The Facetime app marks the first mass market video communication capabilities not tied to a specific carrier.
All that was needed was a vision and a device.
Requirements:
- either an iPhone 4, 4th generation Touch, or snow leopard Mac computer
- wifi connection
- Facetime application on both ends of the communication <free download direct from Apple >
Capabilities:
- Basic video communications, well advertised
- From a mobile device, switch between front or rear facing camera for view of person or persons surroundings as shown below
- From mobile device, switch from portrait to landscape mode as shown below simply by orienting the device.
- Automatic start/stop remote viewing sessions .
- Automatically logs time spent in facetime sessions. See below.
Uses:
- Most emotionally compelling form of real time communication, face to face
- Most efficient way to communicate complex design and pattern information
- Most effective way to insure integrity of communication, visual reality including surroundings
- Augmented reality to improve situational awareness , see theodolite picture below.
- On demand remote surveillance with authorization from surveilled location
- Remote viewing applications at a cost/benefit ratio pennies on the dollar compared to past choices
- There is no longer any need to run a continuous video channel to the Web just for periodic viewing of remote locations. Phone home, remote viewing , with no intervention required on the receiving end to start or stop.
- Facetime logs the call history, track what users are doing with their time.
More:
While Facetime officially works only over wifi connections, Skype release of late December 2010 does video calls on 3G (cell) networks.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype/id304878510?mt=8
Just in case local cell traffic is not already bogged down without new video overload.
Video camera on the 4G touch is capable of 1280x720 at 30 fps, complete specs . Video quality that must be seen to be believed from a device that can always be with you.
Forward facing landscape view
Forward Facing Portrait
Rear facing Landscape
Rear Facing Portrait
Tricks with Mirrors
Theodolite Situational Awareness Augmentation
Facetime session logging displayed on right pane
It really works, and it really works slick.
Get the Find My iPhone app , install it on the iPad.
First time it opens, you will be prompted to sign up for the free version of Mobile Me if you are not already a Mobile Me subscriber. The current free version is dedicated simply to finding iDevices.
Then on a computer, login in to http://me.com and enter the Mobile Me credentials that apply to the device to be found.
Find iPhone, Searching
Find iPhone, Found
Find iPhone, Send Message
Find iPhone, Message Finished
What it looks and sounds like on the iPad. http://lakedata.net/index.php/eng/Apple/Find-My-iPhone
Multi-tasking on the iPad .. http://www.gilsmethod.com/multitask-ipad-ios42