Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk
Feel the need to video chat in higher resolution? Or maybe just take a break from the PC while you talk to your long-distance girlfriend you met at Comic Con? Well, we just got word that Biscotti, that TV phone we demoed last week, is on sale in the US and Canada for a princely $199. To recap, it’s a camera that sits discreetly atop your TV and is, indeed, about as small and lightweight as that crunchy Italian cookie. The idea is pretty simple: it plugs into both your TV and set-top box, and makes free calls to other Biscotti owners, along with anyone using Google Talk. After our brief demo we were impressed enough with the easy setup and simple menus that layer on top of whatever you’re watching, but then again, we were unaware of the price. So, is two hundred bucks worth a lifetime of seeing grandma in 1080p? That, friends, is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.
Gallery: Biscotti TV Phone
Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Biscotti TV phone hands-on
The tiny Biscotti TV phone would be pretty easy to miss in most home theater setups. It is, in fact, roughly the shape and size of its namesake Italian cookie. Honestly, it’d be pretty easy to miss even if you were holding it — the video calling TV attachment probably weighs less than its baked good doppelganger. The idea is to stick this sliver of glossy black plastic on top of your TV and make video VoIP calls using its integrated HD webcam and 802.11n radio. Your counterpart is then displayed, super-sized, on your big screen. Around the back of the device are the three ports: HDMI in, HDMI out and power. You simply plug the Biscotti in between your settop and TV, then navigate the menus with the included remote. The demo stream set up at the CES Unveiled event had a slightly yellow hue to it, but we’re willing to chalk that up to the poor lighting on the show floor. The best news, though? In addition to making calls through the proprietary Biscotti service you can get your video chat on using the increasingly ubiquitous Google Talk. Check out the gallery below and a quick video walk through after the break.
Gallery: Biscotti hands-on
Continue reading Biscotti TV phone hands-on
Biscotti TV phone hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tango video calling demoed on Mango-based HTC Titan (video)
Looks like Mango’s got yet another trick up its sleeve — at least, a trick that’ll be noticeable on HTC’s looming Titan. Windows Phone Director Aaron Woodman — the same Aaron that stopped by our own Engadget Show a few months back — recently paused to show off a Tango video calling application on the aforementioned handset. We knew good and well that the front-facing Titan camera would be put to use by something, and now you know. ‘Course, the “demo” looks pretty well scripted — don’t expect an accurate representation of video quality over a crowded 3G network — but it sure serves to make the wait that much harder. Have a peek yourself just after the break.
[Thanks, Stephen]
Continue reading Tango video calling demoed on Mango-based HTC Titan (video)
Tango video calling demoed on Mango-based HTC Titan (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tango video calling en route to Windows Phone Mango?
Tango video calling en route to Windows Phone Mango? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Skype 5.5 for Windows now available, complete with deeper Facebook integration
The beta version has been available for over a month, but those that prefer to play things safe can now download the final version of Skype 5.5 for Windows (and Windows only, at the moment). According to Skype, that version includes a number of additional updates based on user feedback, but the standout feature remains the deep Facebook integration, which will let you call and IM your friends, update your status, and engage in other Facebook-related activities. Skype is also promising “enhanced video call reliability,” and it’s made yet more design changes that promise to “improve your overall Skype experience.” You can judge that yourself by downloading the application at the link below.
Skype 5.5 for Windows now available, complete with deeper Facebook integration originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Skype for iPad leaked in promo video
If you’ve lost sleep over the lack of a dedicated Skype app for your iPad, you can rest easy tonight knowing somewhere out there it does exist — or at least a promo video does. Earlier today, someone over at Skype unintentionally (we assume) posted what looks like an ad for a real-deal app for the iOS slab. Of course, the evidence has since been pulled, but you can check out a ripped version (sans audio) after the break. It looks like the days of blowing up ye ole iPhone Skype are numbered.
Update: The folks over at TUAW had a chat with Skype’s Rick Osterloh about the iPad app, and he says you can expect most of the functionality to carry over from the iPhone. There are, unfortunately, a few desktop features, like file sharing, that won’t make an appearance. Sadly, Osterloh didn’t spill the release-date beans.
Continue reading Skype for iPad leaked in promo video
Skype for iPad leaked in promo video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sony makes floating-head telepresence avatars a reality, Sean Connery digs out gun and red speedos
Sony makes floating-head telepresence avatars a reality, Sean Connery digs out gun and red speedos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free
If you missed the opportunity to get your hands on Fring’s limited Group Video beta, fret not, because the free service has just gone live for everyone on this planet. What this means is that all Fringsters on compatible iOS 4.x and Android 1.5+ devices (1GHz and above recommended) can now have up to three friends on one video call, and as before, you can do so over either WiFi, 3G, or 4G. Hit your nearest app market for the software update to join the fun, and head past the break to see how Group Video works.
Continue reading Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free
Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fring-Skype relationship hits feud status as access pulled (updated)
When last we saw Fring, the VOIP app was touting its popularity after an update to its iPhone client and how it had to "temporarily reduce support to Skype" because of it. Looks like there may be a bit more to this story, however, as this morning Fring took a major backhand to Skype, complaining that it’s Skype that is not allowing the access.
But it gets a little weirder than that. On one had we have a pretty straightforward press release detailing Fring’s side of things. And on the other is a pretty inflammatory post on Fring’s blog that openly calls Skype "cowards" for "trying to muzzle the competition." (Also a line used by Fring’s CEO in the press release.) That’s a long way from last week, when things seemed more like a small technological bump.
We’re hoping to get Skype’s side of the story soon. We’ll go out on a limb here and hope that this is a precursor for Skype shirking its Verizon exclusivity and finally bringing a proper app to the Android Market. But in the meantime, we’re all going to have to sit back and watch this one unfold. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Update: The plot thickens, as Skype just got back to us and tells us that removing access was all Fring’s doing. Here’s the quote:
“Skype has been in discussions with Fring regarding our belief that Fring is breaching our API Terms of Use and End User Licence Agreement. Skype is disappointed that an amicable resolution was not possible but Fring’s decision to withdraw Skype functionality immediately was of its own choice. Skype encourages developers to build products that work with Skype in accordance with our various API licences. However, Skype will rigorously protect its brand and reputation and those companies that do not comply with our terms will be subject to enforcement.“
Update 2: Here’s Skype’s blog post on the whole thing.
Posted originally at Android Central
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Fring updated so Android and iPhone can play together
The Fring app for the iPhone got an update today (see our previous Android-related hands-on) that lets it play nice with Android (and Symbian, too). That means us Android users can have video chats with our misbegotten friends who shelled out for the new shiny thing from Apple. We recommend you show off using your Android phone left-handed, in the middle of a large city, while installing whatever you want. Just to give ‘em a hard time, ya know?
Want to see it in action? Check out the video after the break (and check out TiPB’s here) where we chat it up with TiPB.com’s Rene Ritchie on his newfangled iThingy. [Fring]
Posted originally at Android Central
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