but clearly his company's seeing a trend it feels the need to be a part of. Speaking of trends, Moto has also fallen afoul of supply shortages similar to those constraining Droid Incredible inventory, with Jha saying about the Moto Droid, "if I could build more, I'd sell more." And if you could get Android 2.2 on them, you'd have some really happy customers too.
Skype eager to work with Apple FaceTime, pretty much anyone else
We're still playing the wait-and-see game when it comes to Skype on webOS and Windows Phone 7, but it looks as if to-be iPhone 4 owners won't have to wait long before Skype-based video chatting becomes a reality... if Skype has its way, that is. According to someone on the inside quoted over at Pocket-Lint, Skype "would welcome the opportunity to work with Apple," specifically in reference to integrating FaceTime capabilities into the firm's own app. The mystery man also affirmed that Skype would "welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to bring mobile video calling not only to our many millions of Skype users on iPhone around the world, but also to the countless more making video calls on desktops, TVs and other connected devices." 'Course, there's no specific time frame given, and only Jobs knows if the two companies have said a word to one another about making this happen. One thing's for sure, though -- enabling FaceTime usage within Skype would suddenly made the iPhone 4's video calling abilities a whole lot more appealing. And by "appealing," we mean "useful." Update: Skype hit us with some clarification -- the company wants to make sure you know that it's not interested in using FaceTime across its own platform, but it'd be happy to play nice with Apple in order to add video calling within the Skype iPhone app. Full statement is past the break.
Apple's iPhone 4 promo videos show Retina Display and video calling
Ready to be uplifted by soundtracks and low swooping device shots? Apple's just posted up its iPhone 4 design video, a video about the new Retina Display, and the new (leaked) FaceTime commercial directed by Sam Mendes, and they're all pretty fun. Check 'em after the break. Update: We're told this isn't actually the Sam Mendes video calling ad, but rather an Apple promo video produced internally. We'll just have to wait and see if Mendes can top these heartwrenching images of American beauty with his ad.
FaceTime video calling added to iPhone 4... and it's WiFi-only
That front-facing camera on the new iPhone 4 and a flood of leaks were a dead giveaway -- the new FaceTime app brings video calling to the iPhone. Unfortunately, it's WiFi-only at the moment, as Steve says Apple needs to work with carriers to support it on 3G. The FaceTime app is pretty cool -- you can flip the image between the front and rear cameras and between portrait and landscape orientation, and the video call system is built on open standards like SIP, H.264, and AAC so it'll work with other video calling apps as well.%Gallery-94599% Check out more from WWDC 2010 in our liveblog!
QIK admits Evo 4G launch problems after 20x increase on server load
While record sales are generally a desirable thing, that one-time spike in demand can leave service providers scrambling to cope on launch day. Evo 4G owners are well aware of this after noticing one of the handset's flagship features -- Qik video calling -- was unavailable in the Android Market on Friday. After correcting the issue, Qik then had to pull the app after users experienced intermittent service failures resulting from what Qik calls "an unprecedented 20x" workload increase on its servers. The Qik team is scrambling to provision more capacity and expects to have things under control "shortly."
Terror in Taipei: Computex taxi drivers watch live TV, video chat while cruising
It's a Christmas miracle that Joanna and I survived the week in Taipei. Not because our brains nearly exploded from the wealth of non-functioning Windows 7 tablets we saw, but because most of our cab drivers found themselves -- um, preoccupied -- while on the job. Over here, deep within a WiMAX hotspot, it's not uncommon to see cabbies video chatting and watching live local TV over-the-air while driving, and since you'd never believe me sans pics, I've got a handful of those as proof. Call it culture shock, or call it reckless -- we're calling it "America needs to get with the program and catch up to Asia."%Gallery-94369%
Qik two-way video calling on the Sprint EVO 4G is free, premium service is not
Qik has lived up to its name in clarifying some leaks indicating that future EVO 4G owners on Sprint will be charged $5 a month to make use of its video chat services. As it turns out, that subscription fee will be for a new range of "advanced premium features," which will be elucidated on June 4 alongside the EVO's retail launch. The core two-way video calling will come absolutely free, we're promised, and only those yearning for extra features will have to pay up. It seems clear from the wording of that statement that multi-party conversations will figure prominently in the premium set, though we're left guessing at what other ways Qik has for seducing us to part with our cash. Either way, good news if you wanted to keep things simple... and cheap. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year?
Skype's PR folks have been unusually loquacious today, as they've responded to a query about whether HTC's EVO 4G would get a Skype client with a deep and meaningful forward-looking statement, underpinned by a promise of an Android app "for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers." This universally available addition to the Market should arrive "later this year," but what's important about it is that it's preceded by a lengthy spiel about Skype's ambition to "set the bar on mobile video calling," which it also intends to do this year. Does this necessarily mean that Skype video calling is coming to Android in time for us to wish granny happy Hanukkah over video chat? No. Is it a well constructed insinuation to that effect? Hell yes. Read the full statement at the source, or find the juiciest excerpt after the break. [Thanks, Jeremy]
iPhone video conferencing surfaces in supposed test firmware
Need a bit more evidence that the next iPhone will do video conferencing? Then take a good, hard look at the exciting screenshot above, which supposedly comes from a field test firmware for the next-gen iPhone that Apple is apparently working on. Not much more to go on than that at the moment, unfortunately, but Boy Genius Report says the screenshot (and a second one after the break) comes from one of its "Apple guys" and, as you can see, it not only offers yet more evidence of video calls, but video call debugging.
Panasonic launches Skype for 2010 VIERA Cast TVs
We managed to get an early look at Panasonic's TV-friendly implementation of Skype back at CES in January, but the company has just now finally activated the app on all of its 2010 VIERA Cast-enabled TVs (including the VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series). To take advantage of it, however, you'll also have to shell out $170 for Panasonic's TY-CC10W webcam, which supports both VGA and 720p video, and packs four unidirectional microphones, an echo canceling system, and some beam-forming technology that promises to deliver clear audio over a typical TV viewing distance of three to four meters. Head on past the break for the complete press release, as well as Panasonic's requisite old-people-don't-get-technology ad for the TVs.
Skype's group video calling beta now available for Windows
Mac and Linux users are still being asked to hold their horses, but Windows loyalists can begin testing out that hotly-anticipated group video calling feature today. Skype's latest beta, which was detailed earlier in the month, is now available to download for those willing to take the risk, with Skype 5.0 Beta adding support for "group video calls with up to four people." Hit that source link to get things rolling, and be sure to drop us a line once you and your four besties have had a chance to give 'er a go.
Skype to roll out five-way video calling next week, remote partying to surge
Well, it's taken long enough, Skype! Starting next week you will finally be able to video call with up to five people using the company's Group Video Calling feature. The beta, which will be available sometime for download during the week of May 10th, will initially be free, but Skype plans to start charging for the multi-party video fun later in the year. We're not sure if it will support HD calling, but you can bet your bottom dollar that corporations may consider replacing their surely complex videoconferencing setup with this. In other Skype news, the company is rolling out new calling plans to more than 170 countries -- from the looks of the PR after the break, it seems like it could end up saving you big time in comparison to the pay-as-you-go rates. We like savings, sure, but we'll be even more stoked should this ever land on camera-equipped smartphones and tablets.
Bell, Telus, Rogers trial inter-carrier video calling
Even as American carriers continue to resist it, a variety of Canada's GSM networks support video calling on so-enabled 3G handsets -- but currently, the problem is that you're only able to video call other phones on the same network. Fortunately, Rogers, Bell, and Telus have been hard at work playing nice long enough to ensure that their respective video calling services play nice one another, and they've just announced the successful completion of inter-carrier trials. The companies are quick to point out that this makes them the "first inter-carrier partnership in North America" to support 3GPP-compliant video calling, something that should hopefully make AT&T and T-Mobile feel at least a fleeting moment of shame. No word on exactly when the service will be available to end users.
Confirmed: iPhone OS 3.2 has support for video calling, file downloads, and SMS (update: handwriting keyboard?)
The iPad may not have a camera in its current incarnation, but Apple's at least laying the foundation for one: we just confirmed with extremely trusted sources that iPhone OS 3.2 contains rudimentary support for video calling, which could explain that mysterious space at the top of the device in our leaked pics. We're told that there are hooks to accept and decline a video conference, flip a video feed (which suggests a front-facing camera) and -- most importantly -- run the video call in either full screen mode or in just a portion of the screen. That means you'll be able to chat and do other things at the same time, which could mean there's at least some type of multitasking going on here. We can also confirm that iPhone OS 3.2 supports file downloads and local storage in the browser, which means you'll be able to pull files off the web and use them in other apps, and there's at least the beginnings of SMS support buried within the code -- a fact we were able to verify with noted iPhone jailbreaker chpwn, who sent in the above screenshot from a hacked-up copy of the iPad simulator. (The simulator always says "iPhone simulator" in the menu bar, but that's the iPad.) chpwn also tells us he's found some inklings of actual phone support, there's a spellchecker, and that both the new landscape orientation for the homescreen and keyboard support appear to be destined for the iPhone itself when 3.2 comes out. We're not sure what any of this means at this point, or if any of it will ever be implemented, but we're definitely starting to get the impression that Apple didn't tell us everything there is to know about the iPad on Wednesday -- and we're even more curious to find out what iPhone OS 4.0 will look like when it arrives. P.S.- chpwn was also able to port iPhone multitasking hacks ProSwitcher and Backgrounder to the iPad simulator, which is certainly going to be useful if an iPad jailbreak exploit is eventually discovered. Check out a shot of it going in the gallery below, along with some other settings panels the coder dug up. Update: We just got another tip from iPhone jailbreak dev Ryan Petrich, confirming that there's a spell checker with multiple dictionaries and user-added entries (huzzah!), much richer text support for apps, the ability to selectively draw to external displays (using the VGA or component adapters, we'd imagine), location-aware ads in Maps and possibly other programs that use the Maps API, file upload ability in Safari, a modifiable cut / copy / paste menu, and, most interestingly, prototype support for a "handwriting keyboard." Maybe we'll see some stylus action on this thing after all. Peep Ryan's take after the break. %Gallery-84265%
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%
Fring brings one-way video calling to the iPhone
Fring was the first to bring VoIP calls to the iPhone, and it looks like it's now finally done the same for video calling -- sort of. While it obviously can't do much to change the camera placement on the iPhone, the latest version of the app will at least let iPhone users (and iPod touch users, for that matter) see the person on the other end, and Fring says it'll add two-way video calling whenever "a front camera is placed on these." As with the company's app for Nokia devices, you'll also be able to make video calls to Skype users, but you'll have to make sure you're in the vicinity of a WiFi hotspot, as this one doesn't support calls on 3G. Head on past the break for a video. Update: As we've been reminded, while Fring did somewhat beat it to the punch by making an app available for jailbroken iPhones, Truphone was actually the first VoIP app to be demoed, and the first to be officially approved an authorized by Apple.
Fring adds Skype video support on S60, threatens to make front cams useful
Considering the proliferation of 3G, WiFi, in-home broadband, and front-facing cameras on phones, you'd think that there'd be far more obvious ways to bridge video calls between phones and PCs -- but alas, it's virtually impossible, particularly in the States where carriers have a complete aversion to the topic. Enter Fring -- one of the mobile industry's VoIP pioneers that has spread its love from Symbian to almost every smartphone platform worth mentioning over the years -- which is stepping out today with a new build for S60 handsets that offers video support through Skype. The way we see it, this is great news for a couple of reasons: one, Skype is one of the few videoconferencing systems with widespread traction, and two, this suddenly makes front-facing cams useful to a whole swath of Nokia users on networks (ahem, AT&T and T-Mobile) that don't offer video calling themselves. Whether we actually use it is another story altogether, but hey, it's cool to have it if we absolutely must see your beautiful face right now in stunning low fidelity. Follow the break for a video demo.
Imagine that: Bell offers video calling on the cheap
As expected, Bell lit up its shiny new HSPA network today, officially marking a magical transition from CDMA to 3G GSM over a year in the making as it prepares for an LTE upgrade in the coming years, and with it, a few cool phones launched -- most notably the iPhone 3GS and the Samsung Omnia II (you listening, Verizon?). That's not what really caught our eye, though: like Rogers, Bell's now offering video calling, a feature standardized with UMTS and arbitrarily disabled both by T-Mobile and AT&T in the States (though the latter offers the far less useful one-way Video Share service at $4.99 a month for just 25 minutes of usage). Granted, video calling hasn't exactly caught on like wildfire in Europe where it's widely deployed -- but when you consider that they're charging CAD $5 (about $4.70) a month for unlimited use, it seems like a worthwhile add-on even if you only use it for a few minutes now and then. It also makes AT&T Video Share -- and its pricing structure -- look even more ridiculous than it already did, doesn't it?
Nokia VP: video calling not successful because it turns you ugly
Why has video calling failed to capture the hearts and minds of the many 3G-enabled countries that have deployed the service? At Nokia's S60 Summit in Barcelona last week, it seems that the company's VP of Category Management (whatever the heck that means) for the Nseries line took a rather blunt approach to the question, claiming that it's because the angle at which the front-facing cams are held gives callers a view of your face that "isn't very flattering." He mentioned that most webcams are typically placed just above the user's line of sight, which gives a more pleasing view of the face; obviously, that's not something you can practically do with your phone most of the time. A little controversial? Perhaps -- and it appears that other factions in the company don't share his view, with its Director of Product and Technology Marketing quick to note that video call tech hit the market before consumers were ready, and a lack of carrier support (read: reasonable pricing) has hindered uptake. Now that we think about it, though, do we really want to see up your nose while we're talking?
Skype and Logitech introduce 30fps VGA High Quality Video
Skype users, rejoice: eBay's VoIP giant has just given video calling a major kick in the pants by teaming up with Logitech to create a platform capable of displaying your ugly mug in full VGA glory at 30fps without the inelegant hack. With the release of version 3.6 for Windows (sorry Mac users, but you have your Leopards to play with), Skype now supports High Quality Video when employing one of three Logitech webcams already on the market -- the QuickCams Pro 9000, Pro for Notebooks, and Orbit AF -- along with a dual core-powered machine. Of course, performance is highly dependent on your internet connection as well; the HQV spec calls for a minimum of 384kbps, and both parties will probably require more than that if they want to avoid throttled frame rates. Updated software (v. 11.5) already being rolled out will teach supported QuickCams their new trick, bringing with it the all the facial imperfections and embarrassing quirks that are likely to remind us why video calling has never really caught on in the first place.
