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The Evolution of Video Chat: Impact on Communication and Relationships

Video chat technology has come a long way since its inception. With the advent of new technologies and platforms, connecting with friends, family, and even strangers has never been easier. Video chat has had a significant impact on the way we interact, communicate, and maintain relationships both personally and professionally. This article dives into the history and evolution of video chat and discusses how it has transformed the way we connect with people and develop relationships.

History of Video Chat Technology

Video chat technology traces its roots back to the construction of the first video-capable telephone in the 1960s. Through the years, technological advancements have continually improved video chat capabilities, paving the way for modern applications such as Skype, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and FaceTime.

First Video Phone: AT&T Picturephone

In 1964, the American telecommunications company AT&T developed and released Picturephone, the first video-capable telephone. The device allowed users to make full-motion video calls over telephone lines. The Picturephone operated at 30 frames per second with a screen resolution of 280×720 pixels. Unfortunately, the Picturephone was a commercial failure due to issues such as high cost and poor image quality.

The Arrival of Webcams

The development of webcams in the 1990s was a significant step forward for video chat technology. The first webcam, called XCam2, was released in 1994 by U.S. computer company Connectix. The device captured video at a resolution of 320×240 pixels and could transmit video over the internet. Webcams eventually improved the quality and convenience of video chat, and soon became a staple in communication devices like computers and laptops.

Modern Video Chat Platforms

In the 2000s, advancements in internet speed and hardware capabilities paved the way for the emergence of modern video chat platforms. New platforms like Skype, Google Hangouts, and WhatsApp have become popular among users worldwide. Their user-friendly nature and ability to be used on multiple devices have made video chat more accessible and prevalent than ever before.

Impact of Video Chat on Communication

With the continuous evolution of video chat technology, face-to-face communication is possible even over long distances. Video chat has had numerous positive impacts on the way we interact with others. Here are just a few:

  1. Improved personal connections: Video chat enables us to see facial expressions, gestures, and the body language of other participants, which enriches and adds depth to interpersonal communication.
  2. Fostering long-distance relationships: Video chat facilitates maintaining strong emotional connections with spouses, friends, or family who live far away from each other.
  3. Increased productivity in the workplace: The ability to see colleagues and communicate more effectively through video conferences has drastically improved the efficiency of remote meetings and collaborations.
  4. Expand professional networking opportunities: Video calls allow professionals to connect with people from different locations and backgrounds without having to physically travel, thus providing new networking opportunities.

Creating and Maintaining Relationships through Video Chat

Video chat has become one of the primary means of establishing and maintaining relationships in modern society. Here are some ways through which video chat supports relationship-building.

Long-distance Romantic Relationships

Video chat has proven to be an essential tool in maintaining long-distance romantic relationships. It provides a sense of closeness and intimacy, fostering emotional connections between couples in different geographical locations.

Tips for Maintaining Long-distance Relationships via Video Chat

  • Plan regular video chat dates: Schedule video calls at convenient times to keep the relationship strong.
  • Share experiences: Incorporate shared activities such as watching movies, playing games, or cooking together to create unique and memorable moments.
  • Utilize technology: Take advantage of various platforms and apps that offer features like file sharing and screen sharing to enhance your video chats.

Professional Relationships

Video chat has become an essential tool for maintaining professional relationships, especially in the era of remote work. It has facilitated easier contact between colleagues and improved collaboration across geographical distances.

Tips for Maintaining Professional Relationships via Video Chat

  • Project a professional appearance: Dress professionally and ensure your provided web camera with an appropriate background during video calls.
  • Communicate effectively: Be clear and concise in your speech to avoid miscommunication.
  • Utilize collaboration tools: Share files and documents in real-time during video calls to maximize your team’s productivity.

Impact of Video Chat on Social Life

Video chat has transformed the way we make new friends and maintain social relationships. Social networking platforms have incorporated video calling features to connect users with new people, fostering the development of unique friendships and connections.

Tips for Enhancing Social Life through Video Chat

  • Join interest-based chat rooms: Engage in video chats with people who share your interests and passions to create meaningful connections.
  • Take advantage of group video chats: Join group video chat sessions to interact with multiple friends simultaneously and engage in lively discussions.
  • Practice active listening: Show genuine interest in what others have to say during video chats, which will improve communication and strengthen relationships.

To the Future

Video chat technology has significantly evolved in recent years, and its impact on communication and relationships has been profound. From improving personal connections and fostering long-distance relationships to increasing productivity in the workplace, video chat has completely changed the way we communicate and maintain our relationships. As technology continues to advance, we can likely expect even more innovative features and platforms that will further enhance our video chatting experience and help us build even stronger connections in the future.

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I’m glad you asked.

As it turns out, Apple has created a simple set of instructions on how to get up and running with FaceTime on any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac.

Open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID. You can also do this from Settings > FaceTime.

If you’re using an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number. To also register your email address on your iPhone, go to Settings > FaceTime > Use your Apple ID for FaceTime, and sign in with your Apple ID.

If you’re using an iPad or iPod touch, register your email address by tapping Settings > FaceTime > Use your Apple ID for FaceTime, and sign in with your Apple ID.

You’ll also want to know how to make that FaceTime call once it is activated on your device. There are more instructions here:

Link

Apple dropped a bombshell at WWDC this year. A long-desired feature to go beyond a two person conversation to include up to thirty-two individuals. With iOS 12, Apple has changed the game significantly. Seamlessly move from iMessage to Facetime in audio or video with your closest friends and family.

 

 

FaceTime Alternatives for iOS, iPhone & iPad

Even though FaceTime is an Apple exclusive app and many of us can use it on the iOS platform, a lot of people don’t like the limitations and low quality that the app brings sometimes, so they are always on the lookout for a better alternative. You can rest assured that there are quite a lot of them and in this article we are going to present the best ones that you can find for iOS.

1. Talko
One of the newest players on the scene is an app called Talko from the mind of Ray Ozzie, one of the greatest minds of Microsoft in years gone by. By mashing up voice, text, photos and more into a communication platform, Talko may just be the way to go to talk and text for free.

2. FriendCaller
This is an app that not many people know about, but which includes quite a lot of features that make it easy for users to talk up to 7 friends at once which is definitely nice. Combine that with the fact that the app is available for the most important mobile and desktop devices and you will immediately realize that you can use it as a great FaceTime alternative.

3. Skype
You can find Skype on almost any platform so you the fact that it has an iOS version as well won’t surprise anyone. The developer experience clearly shows here, as the app offers a very high quality as well as numerous other perks that simply make it stand out. You can chat with only a single friend at once if you have a free account, but the high video quality and numerous effects/emoticons as well as other features surely make this app one of the best you can use for keeping in touch with your friends while on the go.

4. ooVoo

ooVoo is widely appraised as being a great app to use when you want to stay in touch with multiple friends. It supports up to 4 friends at once and it provides you with a very simple, easy to use interface that does stand out.
These are the best iOS applications that you can use as a FaceTime alternative. All of them bring the same, if not more features when compared to the app created by Apple, so checking them out can be very useful. The ability to chat with more than one person at a time, which is provided by most of the apps listed above is one of the main reasons why you would have to try the apps in this list, so what are you waiting for? Give them a try today!

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FaceTime Improved for iPhone 6

Big news on the Facetime front is that the new cameras on the front and back of the iPhone 6 are way better! From Apple’s Camera page for the iPhone 6:

With a larger aperture and all-new sensor technology, the front-facing FaceTime HD camera now captures 81 percent more light. It also has improved face detection. And its new burst mode takes 10 photos per second. So whether you’re trying to snap the perfect selfie or connecting with someone across the country, every image looks just right.

The f2.2 aperture means the camera lets more light in (giving you better low-light images). The lower that number, the better (and generally only high-end cameras can get down to f1.8.

Also worth noting: there is an improved HDR (High Dynamic Range) videos with the front-facing camera for more contrast and vivid images.

All-in-all, this is huge camera upgrade that will make your Facetimes even better.




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FaceTime for Android? Nope. But Here are some Alternatives

FaceTime is a great application for those people that always want to stay in touch with their friends and family via video chat, but the fact that the app is limited only to the iOS platforms is definitely a bad thing unfortunately, since the Android users for example can’t take advantage of the wonderful features that the app has to offer.
Thankfully though, there are quite a lot of alternatives for the Android platform that allow a functionality which is really similar to the one provided by FaceTime on iOS. This means that even if you don’t have an Apple device, you can easily take advantage of the technology and perform video chat with your friends without any hassle.

1. Google Hangouts
Unlike FaceTime, Google Hangouts is available for all the most important platforms, which makes it a viable solution for those that want to video chat with their friends. The interesting thing about Google Hangouts is that it actually enables you to add multiple friends in the conversation without having to pay anything. The video chat solution doesn’t require a lot of bandwidth, which is really nice. In order to use the app you will need to install Google+ for Android, but many Android devices do come with this preinstalled nowadays. Thankfully, Google Hangouts is a very stable application and you won’t experience any crashes so you can talk for hours as long as your phone/tablet has enough battery.

2. Skype
Skype is by far one of the most popular applications when it comes to video chat and its Android version works really well. It can record, transmit and receive the videos in real time and everything is full HD, which is really nice indeed. Moreover, you can also use it just to call your friends if you want. In order to add multiple people to the conversation you will have to pay a monthly fee, but for a simple 1 to 1 chat the app is more than enough.

3. Viber
Viber is one of the first applications that initiated Wi-Fi calls and since then it has become one of the most widely used Android apps. The great thing about it is that you can also use it for video chatting as well and the video quality is really good indeed. The fact that Viber is also available for desktop basically allows you to talk with your friends that have the app on their computer even when you are on the go. The ease of use and flexibility recommend Viber as being one of the top FaceTime alternatives that you can find for the Android platform.

4. Tango
Just like the apps listed above, Facetime makes it very easy for you to keep in touch with your friends in any manner you want, be it via text, audio calls or video chat. The video quality is really good and you will definitely like to talk with your friends in this manner. Another interesting thing about Tango is that the platform also includes quite a lot of games that you can play with friends if you want, which is a really neat addition to say the least.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of Android application that can successfully replace FaceTime at any given time. If you want to stay in touch with your friends while you are on the go, then the apps presented above are certainly the best FaceTime alternatives you can find.

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Web-based FaceTime Alternatives

Even though sometimes you want to stay in touch with your friends via video call on mobile devices, there are situations in which you simply don’t want to use applications like FaceTime for example. Instead, you will want to use web-based applications that provide the same video call functionality, but instead allow you to perform the action inside your browser. There are multiple applications which provide you with such a functionality, and in this list you can find the best ones which are available right now on the market.

1. Google Hangouts
Despite the fact that it has dedicated applications for many devices, Google Hangouts was actually released as a web-based tool initially, and after that it was expanded to the multitude of devices that we see today. The ability to chat within your browser with multiple friends at once definitely makes Google Hangouts a very useful tool when you want to collaborate with your friends without having to use expensive apps that offer such functionality. The web app is free to access and very easy to use, all you need is just a Google Account and a dedicated plugin that you have to install within your browser.

2. Facebook Video Chat
More than a billion people have a Facebook account, so they won’t have a problem using the functionality of this particular app. It’s a very easy to use application that basically requires you to install a plugin and, once you do that, you will just have to start chatting with your friends. The video quality is really good considering the web environment in which the video chat takes place, so it’s a good solution for those that want a web-based FaceTime alternative.

3. AnyMeeting
This is widely regarded as a videoconferencing service rather than a video chat, but it does work really well and it allows you to record your meetings. Just like the options listed above, it requires the installation of a plugin in order to work properly, but it provides you with a lot of value and you will definitely enjoy its offerings. The interesting thing about AnyMeeting is the fact that you can bring up to 200 different people in the videoconference, so you can use it both for your business or personal matters without a problem.

4. Meetings.io
This video chat solution doesn’t require an account, a plugin or anything else, it just connects you and your friends/family with ease. You just use your Facebook or Google credentials that click the button, start the meeting and share the link to the meeting with every friend you want. The chat option is really great, video quality is amazing and this is a service that can be used even by people which are technologically challenged, thanks to its simplicity.

5. TinyChat
This site successfully manages to combine the power of a social network with the features provided by a video broadcasting service. It uses Flash to access your microphone and camera, so you won’t have to install plugins, which is really nice. If you upgrade to the Pro version you can get camera effects, a high quality video as well as filters and numerous other perks.

All of the options listed above are a viable replacement tool for FaceTime if you want an easy to use, dedicated web application which provides the same features. The websites in this list offer some amazing services, so you will definitely want to check them all out today.

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FaceTime for Windows Doesn’t Exist. But Here are some Alternatives.

FaceTime is one of the best applications you can find on a Mac because it enables you with a simple way to talk with your friends and family from the comfort of your desktop. Unfortunately, this tool isn’t available on any other desktop platform, so if you are using Windows for example you need to look for some alternatives.

1. Skype
If you are looking for a great FaceTime replacement then Skype is one of the best. It t can perform video calls, audio to video, video to audio or audio to audio. You name it Skype does it. In addition to that, it also allows you to perform calls to mobile phones and land-line phones as well.

2. Viber
This tool is suitable for performing mobile phone calls or video calls. It’s compatible with any country and you can use it from anywhere you want, as long as you are connected to the Internet. The Windows client works seamlessly and you can easily call your friends on mobile phones.

3. Tango
Tango is another application that’s similar to FaceTime, but it improves on its formula by adding things such as sending music messages, playing games and multiple other perks alongside the video and voice calls that you can expect from such a tool.

4. Camfrog
This is a free live webcam video chat room that makes it easy for you to create your own chat rooms or perform audio and video calls Continue reading →

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Make a FaceTime Video or Audio Call

One of the top questions people have about FaceTime is how to place a call, either with the original video call option or with the newer, high-quality-audio option.  Straight from Apple, here’s how to make a video or audio call:

How do I make a FaceTime video call?

You can make a FaceTime video call in multiple ways from your iOS device.

  • Phone: While on a phone call, you can tap the FaceTime icon to invite the other party to a FaceTime video call.
  • FaceTime: Place a FaceTime video call using your contacts list by tapping the video icon.
  • Contacts: Tap the FaceTime video icon to place a FaceTime video call to the contact you are viewing.

How do I make a FaceTime audio call?

You can make a FaceTime audio call in multiple ways from your iOS device.

  • FaceTime: Place a FaceTime audio call using your contacts list by tapping the phone icon.
  • Contacts: Tap the FaceTime phone icon to place a FaceTime audio call to the contact you are viewing.

It’s a simple as that. Hope this is helpful!




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Video Guide to FaceTime on the iPhone

From the great teachers at Lynda.com comes this comprehensive tutorial on how to get the most out of Facetime on your iPhone. This video is a bit old, in that it uses iOS 6 instead of the current iOS, but  concepts are still the same and even most of the settings work just like they used to.

If you want an in-depth look at the main features of FaceTime, this is a great place to start.