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Posts with tag video-chat

TokBox launches Adobe AIR-based video chat app

TokBox AIR
TokBox is a video chat service that lets you communicate via instant message, video, or audio. But unlike other services such as Skype, there's no need to install any software. You can run TokBox from a web browser. The software will automatically detect your computer's camera and/or microphone and adjust all the appropriate settings for you.

But sometimes you don't want to leave a browser window open just so you can chat. Or you might want to do other things with your web browser while chatting. So a desktop client can come in handy. And doday TokBox released one. The desktop version of TokBox is built on Adobe AIR, so it looks and acts almost exactly the same as the web version. Because essentially it is the web version. You just don't need to launch a web browser to use it.

It took us just a few moments to register for a free account and download and install the software. Our only complaint was that you still need to access the web site to accomplish some tasks. For example, when we wanted to add friends to our contact list, we hit the "find friends" button in TokBox AIR. But when we started the search, TokBox fired up our web browser to show us the results.

Skype 4.0 beta puts video front and center, takes over your screen

Skype 4.0
Skype 4.0 beta for Windows is due out tomorrow. And this beta will represent a major shift for the VoIP client. While nearly a third of Skype calls are video, each version of Skype up until now has been designed with audio in mind. The client is small and easily resizeable and feels like an application for making phone calls. TechCrunch reports that Skype 4.0 beta will be a full screen application designed with video in mind.

The new version takes advantage of the larger window by spreading out the buttons a bit and adding support for new video features like picture in picture. There's also more room on the screen for text chat or for sharing files while conducting voice or video calls.

Skype 4.0 beta also features improved hardware deection and tools for testing your connection. But honestly, we're not convinced that this whole full-screen design is the way to go. There's no doubt that the updated Skype client looks like it will make video calls far more pleasant. But more than 70% of the calls placed on the Skype network are still audio-only. And we're guessing that a lot of the people placing those calls like to have a bit of space on their desktops to multitask while making phone calls.

Of course, if you're just using Skype for voice communication, you can always minimize the application while you're talking, web browsing, and playing World of WarCraft. Or whatever it is you do when you're on the phone.

Skype 2.0 for Linux drops beta tag

Skype 2.0 for LinuxSkype has released the final version of Skype 2.0 for Linux. The internet telephony application has been available as a public beta since November, but the latest release includes a ton of bug fixes and a few new features.

Skype 2.0's biggest feature is support for video calls, which means you can do pretty much anything with the Linux version of Skype that you can do with the PC or Mac clients. That includes making PC to PC phone calls or video calls for free, or PC to telephone calls for a fee.

Packages are available for Ubuntu, Debian, Xandros, Fedora, OpenSUSE, Mandriva, and CentOS.

[via Digg]

Skype 3.6 beta includes high quality video support

Skype 3.6 betaSkype has released a public beta of Skype 3.6. As usual you can expect a bunch of bug fixes and general tweaks. But there's also one major new feature: support for high quality video chats.

What do we mean by high quality? 640 x 480 resolution and 30 frames per second. You'll need a broadband connection and a webcam capable of 640 x 480 resolutions in order to make high quality video calls. Otherwise, you can always resort to and old fashioned 320 x 240 window displaying video at 15 frames per second.

While this is the first version of Skype to officially support VGA video chats, there's been a hack for enabling high quality video since February.

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