Long rumored Facebook’s video chat feature is here to welcome back those users who were somehow getting attracted towards Google+ hangout feature.
Overlooking this comparison for the time being, Facebook has launched a totally new experience for it’s users in the form of Video Chat.
In collaboration with Skype, Facebook has integrated Video Chat feature in addition to simple chat – making it possible for you to video con without installing desktop version of Skype. This video chat works fine with any browser, all you have to do is, just download a plugin and you are good to go.
How to Activate Video Chat:
To activate video chat on Facebook, visit http://facebook.com/videocalling and click Get Started. Here you need to download a simple application and install it. You can do that by clicking Setup.
Once you are done with this one time setup, you will see a big sidebar containing the person you mostly interact with – added with a video camera icon, simply click on it to start the video conversation. But note that the person you are trying to call should also go through the above mentioned procedure just once.
Whenever someone tries to call you, you will hear a bell first and then notification will come to accept or reject the video call.
Another important feature that Facebook has integrated is, send video messages. So if someone you are trying to call is unavailable, simply record your message and send it to other person as a video.
Facebook Video Chat vs Google Hangouts:
Google Hangout is a group chat thing while on Facebook you can have video chat with only one person. Voice and video quality both are good so Facebook lacks the group chat – but if you want one to one video conversation, then Facebook is a good go.
Note that Gmail already provides this feature of video calling in browser so Facebook isn’t new to introduce in browser video chat service with contacts.
Also a beta version of Skype 5.5 has also been released for Windows platform that will incorporate this new Facebook chat feature, so cross platform chat may work. After giving access to your profile, you can have a separate tab for Facebook contacts in the new version of Skype, this becomes handy in managing contacts in one place, yet categorized.
Group Chat is another feature that has been introduced in the recent upgrades. So now you can chat with more than one person at a time, by creating a group conversation. A bit similar feature was already present in Facebook Groups.
With this new group chat feature, you can simply add contacts to make a group conversation. Company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in the launch event, revealed that Facebook took this step, considering the fact that 50 % of the Facebook users are active in groups and it is the group chat feature that attracts them.
So one-click-add-to-conversation feature will be handy now without joining any group.
Note that video chat feature is not available for mobile devices yet.
i checked it’s really nice…
Fb needs to publish new features to keep themself in competition.
Hangouts have “Youtube Video interaction” feature too.
Send offline video msgs are cool, something missing in Google+, i guess
Facebook just totally f***ed up the chat widgets! You cant even minimize your chats and they all remain open and in your face!! Also the sidebar where you see your online friends can’t be minimized. You have to select settings and choose Hide Side Bar everytime you click on it…………..
After the video feature, they have totally messed this up!
Ansari i am not a Facebook lover but still something i should clear, you can always minimize the chat window, just click on the title bar and will be minimized.
And that sidebar appears only if your screen has resolution enough to incorporate that, widescreens for sure.
Though i agree they would have given an option for easy hide (minimize).
Oh really!! You think I don’t know how to minimize a chat window on facebook? Wake up and read the comment again, I said, they changed the feature so the chat window and sidebar can NO LONGER BE MINIMIZED!!
“I said, they changed the feature so the chat window and sidebar can NO LONGER BE MINIMIZED!!”
And i told you how to minimize that. :-)
And even in the second comment, you are still asking the same.
Go use the feature again, its called HIDE SIDEBAR. You access is by clicking the Settings Icon. Every time you click on the damn side bar it just opens up and you have to follow the stupid procedure again and again. I mean what was wrong with the normal minimize feature?
Have you seen how the chats remain open?
Hopefully this will clear things.
http://i54.tinypic.com/108e6ug.png
That is what I am complaining about!! Why the hell did they remove the option…………….
And that’s what i am repeatedly trying to make you understand, just click that blue bar and chat window will be minimized!
title bar thing i know man… but that is like travelling a million miles in mouse land… grrrrr :@ the damn side bar thing is still so bloody annoying
Facebook Video Call is just a shit. I have tried it around 8,10 times but it didn’t work even once.
R U kidding me? Facebook Video Calling is a Joke! 1st it tries to install and doesn’t work, then they say uninstall and reinstall prob fixed, no, it isn’t, it wont uninstall!!! now I have 3 versions in my programs I cant get rid of and it still doesnt work! This is why Im dropping FB and Sticking with Google+ everything works there and is simple to work with, F*** OFF Facebook!