The Fring app, known by consolidating together Internet Messanging services such as Skype, MSN, Gtalk, ICQ and others, has just released an update that in the iPhone 4 allows to use the front camera for video conferencing using 3G.
This is big. Now if you have an iPhone 4 you are not obliged to use FaceTime alone, calling only to other iPhone 4 users using wi-fi.
Now you can call using 3g, and the thing I wonder is if you can call a PC running skype. That would be big for me. I could call my mum in Spain and have a video call. I hope you can do so because in their official blog they put it this way:
Face-to-face video calls with friends on their Droids, Nokia (Symbian S60) and other iPhones
For those (like me) that have an iPhone 3GS, it does work as well. It uses the rear camera, so impossible to see your caller at the same time he sees you, but good enough for people, like me who has a baby and the grandma wants to see him (again if you can call a PC).
For the time being I just tested the test call. Quality was pretty bad compared with FaceTime videos I see around.
Another big thing (to be tested because I am a bit hesitant about the functionality in general) is multitasking. In principle it can run in the background, and uses push to notify new call.
They have also added twitter and facebook, but who wants that?
Good work Fring.
2 comments
Comment by dani
dani July 9, 2010 at 11:21 am
Confirmed. It does work when you call a skype on a PC. Video and audio. Great!
Comment by dani
dani July 10, 2010 at 11:16 am
Fring just removed skype… they couldn’t cope with video demand…
Petty, that is the only reason I want it:
(http://www.fring.com/blog/?p=2303)
Huge fring video calling uptake stressing capacity
Wow. What can we say this is great ! Since adding 2-way video calling on iPhone 4 yesterday we have seen another huge jump in fring video calling. As even more fringsters video call their friends on Android, Nokia and iPhones, we have seen some network ‘stress’ (as the techies are telling me). So to free up capacity for more the fring-to-fring video calling, we are temporarily reducing support to 3rd party Skype. Thanks for your patience. fringsters, enjoy your video calling, and SEE you later …