Live video iChat on the iPhone may be something we would expect from Apple, but is the timing and technology ripe for this functionality to come out this summer? Some reports are reading into AT&T network upgrades to 7.2 Mbps as a sign that they are bracing for more bandwidth demands from their iPhone subscriber base, and that one of those demands could be live video chat.
The longer AT&T can deliver what Apple needs for its hardware, the longer the company stands to profit from an exclusive arrangement to offer the iPhone on its network. Other leaks and data that point in the direction of a front facing camera on the next generation iPhone have also surfaced.
The new "4G" black bezel design moves the speaker up much closer to the top edge of the device. This leaves much more space between the display screen and the speaker for sensors or a front-facing camera on the new model.
Past rumors from China had wholesale suppliers delivering two different resolution cameras to Apple. The two camera models could be destined for different devices (such as the rumored iPod Nano camera and the iPhone). The alternative is much more interesting. Two cameras in one iPhone 3.0 facing in two directions.
Realistically, the bandwidth requirements of millions of iChat video users, along with iTunes video renters and purchasers, make this prospect unlikely until the wide release of faster LTE wireless network technology in 2011.
It is widely known that the iPhone 3.0 will feature the 802.11N Broadcom BCM4329 Wi-Fi chip, making possible wireless downloads of up to four times the speed of 802.11G. To save bandwidth for carriers, it's likely that Apple will restrict iTunes video downloading to iPhones that are connected via Wi-FI.
Could it be that video iChat on the iPhone would also be a restricted Wi-Fi only application? Although the capability would be impressive, without a serious battery upgrade video chatting would even further tax the built in power limitations.
Also curious that developers using iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 have not uncovered any hidden video communication code or apps, whereas they have uncovered video editing and sending capabilities. Of course this doesn't exclude the possibility that 3rd party developers could distribute such a product on the AppStore.
It's a matter of time until videoconferencing on mobile devices is ubiquitous. Until we hear an official announcement from Apple we'll keep our fingers crossed, but we won't hold our breath.
By Bob Bhatnagar
Source: iPhone FAQ
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
AT&T's faster 3G network could signal video chat coming with new iPhone
Faster data speeds would be welcomed regardless of video, however
If the next iPhone model supports video chat, as some rumors say it will, AT&T Inc.'s plan to expand to a faster wireless network called HSPA 7.2 later in the year would enrich the experience of iPhone users who take advantage of that feature.
And even if video chat is not coming in the expected July release of the next-generation iPhone, faster network speeds with the 3G upgrade would still be welcome news.
An AT&T spokeswoman wouldn't comment today about whether the new iPhone would offer HSPA 7.2 support, although she said "multiple" HSPA 7.2-compatible laptop cards and smartphones will be introduced later in 2009. AT&T is the exclusive carrier for Apple Inc.'s iPhone in the U.S.
Some analysts said that they believe AT&T's HSPA 7.2 plans are part of a general trend among wireless carriers to support smartphone wireless traffic of all kinds, and don't necessarily make room for video chat. But it's inevitable that video streaming will keep growing, even if the video isn't real-time and moving in two directions, as is the case with video chat.
"Smartphones are growing like crazy, and the networks are rushing like crazy to upgrade to meet the choking demand," said independent analyst Jeffrey Kagan.
Some analysts said they don't believe a video chat feature on the next iPhone would be used very much. However, based on the usage trends of some other phones with that capability, Cisco Systems Inc. and Polycom Inc. are expecting a burgeoning market for wireless video chat on handhelds.
One CIO who supports a large college IT infrastructure endorsed the concept of video chat on the iPhone. "One feature I would love to have [in the next iPhone] is two-way videoconferencing," said Jorge Mata, CIO for the Los Angeles Community College District, by e-mail.
"You would have a small kickstand in the back of the device and you could set it down on a table and have a videoconference (Skype-like) with others," he wrote. "That would be great for collaboration, especially if it ties into enterprise unified messaging systems."
If the theoretical speed of HSPA is 7.2Mbit/sec., as AT&T says, the new network would help video chat, but it's not clear whether that speed is sufficient for a quality video chat experience, especially if there are many users on a single cell tower.
Earlier this year, Polycom CEO Robert Hagerty described ways that his company has enabled videoconferencing via a Palm Inc. handheld with Ericsson networking in Italy, although he didn't reveal the network speed. He said Polycom's technology supports high-quality laptop videoconferencing inside airports over Wi-Fi, which tops out at 54Mbit/sec. for 802.11g wireless networks.
So Wi-Fi will still be faster than HSPA 7.2 by far, although AT&T also touts its prowess in that realm, boasting that it supports 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots. Publicly, the question of whether AT&T is getting ready for video chat is still a subject of speculation, but realistically it's probably a matter of when, not if, the carrier will support that capability.
By Matt Hamblen
Source: Computer World
If the next iPhone model supports video chat, as some rumors say it will, AT&T Inc.'s plan to expand to a faster wireless network called HSPA 7.2 later in the year would enrich the experience of iPhone users who take advantage of that feature.
And even if video chat is not coming in the expected July release of the next-generation iPhone, faster network speeds with the 3G upgrade would still be welcome news.
An AT&T spokeswoman wouldn't comment today about whether the new iPhone would offer HSPA 7.2 support, although she said "multiple" HSPA 7.2-compatible laptop cards and smartphones will be introduced later in 2009. AT&T is the exclusive carrier for Apple Inc.'s iPhone in the U.S.
Some analysts said that they believe AT&T's HSPA 7.2 plans are part of a general trend among wireless carriers to support smartphone wireless traffic of all kinds, and don't necessarily make room for video chat. But it's inevitable that video streaming will keep growing, even if the video isn't real-time and moving in two directions, as is the case with video chat.
"Smartphones are growing like crazy, and the networks are rushing like crazy to upgrade to meet the choking demand," said independent analyst Jeffrey Kagan.
Some analysts said they don't believe a video chat feature on the next iPhone would be used very much. However, based on the usage trends of some other phones with that capability, Cisco Systems Inc. and Polycom Inc. are expecting a burgeoning market for wireless video chat on handhelds.
One CIO who supports a large college IT infrastructure endorsed the concept of video chat on the iPhone. "One feature I would love to have [in the next iPhone] is two-way videoconferencing," said Jorge Mata, CIO for the Los Angeles Community College District, by e-mail.
"You would have a small kickstand in the back of the device and you could set it down on a table and have a videoconference (Skype-like) with others," he wrote. "That would be great for collaboration, especially if it ties into enterprise unified messaging systems."
If the theoretical speed of HSPA is 7.2Mbit/sec., as AT&T says, the new network would help video chat, but it's not clear whether that speed is sufficient for a quality video chat experience, especially if there are many users on a single cell tower.
Earlier this year, Polycom CEO Robert Hagerty described ways that his company has enabled videoconferencing via a Palm Inc. handheld with Ericsson networking in Italy, although he didn't reveal the network speed. He said Polycom's technology supports high-quality laptop videoconferencing inside airports over Wi-Fi, which tops out at 54Mbit/sec. for 802.11g wireless networks.
So Wi-Fi will still be faster than HSPA 7.2 by far, although AT&T also touts its prowess in that realm, boasting that it supports 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots. Publicly, the question of whether AT&T is getting ready for video chat is still a subject of speculation, but realistically it's probably a matter of when, not if, the carrier will support that capability.
By Matt Hamblen
Source: Computer World
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Will the next iPhone have iVideo?
Cisco, others want to offer mobile video chat, so why not Apple?
The new iPhone hardware expected to ship this summer from Apple Inc. is rumored to have a video chat capability supported by MMS, among other new features.
Today's roundup of rumors and speculation about the upcoming iPhone hardware also suggest that there will be a 32GB model, a boost from the current 8GB and 16GB models.
But the reports raise questions about why the iPhone doesn't have an expansion card slot for unlimited storage capability, especially if users will be storing massive amounts of video from video chats, video streams off YouTube or other places.
Whether the iPhone will support video chat, or some version of real-time videoconferencing, was a big concern of some developers and analysts at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last year. Some expressed disappointment that various video features were not included in the iPhone 3G.
In March, Apple said the new iPhone 3.0 software would support MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Service, along with 100 other new features such as cut-and-paste and stereo Bluetooth.
The MMS software reports indicate to some observers that the next iPhone (due out July 17, according to some speculation) could support iPhone video chat, which would be possible with a good camera and microphone and a fast wireless connection.
Kevin Burden, an analyst at ABI Research, said the question of the camera for video chat is not a trivial one, since Apple might need to have two cameras, one to face the user and one to face what a user might want to record in the distance. That issue has been a major concern of some manufacturers, including Nokia and Samsung, which have installed two camera lenses on a single phone, one on either side.
But it is questionable how high a priority video chat will be for Apple. "Our research shows that use of video chatting on existing devices is pretty darn small," said Ramon Llamos, an analyst at research firm IDC.
"Certainly video chat will be big for certain groups, but for the majority of people, that's not something you seek out and buy with a new phone," Burden said. "For the most part, that feature goes unused." He added that the next iPhone could, at least, use a flash to go with the camera.
While video chat usage on phones is not that popular, that doesn't mean Apple couldn't start a fad, just as it turned the MP3 player into a huge phenomenon with the iPod, the analysts admitted.
"Apple could take video chat and make it so friendly that it takes off," Burden added. "Yes, that's Apple's heritage, as with iPod. What works is all about delivering a personality to the device."
Video chat as the new killer app
Major communications equipment vendors seem to think mobile videoconferencing is coming, not just for younger users willing to try the latest fad, but also for business users.
"We envision the capability to have videoconferencing on mobile devices such as iPhone and BlackBerry," said Richard McLeod, director of collaboration solutions for channel partners at Cisco Systems Inc.
"Just as today people are looking at YouTube videos on mobile phones, we believe that you will use the camera on a phone to have the same video communications two ways," he added. "We think video is the killer app and will reinvent how business is conducted."
McLeod said call centers are already interested in having mobile users see a video while waiting on hold, perhaps one that will show an advertisement or deliver content based on the customer's profile. That one-way streaming from customer service could conceivably become two-way, analysts have noted.
Cisco recently purchased Pure Digital, maker of the popular Flip handheld video camera. "Our purchase of Flip video is one more step toward where we think video is going," McLeod added.
Earlier this year, Polycom Inc. CEO Robert Hagerty also discussed the potential uses and value of videoconferencing on handhelds.
Why stop at 32GB?
Meanwhile, Apple's rumored plans to include 32GB of storage raise the question of why Apple needs to stop there, and why it doesn't add an expansion slot so users can increase the storage limit to whatever they want.
Clearly, Apple controls what applications are used on the iPhone by not allowing sideloading through an expansion slot, the analysts noted.
"Internal storage keeps you beholden to the iPhone," Burden said. "It doesn't have an expansion slot, but that could be a great addition." Apple probably could add an expansion slot and still restrict what applications could be imported through an expansion card, he said.
But Llamos said Apple is likely to stick with no expansion slot for a while, restricting downloading of applications through the App Store in iTunes. Expanding to 32GB of storage would principally support the App Store concept, which has had more than 1 billion downloads in less than one year, he noted.
"The App Store is a runaway hit," Llamos said. "Why threaten that?"
By Matt Hamblen
Source: Computer World
The new iPhone hardware expected to ship this summer from Apple Inc. is rumored to have a video chat capability supported by MMS, among other new features.
Today's roundup of rumors and speculation about the upcoming iPhone hardware also suggest that there will be a 32GB model, a boost from the current 8GB and 16GB models.
But the reports raise questions about why the iPhone doesn't have an expansion card slot for unlimited storage capability, especially if users will be storing massive amounts of video from video chats, video streams off YouTube or other places.
Whether the iPhone will support video chat, or some version of real-time videoconferencing, was a big concern of some developers and analysts at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last year. Some expressed disappointment that various video features were not included in the iPhone 3G.
In March, Apple said the new iPhone 3.0 software would support MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Service, along with 100 other new features such as cut-and-paste and stereo Bluetooth.
The MMS software reports indicate to some observers that the next iPhone (due out July 17, according to some speculation) could support iPhone video chat, which would be possible with a good camera and microphone and a fast wireless connection.
Kevin Burden, an analyst at ABI Research, said the question of the camera for video chat is not a trivial one, since Apple might need to have two cameras, one to face the user and one to face what a user might want to record in the distance. That issue has been a major concern of some manufacturers, including Nokia and Samsung, which have installed two camera lenses on a single phone, one on either side.
But it is questionable how high a priority video chat will be for Apple. "Our research shows that use of video chatting on existing devices is pretty darn small," said Ramon Llamos, an analyst at research firm IDC.
"Certainly video chat will be big for certain groups, but for the majority of people, that's not something you seek out and buy with a new phone," Burden said. "For the most part, that feature goes unused." He added that the next iPhone could, at least, use a flash to go with the camera.
While video chat usage on phones is not that popular, that doesn't mean Apple couldn't start a fad, just as it turned the MP3 player into a huge phenomenon with the iPod, the analysts admitted.
"Apple could take video chat and make it so friendly that it takes off," Burden added. "Yes, that's Apple's heritage, as with iPod. What works is all about delivering a personality to the device."
Video chat as the new killer app
Major communications equipment vendors seem to think mobile videoconferencing is coming, not just for younger users willing to try the latest fad, but also for business users.
"We envision the capability to have videoconferencing on mobile devices such as iPhone and BlackBerry," said Richard McLeod, director of collaboration solutions for channel partners at Cisco Systems Inc.
"Just as today people are looking at YouTube videos on mobile phones, we believe that you will use the camera on a phone to have the same video communications two ways," he added. "We think video is the killer app and will reinvent how business is conducted."
McLeod said call centers are already interested in having mobile users see a video while waiting on hold, perhaps one that will show an advertisement or deliver content based on the customer's profile. That one-way streaming from customer service could conceivably become two-way, analysts have noted.
Cisco recently purchased Pure Digital, maker of the popular Flip handheld video camera. "Our purchase of Flip video is one more step toward where we think video is going," McLeod added.
Earlier this year, Polycom Inc. CEO Robert Hagerty also discussed the potential uses and value of videoconferencing on handhelds.
Why stop at 32GB?
Meanwhile, Apple's rumored plans to include 32GB of storage raise the question of why Apple needs to stop there, and why it doesn't add an expansion slot so users can increase the storage limit to whatever they want.
Clearly, Apple controls what applications are used on the iPhone by not allowing sideloading through an expansion slot, the analysts noted.
"Internal storage keeps you beholden to the iPhone," Burden said. "It doesn't have an expansion slot, but that could be a great addition." Apple probably could add an expansion slot and still restrict what applications could be imported through an expansion card, he said.
But Llamos said Apple is likely to stick with no expansion slot for a while, restricting downloading of applications through the App Store in iTunes. Expanding to 32GB of storage would principally support the App Store concept, which has had more than 1 billion downloads in less than one year, he noted.
"The App Store is a runaway hit," Llamos said. "Why threaten that?"
By Matt Hamblen
Source: Computer World
Monday, May 25, 2009
ooVoo Confirms First Air-to-Ground 'Three-Way' Video Chat
ooVoo, the solution of choice for multi-point, high-quality, easy-to-use video communication, conducted the first air-to-ground three-way video conversation on April 3rd 2009 on Virgin America Flight 350 from San Francisco to Boston. This communication milestone marked a first for the airline and video conferencing industries, as ooVoo CEO Philippe Schwartz conversed live at 35,000 feet via video chat with ooVoo owner, Clay Mathile in Florida and ooVoo vice president of marketing, Lisa Abourezk in NYC.
"When I learned about Virgin America's new WiFi service I couldn't wait to put ooVoo to the test. Speaking face-to-face mid-flight with two colleagues on the ground was not only a testament to the quality of the service we've built, but to how far we've come technologically as a society," said Philippe Schwartz, CEO of ooVoo.
Every day, ooVoo connects millions of family members, co-workers, friends and online communities with its remarkably clear and highly superior video quality. ooVoo allows up to six people to video chat at the same time, to record video conversations and to call friends or colleagues that do not have ooVoo installed with a "Web Video Call," letting them easily join a video chat via a web browser. ooVoo's multi-point video was also recently seen on the Dr. Phil Show episode connecting five therapists from around the US into the live show.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Growing Pains for Online Video Chat
Seesmic, TokBox, and other startups in this area of social media must contend with issues of personality and, especially, privacy
Turns out, even the most outgoing social media animals get shy once in a while. Tom Sparks can be found just about everywhere on the social Web, with profiles on Twitter, Blip.fm, Tumblr, Flickr (YHOO), Delicious, Last.fm, and more. He aggressively pursues every online chance to find interesting connections and experiences. When he had the chance to try new Web-based video chat tools, Sparks signed up with Seesmic. While it was still in a very early "alpha" test stage, Sparks recorded conversations regularly and responded quickly to other people's videos.
Then something strange happened. Unlike with other social networks, Sparks soon found himself feeling uneasy about the lack of privacy and the pressure to perform. Sure, social media mavens have to produce pithy and useful tweets on Twitter and post attractive photos and witty status updates on Facebook. But it's another thing entirely to speak in front of a Webcam while potentially thousands of strangers watch, judging your looks, delivery, and every gesture. "They cause performance anxiety," Sparks says of video chat sites. "It takes an extrovert personality to be able to do it consistently, and I got tired of it.…My interest fizzled." As blogger Robert Scoble once told me, "You have to be outrageous and over the top." Most people don't have his gargantuan ego.
Ultimately, a good social app is driven by a strong sense of accessibility, simplicity of use, and even privacy. Otherwise users get turned off. That's what happened to Seesmic; it had a hard time retaining early adopters and didn't grow beyond a core user base. Seesmic peaked at 150,000 monthly unique visitors in October 2008 before dropping to its current level of 92,000. Another startup, 12 Seconds, was heralded by tech pundits as the Twitter of video but suffered a similar fate. It's now nothing more than a micro social video community.
Loss of Control
What went wrong? Startups are essentially experiments—works in progress where assumptions are tested on a daily basis. In Seesmic's case, the assumption was that people would be excited to use video. They may be in the future, but not now. People can control their tweets and Facebook posts. Not so with video, says UCLA Internet historian and social media expert Brad Fidler. "Putting yourself on video is a major thing," Fidler says. "Most people don't want their faces on video when they don't get to control their own content." Seesmic users had a greater sense of security when the site was in test mode, he explains. "It was protected and everyone got to know each other and they felt safe," Fidler says. "Once Seesmic went public, that was not there anymore."
We give up some anonymity when we use the social Web, but many people aren't willing to give it up quite so completely. "Anonymity allows greater freedom because there are things you don't want your employer or family to know about," says Amanda Lenhart, an analyst at the the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "People have public and private personalities, and video sites take that away." On Facebook, for instance, users still control the content and how it's used, tagged, and distributed. "With text and photos we can create an image we like and want to present to the outside world, but video makes that difficult to accomplish," Lenhart says. "The way you come across on video also depends on the quality—the ambient light and how you display yourself."
Video also lends itself to more extroverted personalities, Lenhart says. "It also includes your voice and mannerism and this requires a bold personality," she notes. "Not everyone is charismatic enough to pull it off and most people have limits as to what they want to expose in public." This is evident on both Seesmic and 12 Seconds, where certain individuals dominate the public conversation.
Promoting "Personality"
While we can't blame the video sites for the human banality and narcissism we encounter in their public video streams, they do deserve some blame for promoting it. For example, Seesmic founder Loic Le Meur tried to control the conversation flow by introducing provocative topics and hosting celebrity guests like Deepak Chopra and Paulo Coelho. It was a costly gimmick that wasted VC money, yielded poor results, and baffled many users. "They wanted to shape the conversation flow," Fidler says. "That clearly backfired on them.…You can't force people to open up to strangers." The folks at 12 Seconds are guilty of similar tactics, enticing users to participate in social karaoke. "12 Seconds was like a comedy show—but then I got tired of trying to be funny and clever," Sparks says.
Seesmic seems to have gotten the message, giving users more ways to protect their privacy. "As a company we had to change focus," Le Meur says. "We understood that people didn't want to share with strangers and they wanted more privacy.…Now, instead of telling people to join the Seesmic community, we tell them to share with your community." Seesmic is also putting more energy into what it calls Seesmic Desktop, a tool that lets users more easily post and share video. "We have three years of funding," Le Meur adds. "So we'll wait for video to take off."
For some, the wait may not be so long. One of my favorite video chat sites is TokBox. With more than 180,000 unique monthly visitors, TokBox has achieved some success with a straightforward interface that lets you manage private and public video chats with relative ease. If you want to chat with another member just push the "Talk" button and you're connected. If you want to invite someone who is not a member, TokBox lets you create a video chat channel and give unregistered users entry through a private link.
TinyChat's Impressive
But the most exciting new player in my view is TinyChat, a cool startup launching later this month that offers video and text chat. TinyChat takes private Web-based video chat to a new level. The Web interface is also the best I've seen so far in terms of simplicity and elegance. "It's completely private and only those who know the link can enter your video chat room," says TinyChat co-founder Daniel Blake. "The app won't save the video conversation unless you decide to save it for future access." In private demos, I was able to talk to up to seven people at once in real time without a glitch and Blake says the app can handle up to 12 people per video chat room. This is a remarkable tool for individuals and small businesses and you can't help but admire the underlying technology.
TinyChat learned from the mistakes of others. It's the advantage of being a small operation—you can take your time focusing on the technology and user experience before trying to figure out a way to make money. Currently, the startup is self-funded. In the future, it may try to make money by selling ads, offering premium services for a fee, or licensing its technology to others, Blake says. "We're ready to experiment with different business models."
I showed TinyChat to Sparks and he too was impressed with the level of privacy and minimalism. "I'm definitely using this when it launches," he says. At the same time, his response was subdued. Having been burned once, he's approaching future video chat sites with caution—an approach likely to be taken by a lot of chat-site users in these early days. That's a challenge Blake is all too willing to face, because in his view, "Video chats are the future."
Zeledon is a former research analyst for International Data Group in San Francisco. He is currently researching the growth of the financial social Web and runs a digital consulting firm, Myagito.
By Max Zeledon
Souce: Business Week
Turns out, even the most outgoing social media animals get shy once in a while. Tom Sparks can be found just about everywhere on the social Web, with profiles on Twitter, Blip.fm, Tumblr, Flickr (YHOO), Delicious, Last.fm, and more. He aggressively pursues every online chance to find interesting connections and experiences. When he had the chance to try new Web-based video chat tools, Sparks signed up with Seesmic. While it was still in a very early "alpha" test stage, Sparks recorded conversations regularly and responded quickly to other people's videos.
Then something strange happened. Unlike with other social networks, Sparks soon found himself feeling uneasy about the lack of privacy and the pressure to perform. Sure, social media mavens have to produce pithy and useful tweets on Twitter and post attractive photos and witty status updates on Facebook. But it's another thing entirely to speak in front of a Webcam while potentially thousands of strangers watch, judging your looks, delivery, and every gesture. "They cause performance anxiety," Sparks says of video chat sites. "It takes an extrovert personality to be able to do it consistently, and I got tired of it.…My interest fizzled." As blogger Robert Scoble once told me, "You have to be outrageous and over the top." Most people don't have his gargantuan ego.
Ultimately, a good social app is driven by a strong sense of accessibility, simplicity of use, and even privacy. Otherwise users get turned off. That's what happened to Seesmic; it had a hard time retaining early adopters and didn't grow beyond a core user base. Seesmic peaked at 150,000 monthly unique visitors in October 2008 before dropping to its current level of 92,000. Another startup, 12 Seconds, was heralded by tech pundits as the Twitter of video but suffered a similar fate. It's now nothing more than a micro social video community.
Loss of Control
What went wrong? Startups are essentially experiments—works in progress where assumptions are tested on a daily basis. In Seesmic's case, the assumption was that people would be excited to use video. They may be in the future, but not now. People can control their tweets and Facebook posts. Not so with video, says UCLA Internet historian and social media expert Brad Fidler. "Putting yourself on video is a major thing," Fidler says. "Most people don't want their faces on video when they don't get to control their own content." Seesmic users had a greater sense of security when the site was in test mode, he explains. "It was protected and everyone got to know each other and they felt safe," Fidler says. "Once Seesmic went public, that was not there anymore."
We give up some anonymity when we use the social Web, but many people aren't willing to give it up quite so completely. "Anonymity allows greater freedom because there are things you don't want your employer or family to know about," says Amanda Lenhart, an analyst at the the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "People have public and private personalities, and video sites take that away." On Facebook, for instance, users still control the content and how it's used, tagged, and distributed. "With text and photos we can create an image we like and want to present to the outside world, but video makes that difficult to accomplish," Lenhart says. "The way you come across on video also depends on the quality—the ambient light and how you display yourself."
Video also lends itself to more extroverted personalities, Lenhart says. "It also includes your voice and mannerism and this requires a bold personality," she notes. "Not everyone is charismatic enough to pull it off and most people have limits as to what they want to expose in public." This is evident on both Seesmic and 12 Seconds, where certain individuals dominate the public conversation.
Promoting "Personality"
While we can't blame the video sites for the human banality and narcissism we encounter in their public video streams, they do deserve some blame for promoting it. For example, Seesmic founder Loic Le Meur tried to control the conversation flow by introducing provocative topics and hosting celebrity guests like Deepak Chopra and Paulo Coelho. It was a costly gimmick that wasted VC money, yielded poor results, and baffled many users. "They wanted to shape the conversation flow," Fidler says. "That clearly backfired on them.…You can't force people to open up to strangers." The folks at 12 Seconds are guilty of similar tactics, enticing users to participate in social karaoke. "12 Seconds was like a comedy show—but then I got tired of trying to be funny and clever," Sparks says.
Seesmic seems to have gotten the message, giving users more ways to protect their privacy. "As a company we had to change focus," Le Meur says. "We understood that people didn't want to share with strangers and they wanted more privacy.…Now, instead of telling people to join the Seesmic community, we tell them to share with your community." Seesmic is also putting more energy into what it calls Seesmic Desktop, a tool that lets users more easily post and share video. "We have three years of funding," Le Meur adds. "So we'll wait for video to take off."
For some, the wait may not be so long. One of my favorite video chat sites is TokBox. With more than 180,000 unique monthly visitors, TokBox has achieved some success with a straightforward interface that lets you manage private and public video chats with relative ease. If you want to chat with another member just push the "Talk" button and you're connected. If you want to invite someone who is not a member, TokBox lets you create a video chat channel and give unregistered users entry through a private link.
TinyChat's Impressive
But the most exciting new player in my view is TinyChat, a cool startup launching later this month that offers video and text chat. TinyChat takes private Web-based video chat to a new level. The Web interface is also the best I've seen so far in terms of simplicity and elegance. "It's completely private and only those who know the link can enter your video chat room," says TinyChat co-founder Daniel Blake. "The app won't save the video conversation unless you decide to save it for future access." In private demos, I was able to talk to up to seven people at once in real time without a glitch and Blake says the app can handle up to 12 people per video chat room. This is a remarkable tool for individuals and small businesses and you can't help but admire the underlying technology.
TinyChat learned from the mistakes of others. It's the advantage of being a small operation—you can take your time focusing on the technology and user experience before trying to figure out a way to make money. Currently, the startup is self-funded. In the future, it may try to make money by selling ads, offering premium services for a fee, or licensing its technology to others, Blake says. "We're ready to experiment with different business models."
I showed TinyChat to Sparks and he too was impressed with the level of privacy and minimalism. "I'm definitely using this when it launches," he says. At the same time, his response was subdued. Having been burned once, he's approaching future video chat sites with caution—an approach likely to be taken by a lot of chat-site users in these early days. That's a challenge Blake is all too willing to face, because in his view, "Video chats are the future."
Zeledon is a former research analyst for International Data Group in San Francisco. He is currently researching the growth of the financial social Web and runs a digital consulting firm, Myagito.
By Max Zeledon
Souce: Business Week
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Video Chatting finds its way to combat Swine Flu
People are using Video Chatting to chat with the local medical experts & health officials of their area on the swine flu outbreak and its implications for Northeastern Wisconsin. Users can send questions in advance to forum [at] greenbaypressgazette [dot] com or ask a question live during the discussion.
Ad Agency's New Live Video Chat Makes Employees Self-Conscious; Better Groomed
Chicago ad agency, Plan B, implements new live streaming video chat to its website's home page. The video chat function at thisisplanb.com lets visitors spy on agency employees live, in real time, as they perform their daily work.
Chicago, IL May 1, 2009 -- Facebook? Fugetaboutit. Twitter? Twhatever. With the launch of its new website featuring live streaming video chat, renegade Chicago ad agency Plan B has relegated text-driven social media to the "so 2008" file, along with David Cook, Bear Stearns and Slumdog Millionaire.
Injecting a hyper-real dose of fishbowl creepiness into the World Wide Web, the video chat function at thisisplanb.com lets visitors spy on agency employees live, in real time, as they perform their daily work.
"Yeah, I don't even have a My Space or anything, so this whole thing is like -- whoa," said Creative Director Bill Anderson. "I had one guy chat me who'd been watching me eat my breakfast. He asked me about my bagel."
Other members of the Plan B team see the video chat function as incentive to redouble their efforts at fastidious personal hygiene. "I walked out of the house without shaving the other morning, and then I remembered the video chat," says Pat Miller, Business Development Director. "I walked five blocks back home and shaved. That's when I noticed the nose hairs."
"I'm seeing an aesthetician this Saturday."
But apart from cruelly exposing the deepest insecurities of Plan B employees, the video chat function is -- astonishingly -- serving its intended purpose admirably.
"We've had several business inquiries through the chat," says Agency Partner Ric Van Sickle. "And we're getting great feedback from everyone who sees it."
"If advertising is all about generating buzz," he says, "We're officially a beehive."
"Plus, one of our art directors was asked out on a date through it. So it's definitely having an impact."
The video chat has proven such a hit, Plan B plans to expand its capabilities in the future. "And we're thinking of putting on some mime shows, maybe something like Blue Man Group. Just to keep things interesting," Miller says.
Chicago, IL May 1, 2009 -- Facebook? Fugetaboutit. Twitter? Twhatever. With the launch of its new website featuring live streaming video chat, renegade Chicago ad agency Plan B has relegated text-driven social media to the "so 2008" file, along with David Cook, Bear Stearns and Slumdog Millionaire.
Injecting a hyper-real dose of fishbowl creepiness into the World Wide Web, the video chat function at thisisplanb.com lets visitors spy on agency employees live, in real time, as they perform their daily work.
"Yeah, I don't even have a My Space or anything, so this whole thing is like -- whoa," said Creative Director Bill Anderson. "I had one guy chat me who'd been watching me eat my breakfast. He asked me about my bagel."
Other members of the Plan B team see the video chat function as incentive to redouble their efforts at fastidious personal hygiene. "I walked out of the house without shaving the other morning, and then I remembered the video chat," says Pat Miller, Business Development Director. "I walked five blocks back home and shaved. That's when I noticed the nose hairs."
"I'm seeing an aesthetician this Saturday."
But apart from cruelly exposing the deepest insecurities of Plan B employees, the video chat function is -- astonishingly -- serving its intended purpose admirably.
"We've had several business inquiries through the chat," says Agency Partner Ric Van Sickle. "And we're getting great feedback from everyone who sees it."
"If advertising is all about generating buzz," he says, "We're officially a beehive."
"Plus, one of our art directors was asked out on a date through it. So it's definitely having an impact."
The video chat has proven such a hit, Plan B plans to expand its capabilities in the future. "And we're thinking of putting on some mime shows, maybe something like Blue Man Group. Just to keep things interesting," Miller says.
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