Video Chat - Skype vs Tango

Monday, 18 June 2012

Last week when i went out of town, Karrie and i decided to try out video chat. Just like in every sci-fi movie of the future, where people don't just talk on the phone, but also see the persons face. We decided to try both Skype and Tango, the two most popular video chat programs.
VS.

When comparing the two i realized that the program for the PC was not the same as the mobile version for the cell phone. So i came out with two different results:



Video Chat using a Computer
If you have a microphone and you are using you computer or laptop, then the winner is:

Skype had lots of features and easy to use. When you run the program on your computer, you are able to clearly see all of those features and understand how everything works. But you have to make sure you have a webcam and microphone. Some laptops now come with those built in.

Video Chat using a Cell Phone
If you are planning on using video chat with a cell phone, then the winner is:

When you are using a cell phone you don't need lots of features. In fact it's a lot easier to use an app with a simple interface. No clutter no fancy options, just turn it on, call and video talk. With a small cell phone screen, it's not easy to see and use all of the buttons. That's why i liked Tango's interface better.

So if you are looking to try out video chat with your family and friends, the program you want depends on whether you will be using your computer or cell phone. I would think that the majority of people now a days would be using their cell phone. In that case i would recommend connecting to a wi-fi first. It takes a lot of bandwidth to transfer live video. If you have a bad connection, the video can get really choppy. Also your phone needs to have a forward facing camera, otherwise you won't be able to see the person you are talking to, and sort of ruins the whole point.

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Free Online Music

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Here are 3 ways to listen to music online. The first two are super easy, you'll have songs playing within 5 seconds.
Pandora Radio
This site has you type in a song or band that you like and it plays music that is similar. It's a great way to discover new bands that play the same type of music you already like. The downside is that you cannot pick particular songs and it only lets you skip a few songs at a time. It's sort of like a radio station tailored to you.

Grooveshark
This is similar to Pandora except it's better. It lets you pick the exact song you want to listen to, see every song from any band and make playlists to listen to. I first learned about it when i saw that Grooveshark had several lawsuits against it and the Android App store refused to support it. I knew it must be good if that many companies hate it.

Google Music Beta
This is brand new. It came out last Tuesday. It's only in Beta version and you need an invite to even use it. Apparently you will be able to load all your music online then be able to listen to it anytime from any device.

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HTC Freestyle

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

It's been 2 years and a few months since i got my last cell phone. I was thinking of joining the rest of society in 2011 and getting a smart phone with GPS, Google, E-mail, apps and everything you can think of. The problem with those phones is that they cost around $200 even with the rebate, plus you have to pay a monthly data fee. For AT&T that meant another $25 per month. It seems like a good idea and i'm sure i would have loved one of those phones but i decided against it.

I waited for a few months and then i found the perfect solution. The HTC Freestyle.

It looks and acts like a smart phone but it isn't. Through Amazon.com it only cost $20 and there's no monthly fee. The reason is that it's sort of a hybrid. All those other phones that i liked REQUIRED you to pay the $25 per month. This one didn't. It can have GPS, Google, E-mail and all that stuff, but it can also be just like another basic phone.

So after using it for a few days i'm not 100% happy. I wish it ran on Android instead of the BREW operating system. All those great Apps that run on Android don't work on this phone. If it did have Android i could download tons of great apps online then transfer them to the phone. But with BREW it seems a little dated. It's kind of like a Ferrari that someone removed the steering wheel and replaced it with some cheese. It has the ability to do all this stuff but it just doesn't work. I guess i can't have it both ways.

In 2 more years i'll most likely be ready for a phone with unlimited everything. But for right now this is just fine for me.

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