Facebook Video Calling: Connecting via social media just got a lot more personal, with a
real-time twist, as
Facebook’s new partnership with Skype seems to be the
simplest, most universal
video calling service on the web. One of the main perks is that everyone already has it. Unlike other video communication clients, users don’t need an outside service or a new account. As long as both parties are one of the
750 million already on Facebook, they’re good to go. Another plus, thanks to wunderkind designer
Rob Mason, is its ease of use: simply click on the video icon within the chat window to go screen-to-screen with another user.
Google Hangouts: Along with Google’s
Circles and
Sparks, the search monster’s
Hangouts feature has been
making major waves on the web ever since
new social sharing project Google+ launched last month. Harkening back to the days when chat rooms weren’t creepy, and integrating webcams for more intimate effect, Hangouts allow groups to shoot the breeze via shared screen gatherings. After all, it’s no secret that the millions of Google users who leave their Gmail windows open 24/7 already spend immeasurable hours on
Gchat. Hangouts may prove to be an even more fulfilling way to spend time with friends online, not to mention a powerful tool for remote collaborations.
Mobile Video Calls: One thing neither Facebook Video Calling nor Google+ Hangouts provides is mobile functionality. That’s where services like
Qik,
Tango and
fring come in. Those who don’t have the iPhone 4 and, thus, access to
FaceTime can use these apps to enjoy mobile video calling on their iOS or Android device. Fring is
the first client of its kind to provide group video calling across a range of smartphones. Meanwhile, Tango is
growing faster than Skype did in its first year, gaining two million new users a month. Maybe with all these options for video calls, thoughts will once again flow from our mouths rather than our fingertips.
