Nothing can equal a face-to-face conversation, but in modern days, with high speed Internet combined with a good quality web camera and smartphone, video calling offers a very good substitute.
All smartphones and laptop devices come with features supporting video chatting.
Skype for Video Calling
Skype has really caught on with users and this becomes amply evident as Skype has now become a verb. It has offered a default way of connecting with others over the Internet. It is a powerful video conferencing tool running over an Internet connection. You can download the application for free on Android or even on Windows PCs or on Macs, and even on certain televisions.
Multiplatform Compatibility
Today, it is also integrated with Facebook as well as Outlook, after acquisition by Microsoft in 2011, which means that the user base has increased more with many ways of accessing the service. Calls can be made from PCs as well as mobiles across various platforms. You can also make a call from a computer to a landline. However, calls done completely over the Internet such as a call from a computer to another computer or calls made to a mobile phone over Wi-Fi or a 3G data plan, are free. Those made to a landline are paid calls. In case of video chat consisting of more than two people, one of the groups needs to have a premium subscription, enabling 25 people to have a video conferencing.
However, in spite of all the compatibility, the video quality is not always that good, especially when it has to rely on cellular connections, though the broadband ones are generally more stable. Calls made from mobile to mobile are quite good, but the picture might be a little blurry and there is a lag seen I calls linking accounts to Facebook users. The best possible service is from computer to computer using the PC Skype software, with a high bandwidth of Internet connection.
Skype on the iOS
Skype on the iOS is slightly different from the desktop app, as the desktop version has a lot of configuration settings, whereas it is like a Chat box in the iOS. Yet, the video quality is good and does not suck out all the bandwidth. The incoming video is also of a better quality if the other partner with whom you are chatting is calling from a desktop PC. If the call is made from an iOS device to another iOS device, the quality will not be so good and there will be an audio or video lag.
Verdict
The best part of Skype is that it is free; it is a cross platform application; it offers good quality video and it is not limited to Wi-Fi. However, the quality of video or audio may vary depending on the data traffic problems or the speed of the Internet connection. It also depends on whether it is a call made from PC to PC or PC to mobile or mobile-to-mobile. Video meetings and conferences are becoming more and more popular, as they can save time and a lot of costs for companies. Skype also enables video conferencing with one person being a premium user. This service can also be availed across several platforms. This is the reason why many people default to Skype for video calls and conferencing. You can use your smartphone or your tablet or your laptop, your PC or your Mac. You can also make free international calls, and this is the major attraction of the application. In addition to calling features, you can also send messages with the IM feature and share files. However, in order to receive a Skype call, the receiver must also be connected and running at the time.
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