Google Announces Video Chat for Android 2.3 Devices, Says ‘Surprise is Still to Come’
Google is launching an update to Android Gingerbread, version 2.3.4. But the big news? The update brings video chat via GTalk to Android smartphones. This is the same functionality we first saw implemented in Honeycomb, and allows any Android phone with the proper version of Gingerbread to conduct a video chat with anyone using a compatible (Honeycomb) Android tablet, their smartphone, or GTalk on their desktop.
It works effortlessly, displaying an icon next to those on your friends list who are available for video chat. Tap the icon and you are on your way to face-to-face conversation.
The main caveat is that the update is currently only rolling out to the Nexus S. There is no telling when Android 2.3.4 with video chat will reach other devices, many of which have yet to receive any taste of Gingerbread at all. Guess it pays to have Google’s baby in your hands.
Oh, and this sounds like the perfect candidate for that surprise the Google Nexus Twitter teased us about earlier, right? Wrong. According to a new tweet, the surprise is still to come. We continue to wonder what it could be…
[via Google]