Jan Zdarsa Not so long ago, Apple introduced an excellent feature for video calls in the iPhone 4 called Facetime. But September is slowly approaching and there is speculation that this feature could also appear in iPods.
The last mention of Facetime in the iPod Touch was on the 9 to 5 Mac server, which also gave it a clear outline and added some evidence. According to them, an application with the icon we know from the iPhone from SMS messages would appear on the iPod Touch. But instead of a message, there would be a video camera on it.
People would log in with their iTunes account after launching the app and possibly choose a nickname (name) for FaceTime calls. Suddenly, the iPod Touch would become an even more interesting device with even more options.
Almost no one doubts that the new fourth-generation iPod Touch will feature a camera, and FaceTime would be a really nice surprise. Wilder speculation is that the same feature could appear in, for example, the iPod Nano, but I doubt it a bit.
How do you like FaceTime? Do you think you'd use it when it's limited to WiFi only for now?
If I use FaceTime? I won't use anything else!! Who would call when they can video call for the same price? Huh? Just to make it a good one ;o)
Yes, that makes sense... :-) Slowly it seems to me that the differences between the iPhone and the iPod Touch are disappearing, although the main one - the calls - is still there.
I see the main problem with Facetime is that it is limited to iphoneiphones (even though it might work against ipods as well), whereby the 3G network supports free video calls, in the US where iPhones have a relatively large penetration, this might make little sense, but let's face it , how many times does it happen to you in CR that all the conditions for making a Facetime call are met (both ends have an iphone4, both are on wifi, both must want to make a video call), in my opinion, a completely unnecessary function, they should have given native SIP support directly in iOS , and it would make a lot of sense on the iPod as well, because it would also be a luxury phone in the case of Wi-Fi availability
So now I'm not entirely sure of my statement, but I have the impression that when introducing FaceTime, Steve said that FaceTime first connects two phones with a normal GSM call and then, when both accept the video call, the GSM call is interrupted and the video call continues after FaceTime. If it really was, I don't really understand how it would work on an iPod.
It would be interesting for developers to use the front cameras of the new iPhone. This would enable skype video calls, which would be completely free and not only via wifi (after all, only 3G is already fast enough). Plus, with multitasking, here we have a new era of skype in the mobile industry and a quick end to FaceTime. It certainly won't turn out that way, but it would be nice.
I think that Fring already uses the front camera for video calls (even via 3G)...