Facebook Video Chat
Arrington: Facebook will launch a new video chat product, powered by Skype, that works in browser; http://eicker.at/FacebookVideoChat
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Gerrit Eicker
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Gerrit Eicker
Google Plus Hangouts
Google Plus challenges Facebook, Google Plus Hangouts aims for Skype, videoconferencing in general; http://eicker.at/GooglePlusHangouts
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Gerrit Eicker
Google: “Just think: when you walk into the pub or step onto your front porch, you’re in fact signaling to everyone around, ‘Hey, I’ve got some time, so feel free to stop by.’ Further, it’s this unspoken understanding that puts people at ease, and encourages conversation. But today’s online communication tools (like instant messaging and video-calling) don’t understand this subtlety: They’re annoying, for starters. You can ping everyone that’s ‘available,’ but you’re bound to interrupt someone’s plans. They’re also really awkward. When someone doesn’t respond, you don’t know if they’re just not there, or just not interested. With Google+ we wanted to make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created Hangouts. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you’re free, and spend time with your Circles. Face-to-face-to-face.”
Google+: “Bumping into friends while you’re out and about is one of the best parts of going out and about. With Hangouts, the unplanned meet-up comes to the web for the first time. Let your mates know that you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. Until we perfect teleportation, it’s the next best thing.”
GigaOM: “I don’t think Facebook has anything to worry about. However, there is a whole slew of other companies that should be on notice. Just as Apple put several app developers on notice with the announcement of its new iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion, Google+ should give folks at companies such as Blekko, Skype and a gaggle of group messaging companies a pause. I personally think Skype Video can easily be brought to its knees by Google Plus’ Hangout. And even if Google+ fails, Google could easily make Hangout part of the Google office offering.”
iCTI: “Google Plus’ cool factor may or may not wow the typical user, but what about rolling it into the enterprise along with other Google services, specifically applied in unified communications? Contact management, enhanced? Check (Google Plus’ Circles feature). Email management? Check (Gmail). Document management? Check (Google Docs). Voice (over IP) communications? Check (Google Voice). Instant messenging? Check (Gtalk). Videoconferencing, even with a group? Check (Google Plus’ Hangouts feature). Mobile chat? Check (Google Plus’ Huddle feature).”
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Gerrit Eicker
FaceTime
Apple FaceTime did not launch as a killer app, but it may end up as one, providing a halo effect; http://eicker.at/FaceTime
Gerrit Eicker
Do You Need a Virtual World for Your Business?
Hypergrid Business: Do you need a virtual world? And when definitely not? – http://tr.im/lkCA (via @malburns)
Gerrit Eicker 07:43 on 8. July 2011 Permalink |
Facebook: “The new chat design includes a sidebar that lists the people you message most. Now it’s easier to find your friends and start a conversation. The sidebar adjusts with the size of your browser window, and it automatically appears when the window is wide enough. … We’re also launching multi-person chat, which is one of our most requested features. Now when your friends can’t figure out what movie to see, you can just add them to a chat and decide together. To include more friends in your conversation, simply select Add Friends to Chat. … Video chat has been around for years now, but it’s still not an everyday activity for most people. Sometimes it’s too difficult to set up, or the friends you want to talk to are on different services. – So a few months ago, we started working with Skype to bring video calling to Facebook. We built it right into chat, so all your conversations start from the same place. To call your friend, just click the video call button at the top of your chat window.”