Google Talk Enables Video Chat On Android Phones

MojoKid writes "Google recently launched Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones. With the service, users will be able to video or voice chat with their friends and family directly from an Android phone. Calls can be placed over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connections. According to Google, the new features will first roll out to the Nexus S phones over the next few weeks as part of the Android 2.3.4 over-the-air update. Google Talk with video and voice chat will launch on other Android 2.3 and higher devices in the future as well. The video demo in the article shows it in action."

Comments

Now what Google needs is an Auto-Airbrush App

[sandytaru]

The Auto-Airbrush application will take your image and in real time smooth out blemishes, do your makeup or shave your stubble (depending on the gender setting you choose), and fix your hair (or even apply a toupee or wig if you like.) By guaranteeing that the users of Google Talk for Android will look nice on camera, or at the very least, like actual human beings, Google will get a much needed leg-up on Apple's FaceTime, which is underutilized because no one wants to get cleaned up just to talk on the phone.

Re:Looks familiar

[idealego]

... Too bad the front camera of it is not the greatest, but still, for a year and half device should not be so bad.

The front-facing cameras on the Google Nexus S, iPhone 4, and N900 are all 640x480.

Re:Looks familiar

[avel599]

There is 640x480 and then there is 640x480.

Some webcams look great at this resolution for all intents and purposes. Some cheap ones can be totally useless. (The webcam of my Archos 70IT android tablet is the latter).

not interested

[LodCrappo]

personally, this is not the way I'd like to see things going. i use a smarthphone instead of a regular cell because it lets me communicate with *less* human interaction.

Re:not interested

[LodCrappo]

If video calls become ubiquitous, then I essentially will not have a choice. My smartphone is a business tool, and to participate in the business world typically means using the same medium to contact someone else as they use to contact you, or to at least be available via their preferred method. Email and texts were a move away from the engaging, time demanding requirements of the traditional phone call. This is a step backwards, making communication even more tedious than standard voice is. As I stated quite simply, I have no interest and hope that this does not become popular enough to require its use.

Re:Looks familiar

[Jaffa]

Not just the N900 either. Both the N800 and N810 both allowed video chat over Google Talk; so we're going back 3 years for a feature that Nokia had on its Maemo devices built-in, out-of-the-box and fully integrated into the OS.

Re:Looks familiar

[hitmark]

Another case of USA == world in tech news circles. Iirc, US carriers (that use GSM/UMTS) have never bothered implementing video calls. As such, the US tech market has barely been aware that it existed. Then comes Jobs on stage and does his typical superlative carpet bomb intro of facetime. And suddenly it is all the rage. This while one have been able to use video calls on feature phones in Europe for a decade, and if on a symbian phone (or winmob if one had one with a front facing camera), via skype, qik or similar services.

Re:Another non standard implementation

[wall0159]

Google talk uses XMPP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Messaging_and_Presence_Protocol
Google video chat uses Jingle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_(protocol)
Both are open, AFAIK.