AT&T phasing out Video Share in wake of smartphones
updated 12:10 am EDT, Sat April 9, 2011
ATT Video Share going away before 2012
AT&T in a statement said its long-running Video Share service would be shut down later in 2011. The one-way video calling was bowing out to make room for the "next generation" of mobile video services. A spokesman alluded to a possible replacement as the company was "evaluating new platforms" that it could use.
Many of those paying for Video Share would be reached directly and given new options.
Video Share rolled out in earnest in July 2007 and was intended for a short-lived category of basic feature phones that had 3G and a camera capable of live video streaming. The service never became a major factor and quickly became obsolete with the rise of video-capable smartphones, especially the iPhone 4 and every 2011 Android model on AT&T so far. As of 2011, many smartphones are now shipping with far faster 3G than was possible in 2007 and only need an app like Skype or Qik to have live, two-way chat.
AT&T may not need any new, special service of its own and may want to rely on either built-in or third-party apps to fill the role that Video Share once had. [via BGR]
