Posted by WhyBe
Has anyone tried video calling yet? I'm wondering how well it works...especially in the U.S.
[ This Message was edited by: WhyBe on 2008-12-16 05:58 ]
Posted by anonymuser
Why don't you video call someone and ask them?
If it's anything like my Tytn II (and it is), it'll work fine. It'll take you about two minutes to realise you never want to do it again though.
Posted by WhyBe
On 2008-12-16 12:38:29, Boinng wrote:
Why don't you video call someone and ask them?
I don't know anyone with video calling. I'm sure it's a crappy looking experience, due to limited bandwidth. But there HAS to be some usefulness to it.
Posted by anonymuser
On 2008-12-16 16:05:25, WhyBe wrote:
I don't know anyone with video calling. I'm sure it's a crappy looking experience, due to limited bandwidth. But there HAS to be some usefulness to it.
I'm sure there are some specific situations where it's a real boon, but in general it's a bit pointless. It's an idea that's been touted and available in one form or another since the sixties or even earlier, and there's never been any great appetite for it - it's just gotten a lot cheaper to implement, and the networks like the idea of it (as an extra revenue stream).
In the UK mobile video calling has been widely available for four years now, and to say it hasn't exactly taken off is a massive understatement! My wife and I both had video-calling mobiles all last year, so did various other friends, and in the whole year I made one video-call to a mate sat next to me in the pub just to see if it worked - and that's it. It's just not a very natural way to communicate.
[ This Message was edited by: Boinng on 2008-12-16 16:11 ]
Posted by WhyBe
Yes. I've been aware that it's been around since the sixties. But cost and distribution has always been a hinderance. Until it becomes free AND mainstream (seems like only the techies know about it) it probably will never catch on. I haven't seen it yet, but I imagine the framerate has to suck pretty bad too.
Posted by anonymuser
@whybe - that's the techtopian dream and what developers and networks may have been hoping for, but human nature hasn't worked put like that. In Europe, certainly in the UK, video-calling capable 3G handsets are commonplace and not exclusive at all, but people just aren't into the functionality. There were bundled minutes on a lot of contracts originally, but people just don't use them -and if anything the front facing video camera is now becoming less of a standard feature on new handsets, as the networks lose interest in pushing it and the manufacturers cut costs.
[ This Message was edited by: Boinng on 2008-12-16 23:00 ]