Mobile Video Calling: Video Chat on your Cell Phone
I just finished reading “Surviving a Long Distance Relationship“ over at creative-dating-ideas.com and it reminded me very much of the beginnings of my relationship with my (now) wife. I was from Iowa City and she was from Pittsburgh, but we met in Poland, so we figured that 700 miles wasn’t that far apart, in comparison. We were wrong, of course, and I racked up a lot of frequent flier miles. But what really got us through those long spans of being apart was video chat. We both owned Macbooks, so hanging out with iChat running 24/7 was no big deal.
But now, even cell phones have video calling, meaning you could, if you wanted, have yourself a virtual date or go shopping together.
Since 2007, AT&T has offered it’s VideoShare service for something like $4.99 a month. Since AT&T is a GSM network, you can send 3G video streams while on a voice call. However, it’s only one way and is only compatible with a couple of phones (such as the Pantech Matrix and the HTC Tilt).
Currently, the best way to do video calling is through Fring. Fring has an app for iPhones, Symbian, Android and other platforms, but video calling is only available for the iPhone and supported Nokia phones (including the Nokia N95 and the Nokia N900) for now. Fring allows you to make Skype video calls to other mobile phone users or to Skype users on their Mac or PC. Fring does work over 3G, but of course, for the best quality and less lag, you’ll have better luck hopping on a WiFi network.
I tested out Fring’s video calling between my iPhone and my netbook over a WiFi network and it worked fairly well. I could see the shot from my netbook’s camera very clearly on my iPhone and there was minimal lag. However, I couldn’t get my iPhone to transmit video back to my laptop – but I also didn’t do too much troubleshooting, either.
All in all, Fring’s video calling capabilities are definitely worth a try – especially for anyone who’s been sustaining a long distance relationship via video chat and are tired of staring at the wall directly opposite their sweetheart’s computer.
Related posts:
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- Valentine’s Day 2.0: Strengthen Love’s Bonds with Your Cell Phone and More
- Meet the Latest Nokia Mobile Phone – the Nokia N97!
- The iPhone 4 Fatal Flaw, Calling Left Handed
- Share and Play Video in Your Android Phone
- LG eXpo: Serious Projector Phone with a Seriously Unfunny Unboxing Video
- Skype Is Now Available For the Symbian Smartphone
- MagicJack Announces New Femtocell to Allow Free Cell Phone Calls from Your Home
- LG Dare Mobile Phone
- The Olive Branch Extended to Mobile Phone Groups by Google’s Chief Executive
Tags: fring, video calling
May 10th, 2010 at 4:54 am
Mobile video chat keeps me always in touch with my partner.Whenever I miss him and wish to see him I make a skype video call.It’s an informative post for the mass who are unaware of the video chat on mobile.