[Ant29]

Hi guys, I'm convinced already to buy a playbook, so it'll be with me within 2 weeks..
I just wanted to know, the Videochat app, can you chat to other devices besides a blackberry? E.g a Ipad? or a Ipod touch? or a HTC phone?
See because me and my cousin like to keep in touch as we live in different cities so if she is able to contact me via videochat it'll be great. We normally keep in contact using skype but ive heard skype doesn't work YET...
Please reply


Ant

[Pegon_Fighter]

not really, no

[JayR2010]

Nope, closest thing will be
Imo.im

[Marty_LK]

Convince all your friends to get a Playbook or BB phone that has videochat capabilities and problem solved....until a dev puts out Tango, ooVoo, Skype or other PB app.

[Ant29]

Thanks for your replies.
I will try to convince people!
I mean the Blackberry Playbook is cheap, and looks just as awesome or even more awesome than the Ipad!

[zinadork]

A fact that makes video chat useless for most playbook owners.

[cbvinh]

Hi guys, I'm convinced already to buy a playbook, so it'll be with me within 2 weeks..
I just wanted to know, the Videochat app, can you chat to other devices besides a blackberry? E.g a Ipad? or a Ipod touch? or a HTC phone?
See because me and my cousin like to keep in touch as we live in different cities so if she is able to contact me via videochat it'll be great. We normally keep in contact using skype but ive heard skype doesn't work YET...
Please reply


Ant

For your needs, you might want to look into the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), coming out April 22nd, for $250. The Playbook 16 GB is cheaper at $200, has better cameras, arguably better OS, but doesn't have Skype (yet).

[kennyliu]

Hi guys, I'm convinced already to buy a playbook, so it'll be with me within 2 weeks..
I just wanted to know, the Videochat app, can you chat to other devices besides a blackberry? E.g a Ipad? or a Ipod touch? or a HTC phone?
See because me and my cousin like to keep in touch as we live in different cities so if she is able to contact me via videochat it'll be great. We normally keep in contact using skype but ive heard skype doesn't work YET...
Please reply


Ant

Note that it's only Playbook to Playbook, not Playbook to any Blackberry device. As I found out recently, BB phones don't have front facing cameras.

[amro]

if all you want is video chat, get anything but a playbook

[Marty_LK]

Note that it's only Playbook to Playbook, not Playbook to any Blackberry device. As I found out recently, BB phones don't have front facing cameras.

Wow...just looked and not even the 9900 Bold has FFC. I was certain it and at least one other had FFC

[alki]

I use my playbook to talk on Skype and oovoo. I have to side load them.

[Marty_LK]

I use my playbook to talk on Skype and oovoo. I have to side load them.

I have ooVoo sideloaded also, but it won't do videochat. It'll do voice calls, but not video.

[kennyliu]

I use my playbook to talk on Skype and oovoo. I have to side load them.

Are you sure? AFAIK Android player doesn't support the camera.

[EdY]

I have 2 playbooks, for wife and me, and videochat works great. It is only Playbook to Playbook, but it works very well.

Eventually I assume RIM will extend this to all new Blackberry phones, it is their answer to Facetime. Maybe other apps will emerge like Skype so multiple devices can have the advantage of cross-video talk (like WhatsApp and Hookt does for IM) but for now it's just PB to PB.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Crackberry Tapatalk Forum app

[Bash_Man]

there is an app called ReelPortal. its available on PlayBook, Ipad, Ipod Touch, Iphone, Windows, Mac and it allows video chatting.

its free... i've tested it with my friend who has an ipad 2 and an ipod touch 4th gen. worked great with both when calling from my PB.

EDIT - app i believe is also available for Android devices.

[Marty_LK]

there is an app called ReelPortal. its available on PlayBook, Ipad, Ipod Touch, Iphone, Windows, Mac and it allows video chatting.

its free... i've tested it with my friend who has an ipad 2 and an ipod touch 4th gen. worked great with both when calling from my PB.

EDIT - app i believe is also available for Android devices.

Care to share how it works? I installed it on all three of my FFC enabled devices, set a different name for each, waited the however minutes for the newbie pause and tried to call one of my other devices and it says I'm not signed in. Yet when I feverishly look for something to allow me to sign in, I find nothing. Much too complex and unfriendly. Or maybe it isn't. One thing is certain, I don't understand how it works.

UPDATE

Resolved the no sign on issue by setting all devices to the same server. Works fine.

[Bash_Man]

Care to share how it works? I installed it on all three of my FFC enabled devices, set a different name for each, waited the however minutes for the newbie pause and tried to call one of my other devices and it says I'm not signed in. Yet when I feverishly look for something to allow me to sign in, I find nothing. Much too complex and unfriendly. Or maybe it isn't. One thing is certain, I don't understand how it works.

UPDATE

Resolved the no sign on issue by setting all devices to the same server. Works fine.

When you run the app, you get the Sign On page, it has the following fields:
Name: here you of course put your name or any name you use
Room: this is the tricky part. Both you and your friend(s) have to use the same room for you to be ablet o chat with each other.
Key: This kinda acts like a password, you can put a key and share it with your friends so your chat room is only accessable by those who have the key
Server: anytime i've used this, i've always left it on <last used>

after you've logged in:
For using your webcam on the PB, press the CAM button at the bottom left corner of the app. It'll cycle through the cameras.

hope that helps


Cheers

[mdmullis]

Use native VideoChat from BB PB to BB PB and then load ReelPortal and configure a Room Chat and let all non-BB devices know of the RoomChat name and password and any capable device - other tablets, PDA's and SmartPhones with camera's will be able to VideoChat with you through ReelPortal web channel.....

[brucep1]

Hi guys, I'm convinced already to buy a playbook, so it'll be with me within 2 weeks..
I just wanted to know, the Videochat app, can you chat to other devices besides a blackberry? E.g a Ipad? or a Ipod touch? or a HTC phone?
See because me and my cousin like to keep in touch as we live in different cities so if she is able to contact me via videochat it'll be great. We normally keep in contact using skype but ive heard skype doesn't work YET...
Please reply


Ant

Don't get the PlayBook. It's a good tablet with good specs, and cheap. But the reason it's so cheap is because it's limited in the things it does, especially for the average user who doesn't know how to Jailbreak, sideload, etc.

For the things it does, the PlayBook does them very well. Unfortunately, video chat isn't one of them.

[Ant29]

I'm not buying the Playbook simply because of video chat, I like to internet browse, play games, and look at cool apps and stuff like that. Video chat would of been nice but if I can't have something like Skype yet, then ill wait until there's a release. I've been with Blackberry with about 4/5 years. Started off with a Curve 8900, and now a Curve 9300 3G. I'm not yet disappointed! I love the feature what you can do with the Blackberry Bridge!

[Ant29]

Don't get the PlayBook. It's a good tablet with good specs, and cheap. But the reason it's so cheap is because it's limited in the things it does, especially for the average user who doesn't know how to Jailbreak, sideload, etc.

For the things it does, the PlayBook does them very well. Unfortunately, video chat isn't one of them.

Oh, and I have been looking at Sideloading to run Android apps, looks abit complicated but I've done harder things :P , I'll just see what happens when I get the Playbook.

[Windnut]

You can use AV by AOL - Let's video chat! and then Facebook which will work fine for video chat. My granddaughter uses it all the time with her friends between her Playbook and their computers so that is one option. As long as the other device will work on Facebook chat.