Mobile video calling is becoming the new way to communicate for smartphone users. But pushing mobile video calling into mainstream is going to take a little more than just companies putting out applications that will get the job done. The necessary technology needs to be up-to-date to ensure the capabilities are there. And with constant advancements in the industry, it’s harder to keep up with than one would think.
For example, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest mobile device platforms. Whether you are running a device on the Windows OS, iOS, or an Android (News - Alert) or BlackBerry platform, you are aware of how frequently version upgrades are made to each operating system.
Just this week, Qik, a video application that was recently acquired by Skype (News - Alert), updated its app for Android operating systems. The new version allows any Android device to conduct two-way video chats with other Android users. However, it also allows Android phones to connect with iPhone (News - Alert) users as long the user has Qik installed. Normally, in order to video chat on a mobile device, users have to be running on the same OS, so this update is a significant one.
Information Week writer, Eric Zeman, notes that Google (News - Alert) is about to release a mobile video chat application that can be used between any Andriod devices, rather than only working between Honeycomb-based devices, as it currently does. He also mentions Fring, as one of the big players, which offers mobile video calling for up to four, IM and other features to Android, iOS, and Symbian (News - Alert) devices. Video chats can be dialed up over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi with Fring.
As smartphone and tablet updates continue to roll out, I think we will be seeing a lot of these mobile video applications adjusting themselves to connect with users no matter the platform. Since mobile video calling is still in its initial stages, there are sure to be advancements to come to give it the extra push to mainstream and keep it in the app game.
Stefanie Mosca is a Web editor for TMCnet. Previously she worked as a freelance copy editor for Digital Surgeons LLC. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Stefanie Mosca