November 30th, 2005
Skype debuts video chat- and it's cool
Skype has just debuted its 2.0 update with a cool new feature- video chat.
My first thoughts: since Skype callers tend to be technocratic extroverts anyway, it will go over well. It’s a far better bet to succeed than chat services offered by Sony and other mainstream consumer electronics marketers.
Here’s how it works. You download Skype 2.0 and enable the video settings. I show you below.
If you and the person you are calling both have Skype 2.0 installed and webcams fired up and at the ready, you’ll see a video camera icon next to her name.
To activate video chat, you’ll double-click the name of the person you want to call. If they accept your call, well, the video call should start right away.
I haven’t tested it yet, but David Colker of the Los Angeles Times has. He writes that although the default video screen size is almost as small as those on Instant Messaging services, the window can be expanded to 5 inches wide and 4 inches high for what he terms "comfortable viewing."
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
