Facetime seems kind of impractical at the current time since not all users have an iPhone 4 and currently it requires Wifi connectivity to work making it useless on the go. I have compiled a list of iPhone applications that offer video chat on the iPhone 4 either on 3G or Wifi.
Fring
The first video chat app over 3G on the iPhone 4. Although it offers connectivity to multiple networks such as MSN, Yahoo, and Googletalk, it currently allows video calls between fring users only. Skype support is missing too because of a fallout with them regarding Skype video chat support.
Fring is available on iPhone, Android, and Nokia phones allowing video calls between these phone users. There is currently no Fring desktop client so interacting with desktop users is limited to audio and text chats to the 3rd party networks. In my usage I experienced some blockiness and freezing in the video calls over 3G. The newly released DVQ technology is supposed to adjust the bit-rate automatically to match the current bandwidth of the call so reliability should be better now.
New fring users have to register to start chatting. An online friend finder feature is available to search for users in various contacts and friends list such as hotmail and facebook.
Yahoo Messenger
Video calling is supported between the desktop, iPhone, and Android clients with a camera. A Yahoo account is required to login, allowing video chats to users in your yahoo messenger contact list.
Tango
A popular video calling app available for iPhone and Android. Allows full screen video calls between Tango users. A simple setup takes a few seconds without requiring the user to create a new profile. The contact list is automatically populated with friends in the users phonebook who have Tango installed based on their phone numbers. There is also the ability to send invites through the app to friends who don't have tango installed currently. During testing video quality was good with minimal lag and no disconnects. Offering an easy to use video calling functionality almost as easy as facetime calling.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
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