By 
If you have to give credit to Apple for one thing, it would be their penchant for legitimizing fringe technologies. They did it first with the iPad, creating a viable market for tablet computers. The introduction of FaceTime for iPhone seems to be doing the same thing for the video chat industry. Kind of a shame, considering the HTC EVO 4G beat the front-facing camera of the iPhone to market and allowed for pretty much the same functionality. Anyway, more and more companies are moving towards video chat in their mobile platforms, and Yahoo plans to join them with the inclusion of the functionality in an upcoming release of their Messenger app for mobile.
Yahoo Messenger has advantages in some key areas over FaceTime however, including the ability to place video calls over WiFi and 3G. Users can also use the service to call cross-platform. A PC can video call up an Android handset, an Android user can video chat with an iPhone user, or any arrangement of devices.
No definitive release date is given for Yahoo Messenger with video chat, but we should be seeing it pretty soon. Stay tuned.
[via AndroidCommunity]
Man, Google let Yahoo beat them to this… shameful.
This is good news! Exciting!
I was wanting this for a while now. I know it says PC can call Android devices but can Android devices call PC’s using Yahoo? I see it says Android devices can call other devices using Yahoo though. I mean that would kind of suck if you always had to tell them video call you.
This may get me to use Yahoo Messenger on my phone more than i ever did on a Desktop. *SIGH* Just more reasons for me to get rid of this WinMo 6.5. My problem with Yahoo Messenger is all the spam I.M’s.
The thing that cause ME to get rid of WinMo 6.5 was the HTC Evo 4g. My old HTC Pure just couldn’t hack it in a very competitive smartphone market. Anyway this is great news (provided it’s delivered as advertised).
I don’t use Y! Messenger but this is great news
Too bad yahoo messenger sucks.
I know its off topic but isnt it ironic that almost everytime i visit phandroid the ads have to do with iphones :D
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12556003/1.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12556003/2.png
You are giving Apple TOO MUCH CREDIT. Ages before “FaceTime”, people all over the world have already been using video calling features on their phones. If there is someone in the forefront of that, it is Nokia.
@don agreed
@ Don too …agreed…that is why it is always good too state facts by knowing them before posting a article but however Apple gets the credit because so many people have eyes on them as the first for…everything…and this helps them push things out there
this is awesome…for the 3 people that probably still have their Yahoo email accounts or ever chatted on yahoo.
so that means that Yahoo, Fring, Tango, iMochiva, and FaceTime (for iPhone) are available…seems like Skype or Google could beat them all.
Google! seriously. GoogleTalk is already on the stock device–release something for video chat already!
Even yahoo is late to the punch on this, theres already Tango app, on both iphone and android which lets you videochat between the two platforms already without the bulk of a messenger inside it. And it runs on 3g or wifi for both platforms.
Seriously, Skype and Google have effed this one up huge…The less than mighty Yahoo beating them to the punch?
Amazing flagship phones on Android and no exceptional video chatting product…shame! I love my Galaxy S, but I still can’t believe they’ve shat the bed on this one…
This is great news. After this announcement Google & Skype cant be far behind. Probably spells end of Fring, Tango & Qik
How is it news that an IM service has web chat? ICQ, MSN, heck combo packages like Trilian are compatible with it …
… may be somewhat novel the feature is making it onto the android market … but not really and hardly news.
I’m with everyone else: google-talk has dropped the ball HUGE. But honestly: between this and 3d tv I’m pretty sick of the industry trying to force us to buy a feature the consumers clearly don’t care about.
I’m with everyone else: google-talk has dropped the ball HUGE. But honestly: between this and 3d tv I’m pretty sick of the industry trying to force us to buy a feature the consumers clearly don’t care about. Video chat is as old as black and white TV …. and has failed just as long.
WE DON’T CARE.
OMG People! i moved to israel a year ago, the SonyEricson W995 i purchased back than makes 3G video calls standard and some people here have phones 2-3 years old that can do this (many of them don’t even realize this about their phones!) so why is this being called “fringe” tech.?
oh yeah, and it works across platforms and network carriers! seriously, wtf? oh yah, and for those who don’t know, the android market is seriously defunct outside the USA; in most places not offering any paid apps and even shorting you on some fundamental “must have”/”selling point” apps like GOOGLE MAPS!!! serious buyers remourse, should have baught an IPHONE! :(
Evo 4G beat iphone to it ?? LOL. Front facing cameras were there for more than 5 years (i.e: Nokia 6680, back in 2005). European and Asian countries had both phones AND NETWORK support for video calling for ages. Its hilarious to see that people still think video calling is a new thing, lol..
So good,so cool,Keep up the good work
sit on ur money wait on the deployment of the future mid 2011. other companies r great Nokia Sony that has all that u talk about windows base is back on a rise, and Rick James is cling to the concert. look around they market to fools ( hope it’s not u), so u keep them rich and they get richer and u well check out ur mill/ bills
hi
Check ReChat (Android chat):
– Facebook, Yahoo!®, Google Talk, basic Jabber/XMPP;
– multiple accounts at once;
– free SMS worldwide BETA (with replies for USA/Canada) with minor ad block;
– plain/bubble views. Customize avatar/font sizes;
– font packs (download separate apk to keep memory);
– send image/video;
– full Unicode support;
– favorites (always in contact list);
– customize income message notification: default sound/your sound file, LED, vibration, status bar notification;
– chat history. Export (email) selected messages, open chat messages, whole history for a contact, whole history for all contacts. Archive attachment with 7zip.
Facebook features:
– all non-chat permissions are revoked, customize period, “revoke now”;
– upload image/short video (several share options);
– send image/short video to a contact (as private wall post);
– send message to a contact (as a private event or private wall post);
– set status message.
Google Talk features:
– showing total count of unread emails;
– marking contacts with unread emails;
– new email notification;
– list of unread emails subjects (without content);
– add/remove contacts.
Basic Jabber/XMPP features:
– add/remove contacts.