Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps
In a quiet update to their free iOS app, Skype has added the ability to make video calls over WiFi and, yes, 3G. Two way calls can be made from iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4th gen. If you have an iPad or iPod touch 3rd gen, you can still receive video calls. Video calls may be made in portrait or landscape orientations, just like FaceTime. But unlike FaceTime, you can use it over 3G (if your data plan allows), and may prove more useful since Skype has a much larger user base than FaceTime. On a separate note, while the iOS app works on iPad, it is still not a universal app.
The addition of video calling was almost inevitable from the moment we first found out that iPhone 4 had a front facing camera. It was also expected that it would take Skype a long time to integrate it into their iOS app. But now the wait is finally over. Skype’s addition of this feature is huge, because Skype’s user base is ginormous. FaceTime is great, but you can’t FaceTime just anyone. They have to have a latest generation iDevice that isn’t an iPad (yet) or have a Mac with FaceTime installed. Skype, on the other hand, will allow you to video call basically anyone with a webcam and Skype. Just be careful when you’re using the video calling feature over 3G since you likely don’t still have an unlimited data plan. Video calling will eat up data.
So, who ya gonna video call? With over 560 million registered users, it’s likely that you could even video call the Ghostbusters, if you only knew their screenname.
Will Skype’s entry into the video calling game help the world get more accustomed to video calling in general? It’s possible, but it’ll still be a while before video calling kills the telephone star. When it does, though, I think I’ll finally feel like I’m living in the future.
Product [Skype]
Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »
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