Hasta La Gadget!

Even with tweaks for musicians, Google+ Hangouts On Air have had sub-par layouts for presentations and performances; one-way stream from a band or teacher crops the view to a smaller size. As of a quick update to the social network, common sense prevails. One-way performances now default to occupying the full available view; multi-participant chats can go a similar route by using the Cameraman app to push all but the primary speaker to the background. It’s a simple change, but one that could make a big difference for those who just want to lean back and watch.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Dori Storbeck (Google+)

Smartphone users are well immersed in a world of contact syncing, media sharing, VoIP and video calls. They’re just not used to finding everything in one place, let alone guaranteeing that any carrier-level features will work with other phones and providers. MetroPCS is hoping to put itself ahead on that front by offering a potentially universal fix. It’s the first carrier anywhere to launch the Rich Communication Services standard on LTE, which provides a perpetually synced contact list that serves as the launching pad for everything else. Early adopters of the Joyn-branded service can chat through text, share media (including during calls) and start up WiFi voice or video calls without needing yet another specialized service and the extra sign-in that goes with it. Right now, the very young state of RCS on LTE leaves it behaving more like the isolated services it’s trying to replace — on MetroPCS, only those with the Galaxy Attain 4G and an after-the-fact Joyn app download can get the experience as intended. As long as more devices and carriers come onboard, though, the technology might be the long-term key to pulling us away from fenced-off conversations in Google Talk or Skype.

Continue reading MetroPCS intros first Rich Communication Services on LTE, touts universal contacts and chat (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

MetroPCS intros first Rich Communication Services on LTE, touts universal contacts and chat (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First ooVoo opened up four-way video chats on Facebook, and now the video calling service is doing the same for its Android and iOS apps. The company just updates both applications so that you can view up to four video streams at once, though you can carry on text chats with as many as 12 people. That’s true of both platforms, though the Android version is admittedly getting a few more changes. The newest version of the app brings deeper integration with Google services, plugging into the native Android address book to show missed calls, as well as a list of which friends are available to chat. To that end, Android users get not just the app, but also a widget that displays these tidbits at a glance. Rounding out the list of improvements, the updates introduce push notifications as well as the ability to text chat in the middle of a video call.

Continue reading ooVoo updates its iOS and Android apps to support four-way video calls

Filed under: Software

ooVoo updates its iOS and Android apps to support four-way video calls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft, objecting to a web standard promoted by its competitors? Get out. While Firefox, Opera and now Chrome have implemented WebRTC on some level for plugin-free VoIP and webcam chats, Microsoft doesn’t think the existing, proposed standard is up to snuff for linking with existing devices or obeying “key web tenets.” It’s suggesting a new CU-RTC-Web standard to fix what it claims is broken with WebRTC. Thankfully, the changes are more technical improvements than political maneuvering: Microsoft wants a peer-to-peer transport level that gives more control as well as to reduce some of the requirements that it sees holding the technology back as of today. There’s no doubt an economic incentive for a company that wants to push Skype in the browser, but the format is already in front of the W3C and could become a real cross-platform standard. If other W3C members are willing to (slightly) reinvent the wheel, Microsoft’s approach could get Chrome and Internet Explorer users talking — no, really talking.

Filed under: Internet

Microsoft no fan of existing WebRTC standard, proposes its own to get Skype onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So your fantasy football team just clinched its spot in the virtual Super Bowl. There’s now a better way to rub it in everyone’s noses than snarky message board posts: Google has just teamed with the NFL to integrate Google+ Hangouts across the league’s fantasy football pages. The multi-person video chat is now just a step away, whether you’re trading players or checking the latest results. Google is even bending the rules slightly to allow for a full league’s dozen players in one session, instead of the usual 10, and will help host talks between commentators and league participants. Hangouts at the NFL pages are already up and running — that gives us just enough weeks to hem and haw over linebacker choices before the real NFL’s schedule gets going.

Filed under: Internet

NFL adds Google+ Hangouts to fantasy football leagues for extra-personal trash talking originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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