• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Meet Warren Buffett's son Howard, a former sheriff, war photographer, and now, Berkshire's new chairman

3

Sydney Sweeney doesn’t just star in controversial ads. She helps engineer them

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Meet Warren Buffett's son Howard, a former sheriff, war photographer, and now, Berkshire's new chairman

3

Sydney Sweeney doesn’t just star in controversial ads. She helps engineer them

Android beats iPhone to the punch with video calling

By
Seth Weintraub
Seth Weintraub
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Seth Weintraub
Seth Weintraub
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 27, 2010, 10:45 PM ET
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Today’s Fring 2.1 update for Android allows owners of devices like HTC’s EVO to make video calls from their phones.



Besting Apple’s next iPhone by at least a few weeks, Fring announced today the general availability of its Fring 2.1 software for Android.  With a front-facing camera phone like the Sprint EVO 4G, you can now make video calls to your Skype contacts on their computers or other devices with front facing cameras.

I’ve tested this and it works pretty well, though the software is still in beta and required me to do a fresh install after my upgrade crashed.  To be fair, the Evo is a week away from launch and the install works fine on new phones – I was just a rare case of having a previously installed version which wouldn’t exist in the wild.

The video quality isn’t fantastic — compare to a significantly-compressed YouTube video.  Audio is the same.  Fring promises better quality in upcoming releases.

That being said, you now have a mobile teleconferencing solution built into your Android phone.

Here’s a little test call to the wife and kid (who are about the only people I want to video chat with):

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2OSHkG6Rs&w=600&h=400]

You can see that it seems to work best in landscape mode and you get the other person’s video on the left and a video of yourself on the right.

Sprint (S) demonstrated the HTC EVO with this functionality at their launch event, though the software they used was made by Qik.  The EVOs that were given out at Google (GOOG) I/O have video conferencing disabled in Qik software, but Sprint promises upgrades soon that will take advantage of this functionality.

Apple’s (AAPL) new iPhone 4/HD hardware leaks have had front-facing cameras and Video iChat has been found in the beta code.  They are widely expected to announce this functionality at their WWDC in June.

But I have it now on a much bigger screen.

About the Author
By Seth Weintraub
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.