iChat already exists within Mac OS X and it has since the early iterations of Mac OS X. iChat allows you to do video chat, quite elegantly might I add. So this leads me to wonder why Apple felt the need to create a new piece of software that does half the functionality of an existing piece of an application that already exists within their flagship OS.
Couldn’t they have integrated FaceTime into iChat?
It would have been plausible to add a FaceTime section within the existing buddy list found within iChat.
My guess is that this has to do with branding. Apple wants “FaceTime” to be synonymous with video chatting in much the same way that “iPod” has become synonymous with mp3 player.
So why not just rename the iChat application to FaceTime. Merge both apps and you’ll get the best of both worlds, the ability to converse via text and video. I’m guessing that this will happen in the future. iChat’s ife expectancy has been cut and short. And possibly, with the release of Lion next summer, Apple will finally turn off life support for its flagship chatting application. Or will it?
As we all know, FaceTime (two-way video calling) on the iPhone only works when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Fring aims to change that and allow you to do two-way video calling with 3G in the Fring app.
With the new fring for iPhone you get lots of fring goodies including 2 way video-calling where you want and with whom you want!
Face-to-face video calls with friends on their Droids, Nokia (Symbian S60) and other iPhones
Video calls over 3G or Wi-Fi (Performance over 3G is subject to mobile operators’ 3G coverage & quality)
Download and Install
I did have a chance to download and install Fring on my iPhone 4 to test this feature out. Fring is a little cumbersome in that you actually have to register for a Fring id in order for the two-way video calling to work. I kind of wish I’d be able to simply select an individual from my contact list and begin the video call, minus having to register with Fring.
Getting The Fring App To Load
I was able to get the two-way video calling over Fring to work after a little fiddling around. The Fring app on the iPhone took forever to load (the spinning ball at the top of the screen seemed to spin forever). I finally gave up waiting and restarted the iPhone. I then relaunched the app and after a few minutes the spinner stopped spinning and Fring had finally loaded completely. I could finally attempt my first two-way video call over 3G using Fringe.
Testing Fring It Out
So I got my Fring app to load but the person with whom I was going to make a test call with had the same continuous spinning ball issue that I experienced earlier. I told him to restart the iPhone 4 and he did and then his Fring app worked.
You need to add buddies as contacts for Fring to work. You can do this either by sending them an invite within the profile page of the buddy list menu. Or, you can go to the More menu and select Add New Buddy and from their you can input their specific Fring ID.
Once they accept your invite, you will now see a video option in their buddy list profile page. As long as you both are online (have Fring launched on your phone), the two-way video calling should work.
When we were both online (had Fring launched on the iPhone) and did not have the continuous spinning ball issue, Fring worked. I was able to make video calls over 3G using my iPhone 4. However, it seemed the every time we exited the app and then relaunched the app, Fring would freeze up and have the continuous spinning ball issue. The issue would clear with a iPhone reboot (sometimes we didn’t need to reboot, we instead just waited it out), but you can imagine how annoying that can become.
Final Thoughts
Fring works as advertised and I was able to make two-way video calls over 3G. However, the continuous spinning ball issue dampens the experience. I also wish that you did not need a Fring ID for this to work. In any case, you can finally make two-way video calls over 3G - just make sure your friends have Fring installed as well.
Category: Social Networking Price: Free Company: fringland Ltd.
People continue to make awesome things with their iPhone 4’s. This time, director Martin Martin composed the first music video shot completely with an iPhone 4. The featured song is titled Cascades by an unsigned Vancouver, British Columbia artist named flakjakt.
Song was written in 2 days, video shot in 1.3 days and edited in 2 days.
In a fun weeklong experiment, my friend Marty and I collaborated on this video for an original song I wrote specifically for the iPhone 4 shoot. The overall goal was to produce a music video you can get down with - first and foremost - regardless of what camera we were shooting with. I think the end result turned out fantasmic! I hope you do too.
If you’re still wondering why you need an iPad. Here’s reason #456,338: you can use it as an accordion. That’s right, an accordion.
This particular person is using Piano Accordio Pro by Living Transient Ltd.
Based on every accordionists iPhone favorite, our tried and true Accordio, this new iPad exclusive boasts a full 6-row Stradella bass section. You can also scroll and zoom the keyboards if you wish and play along to the music in your music library. To make the experience even better, the app start-up is blazingly fast!
You know you want to try this app.
Category: Music Price: $3.99 Company:Living Transient Ltd.
Just how amazing is the iPhone 4? Check out this short filmed entirely on an iPhone 4 and then edited using the iMovie iPhone app. All done in 48 hours. Call me amazed.
Angel of My Eye
Directed by Michael Koerbel Produced by Eric Edmonds and Rebekah Koerbel Written by Anna James and Michael Koerbel Edited by Anna James Production Design by Leigh Koerbel Original Score Composed and Conducted by Corey Wallace
Now that you’ve got your brand spanking new iPhone 4 equipped with FaceTime technology, video chatting on your phone is only a click away. The only problem is that since FaceTime only supports iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 conversations, you can’t test out the video chat feature unless you have a friend who also is the proud owner of an iPhone 4.
Stuck in this situation? No worries, because Apple has a way for you to test out the iPhone 4 feature.
Simply call 1-888-FACETIME and you will get to FaceTime with an Apple Employee. Limer the puppet did, and FaceTime worked flawlessly. The Apple employee was even taking the call from the beach.
Two of mankind’s greatest inventions, together at last. Note: this is an exploration of what is possible, not necessarily what is practical. Tweet from the street at your own risk!
Requirements:
iPad
Industrial strength velcro.
What can you do with this combination?
Mount in car and use as a GPS device.
Hang on your wall and use as a digital photo frame.
Attach to window and use as a weather guide.
Attach to stove and use as a cooking aide.
Mount to ceiling so that you can watch video while in supine position on your bed.
