News 29

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.

Starting in iOS 7 you could already make audio-only Facetime calls person-to-person. But with the upcoming point release of Max OS X Mavericks, you’ll be able to place audio calls from your Mac as well.

Check out 9 to 5 Mac for the details.

You may recall that Facetime uses extremely high-quality audio for voice calls–much better than you can get over traditional phone lines. This will be big.

The video says it all.

From a press statement Apple released regarding US government requests for personal information:

conversations which take place over iMessage and FaceTime are protected by end-to-end encryption so no one but the sender and receiver can see or read them. Apple cannot decrypt that data.

So in short, Apple has reiterated (as of June 2013) that FaceTime calls and iMessages are secure and private, even from Apple.  Even they cannot decrypt these communications.

The Verge and several other sources are reporting that you can now make free audio phone calls to your Facebook friends if you live in the US or Canada. You and the person you are calling will need to download Facebook Messenger for the iPhone.  After that, it’s free audio calling. Plus free texting from app to app. You can’t beat free.

Apple released a commercial to highlight Facetime on the iPad and iPad Mini. Note the emphasis isn’t on the technology or megapixels or anything technical. Facetime is only good as a technology because of how it connects people, and this is a perfect example of how Apple gets it.

It’s a big week for Facetime with the announcement that in iOS 6 (coming Fall of 2012) Apple will allow Facetime calls to be placed not just over wi-fi, but also over cell phone calls. From Apple:

FaceTime now works over cellular networks as well as Wi-Fi, so you can make and receive FaceTime calls wherever you happen to be.4 You can even make and receive FaceTime calls on your iPad using your phone number. That means you can use FaceTime wherever you are, on any device. And never miss another wink, smile, air kiss, or eye roll.

Apple has announced that they will begin including Facetime HD cameras with 3X more resolution than previous Facetime Cameras, starting today.

New on the scene today: Sidecar App to place VOIP (Voice over Internet) calls with a bunch of nifty features.  Here’s the rundown:

Available for free for iPhone and Android.  US and Canada only for right now.

More PR after the jump…
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