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February 23, 2009 |
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Video Chats Overcome Clunkiness When AT&T demonstrated its video telephone at the 1964 World’s Fair, everyone — including AT&T — pretty much figured that it would be the future. People wouldn’t just hear each other over the phone — they would see each other, too. What everyone forgot, of course, was a little factor called human nature. People don’t want to be watched on the phone. And so here we are, 45 years later, still making audio-only phone calls. Not because of technological limits, but human ones. If you’re under 30 or so, you probably know all about Skype. It’s a free program that connects you to other people who have Skype. You can type instant messages back and forth, make crystal-clear audio calls, and, yes, even make video calls, provided your computers have webcams or built-in cameras — all without paying a penny. No wonder more than 300 million people have tried Skype. It’s a natural for the college crowd, in particular; free calls are especially attractive when you’re young and broke and miles from your friends and family. Of course, plenty of other programs do the same things: iChat, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, SightSpeed and Oovoo. But because of its simplicity, its quality and its early start, Skype is the one whose name has become a verb. The Skype team (owned by eBay) released Skype 4.0 for Windows, which the company calls “the biggest new release in Skype’s history.” You can carry on multiple chats or audio calls simultaneously, but you switch among them by clicking their names in a list at the left side, rather than juggling multiple windows. (A variation of the old arrangement is still available.) All kinds of useful features are on display. You can drag various sections of the software to resize them; discreet notifications pop up from your system tray when people are trying to reach you; you can import the address book from Hotmail, Yahoo or Outlook. The most important changes in Skype 4, though, have to do with video calls. If you’ve ever used video-chat programs before, then you know what an unsatisfying experience it can be. The picture breaks up. Connections are dropped. Clarity comes and goes. Worst of all, there’s that annoying delay that makes both you and your conversation partner seem slightly dimwitted. Reactions lag, jokes fall flat and you wind up accidentally interrupting each other — “Oh, I’m sorry, go ahead ”— all because there’s a one-second delay between saying something and its arrival at the other person’s speakers. The video quality still varies when you use Skype. Fast Internet connections and fast computers still work better than slow ones. But if you do have a good setup — wow. With certain Logitech or Philips webcam models, Skype 4.0 can deliver a picture that’s as big and sharp and smooth as a TV picture (30 frames a second, 640 by 480 pixels), with almost no delay. Skype’s audio quality has always been terrific — more like a CD than a telephone, so if you have decent speakers, audio calls have an eerie, you-are-there presence. But the company says that the new version requires only half as much data to transmit all of that sound. In other words, no matter what your Internet connection, you’ll probably hear an improvement. Skype’s video now offers some handy bells and whistles. You no longer have to begin a video chat by first starting with an audio call, for example; there’s a dedicated Start Video Chat button. You can also expand the window to full screen, or capture a still image during the call, with one click. You can resize both your partner’s video image and your own, smaller picture-in-picture image, or drag them around the screen to suit the situation. And a small utility strip below the picture offers space to type Web addresses or other instant messages to your partner. You can even send a file to a pal by clicking the Send File button in this box. And while we’re quibbling: it’s great that Skype offers you the chance to place calls from your computer to somebody’s actual telephone for a couple of cents a minute — that, after all, is how the company makes money. (Rates are, for example, $3 a month for unlimited calling to United States and Canadian phones, or $10 a month globally.) Even so, Skype 4 is better than before, and it’s free, and that means it’s a no-brainer to upgrade. So if video calling is inching closer to being instantaneous, clear, and satisfying, does that mean that AT&T’s 1964 vision will finally come to pass? Will we one day adjust to the idea of being on camera every time someone calls? In the end, video chatting isn’t a replacement for phone calls but a supplement to them, a perfect way to check out someone’s new place, check in with distant family members and friends or show off a new talent (or baby). They saw the possibilities back in 1964 — they just didn’t realize that we wouldn’t always want to use them. When you dial 305-600-4655 to reach Heinz Dinter, editor of www.GrandLifestyle.com and www.DadelandDoings.com, you will be astounded by the superb sound quality emanating from either the headset mike or the mike mounted on top of the computer's monitor. You are reaching him via Skype. Don't hesitate to engage him in a video chat and see first-hand what Skype 4 can do. See Skype video in action at the Oprah Winfrey Show (www.Oprah.com) at CBS on weekdays at 4:00 pm. Oprah invites callers to ask questions via Skype video chat. You will watch the call-in questioner on video in impressive video and sound clarity. It's a stunning testimonial to Skype's impressive video and audio qualities. Source: www.NYTimes.com |
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