iPhone 4 Gets 3G Video Calling Across Platforms from Fring

Today we got a little closer to understanding the words of wonderment and awe Steve Jobs and company used when talking about FaceTime and how it could change the way we think about communicating . . . However, it wasn’t Apple’s built-in video calling that did it. Instead, it took an update from chat client Fring to get us there.

As we all know, FaceTime is currently limited to wi-fi and only works between two iPhone 4 devices. These limitations are beyond debilitating if video calling is supposed to be the future of the iPhone. Most likely Apple will change things in the future. Either that, or everyone will have an iPhone 4 and it won’t matter. But for now, Fring is filling in the gaps. The benefits of using Fring video calling instead of FaceTime are multifaceted. Not only does it include 3G support, but it also offers compatibility across multiple platforms.

Is the enormity of this making sense yet? Ben Parr of Mashable summarizes Fring’s new offerings like this: “Put it all together, and it means you can use Fring to call your friend with the Evo while you’re driving across the country . . .” Obviously, this isn’t recommend, but you get the picture. FaceTime’s shortcomings just became painfully obvious.

Having said all of that, FaceTime retains the edge when it comes to interface and usability. Initiating and receiving video calls couldn’t be easier than how Apple did it, and many are hoping that Fring will integrate FaceTime when it becomes an open platform . . . Maybe then we’ll start to usher in the age of video calling, and Steve Jobs’ ideas about the future of communicating won’t seem so far fetched.

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Devin Wieland

 

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