Fring in the middle of Wednesday updated its free Android (Market) and iPhone (App Store) apps to officially launch group video calls. The feature lets owners of either platform make a call between themselves and as many as three others at the same time. Chats are cross-platform and will work on 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi as long as the bandwidth can keep up.
Fring on Tuesday hoped to one-up other mobile video chat options by starting a semi-public beta for group video calling. The test lets Android and iPhone users speak to three other users in real time. It should work cross-platform and won't carry charges, a slight dig at Skype's charging for group video calls on the desktop.
Fring, the company that brought video calling to iOS, Android and some Symbian S60 smartphones, this weekend announced it has launched Dynamic Video Quality (DVQ) technology. This will optimize video bit and frame rates based on the network's bandwidth during a call instead of dropping the call altogether. A DVQ indicator symbol will pop up when network strength isn't at its best and call quality needs to be downgraded.
Nimbuzz , which provides free communications over the Internet through an app, was given until the end of the month to remove support for Skype by the VoIP company. The reason for this differs depending on who you ask, with Skype saying Nimbuzz cut off all talks with it over complying with API Terms of Use and the End User License Agreement. Nimbuzz, on the other hand, believes the request was made because Skype was trying to sever all ties with third-party VoIP service before its IPO.
Google's next release of Android, better known by its Gingerbread codename, may make video chat an important staple of its design based on a leak on Monday. What may become Android 3.0 has received only a single blurry photo from a Nexus One but word that it should use the same video format as behind Gmail's feature. The technique described by Phandroid could theoretically let Android users talk to Gmail desktop owners and not just other mobile devices.
Yahoo's Americas mobile VP David Katz in a discussion today promised that it would bring a version of Yahoo Messenger with 3G or 4G video chat to smartphones. Those with an iPhone 4 as well as Android phones with front cameras, such as the Samsung Epic 4G or T-Mobile's new myTouch, will have the option of a two-way chat regardless of which network they use. It uses the same transmission format as the desktop app and should let owners make video chats between mobile and the desktop.
Apple may be stepping up the release of a camera-equipped iPad to get it out ahead of time, sources claimed on Friday. Although it only just launched in April and supplies have just caught up to demand, AppleInsider understood from a "proven" contact that the tablet was in late testing. If finished on time, it could be ready as soon as the holidays but would arrive no later than the first quarter of 2011, which ends in March.
Toshiba after months of teases confirmed its launch into the mobile tablet space through the Folio 100. The 10-inch tablet runs a heavily modified version of Android 2.2 and is one of the first major shipping devices to use NVIDIA's Tegra 2. The dual-core ARM chip is powerful enough to play 1080p over a mini HDMI output but is still efficient enough to give the tablet a meaningful, if short, seven hours of battery life.
Google today sent notice of a special event at its Mountain View campus on Thursday to unveil a "couple of cool new mobile features" that may bring video calling to Android. While the company has so far only said that mobile product lead Hugo Barra will lead the event, sources suggested Tuesday night that it may be video chat integrated with the mobile OS. A second option raised by AllThingsD may be a clone of Find My iPhone that would help Android owners track, lock down or wipe a lost handset.
Fring on Monday accused Skype of anti-competitive behavior after it blocked the use of Fring for Skype chats. The freeze came after Fring said it had to temporarily stop Skype to accommodate the load from iPhone 4 video chats. The app developer accused Skype's team of being "cowards" by not letting the service come back to Fring and of trying to "muzzle competition" by forcing users to run Skype's official app.
Fring today updated its namesake iPhone app (free, App Store) to enable some of the first multi-platform video calling on the iPhone 4. The addition uses the front camera for two-way video, even over 3G, and will support it with any other device that can use a similarly equipped version of Fring, ranging from other Android phones like the Evo 4G to some of Nokia's Symbian S60 devices.
Qik this morning clarified its approach to video chat on the Evo 4G. The Android phone will always have regular two-way video chat for free. The $5 monthly add-on is for "advanced premium features" that will be detailed at the same time as the Evo 4G launches, on June 4.
A leaked memo from Sprint this morning has revealed that the Evo 4G won't initially need the $30 add-on plan to switch on its mobile hotspot feature. Those who use the phone before sometime in July can share the connection with eight other devices for free as long as the Android phone is on the 4G network. Sprint will eventually require the hotspot plan before the sharing works, but the Engadget memo also shows that 3G sharing will be switched on for those who pay.
Fring has released a new app for Android that will allow users to hold video voice chats. The version lets the upcoming Sprint Evo 4G and other phones conduct a face-to-face video chat if they have a front-facing video camera like HTC's phone. Fring has been offering chat apps for the iPhone and other apps but hasn't usually had the option of video conversations.
