FaceTime - Oh My!
Monday, June 28, 2010 at 12:52PM Haven't really played with FaceTime on the new iPhone 4 other than on the same WiFi network in the house. Seemed pretty impressive with zero setup and good video and audio. Well you would expect that, wouldn't you.
Then I received an email from Loren Finkelstein, a friend of mine in New York (and one of the stars of the original David Pogue iPhone song) wondering if I'd like to try a transatlantic FaceTime chat.
I entered the number of his iPhone 4 into Contacts on the iPhone and saved.
Rather than make the call via his number, I just hit the FaceTIme button in his Contacts entry.
Within a few seconds the connection was made, and we were chatting away. Amazing video and audio quality, all the the way from the US.
Very little lag, it just worked!
Was able to take a look outside his New York window using the camera swapping function - seamless.
Both of us were able to move around quite freely although the call did stop when I ventured a little too far from my WifI hot spot.
The interesting thing is that the call connection was done via WiFi, no voice connection was made. Loren told me that the previous evening, he'd been able to switch off the cell component of the iPhone 4 leaving it just on WiFi, and was able to connect to a friend, just using FaceTime.
Call me impressed.
By the way, if you want to test your FaceTime connection, Apple have provided a service to FaceTime with you. Check out this particular call....
Reader Comments (3)
I did wonder if you had to still have your cellular 'signal' enabled. So I guess this means that for iPhone 4 owning friends this could replace Skype? No having to go to the study and sit in front of the Mac to use the webcam?
Don,
I asked Adam Christensen this same question and wanted to get your input. I'm curious to know whether any charge for an international call appears on your phone bill. If you had started the call on the cellular phone and then switched to FaceTime within the phone application surely you would have been charged for the first part of the tradiational phone call. However, I'm curious as to whether using FaceTime directly through the Address Book rather than the Phone app will cause any charges? Is the initial "handshake" made over cellular (thus incurring a charge for a call) or is it all done over WiFi?
Adam said he would check his bill when it arrives next month. Would be curious to hear your experience as well.
Thanks!
Hi Katie,
I'm with you in that if you start the call on the cellular network then switch to FaceTime, I'm pretty sure you'd be charged for the cellular part of the call but not the FaceTime session.
However, it looks like if you initiate a FT call directly from the Contacts entry, the cellular network is not used, as proven by Loren switching off the cellular part of the phone in his previous call.
Looks like it's all over VOIP if you initiate a FT call.