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Google Babble Chat Client to Unify Now Fragmented Messaging Platforms

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by Jason Bracey on
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babble_geekdotcom

Google has been working hard to unify their products. Their latest project, combines its currently fragmented messaging platforms under one powerful and effective service. The new initiative, affectionately called “Babble”, will do just that. Currently, Google is maintaining Google Talk, Hangout, Voice, Messenger, Chat for Drive collaboration, and the pseudo Google Talk for G+. The only two that work even fairly well together are Google Talk for Gmail and G+ and even they can evoke frustration with users from time-to-time.

The Babble cross-platform solution could enable Google to dominate chat services such as iMessage and BlackBerry Messenger. Google is building Babble from the ground up, which may or may not be a blessing depending on how you look at it. On one hand, they will be working from a clean slate and there will be no boundaries as to what they can make the app do. On the other hand, Google will be pushing out another Beta product based on past experiences that may have more bugs than a Louisiana bayou on a hot summer afternoon. We will just have to hope the geeks at Google push out a well polished, well oiled, version of the app on Beta release.  » Read the rest

Facebook Messenger comes to Android and contains code for video chat

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by Robert Nazarian on
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With all the IM apps and the recent addition of Google Huddle, it has become the battle of the messaging apps. Now Facebook is looking to crash the party with Facebook Messenger.

Facebook Messenger will be like Google Huddle in that you can send and receive messages within groups.

Top Features

  • Message friends, groups of friends or anyone in your mobile contacts
  • Map your location, find your friends and make plans on the go
  • Get mobile notifications so you never miss a message
  • Include photos so friends can see what you’re doing

» Read the rest

Google Nexus S to get Android 2.3.4 over next few weeks – brings GTalk improvements

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by Jesse Bauer on
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android2.3.4

Google has another surprise planned for it’s Nexus crowd, it comes by way of an update for the Nexus S which will be Android 2.3.4. The update not only has several bug fixes and improvements to the Gingerbread OS, but it specifically will now have video and voice chat within the Google Talk application and you’ll be able to make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi.

The update will be rolling out to all Google Nexus S owners over the next few weeks either by 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi over the air, and will make it’s way out to other Gingerbread devices soon thereafter.  Pretty cool indeed Google.

Click here to watch a video on the new Google Talk improvements below.

FuzeBox Brings Multi-Party Video Conferencing to Android

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by Michael Murphy on
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Video chat is all the rage these days, and FuzeBox is upping the ante.  Fuze Meeting software brings multi-party HD video conferencing to the Android world.  Froyo-powered smartphones and tablets running Honeycomb will be able to download the video confrencing software and use it via 3G or wifi, with full access to 720P HD videos.  The interface has been streamlined from the earlier version of their video chat software to allow for a cleaner view, while still allowing the mutli-user view.  This software will be made available to enterprise customers, so interested parties should contact them at [email protected].

[Thanks for the tip, Bob!]

» Read the rest

Yahoo! IM update brings voice calls to HTC Evo 4G and MT4G

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by Dustin Karnes on
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According to rumor, the Yahoo! IM app for Android is getting an update this month that will allow for both voice calla and landscape video calling. While this isn’t the most groundbreaking update, it’s still nice to see Yahoo! continue to support their IM app the way they should. Hoever, don’t get your hopes up too far, as the features will only be working on the HTC Evo 4G and the myTouch 4G. Why not other front-faceing camera holders, like the Nexus S, Galaxy Tab, or Epic 4G? No news as of yet, but we’re hoping to see it soon.

You can check out the app here, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

[via droid-life]

Trillian leaves beta, now available for $4.99 in the Market

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by Joe Sirianni on
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Keeping track of your friends these days can be a daunting task with many of them using their own preferred IM clients, and while there are a number of apps you can use to regulate this task, you might want to give Trillian a try.  The folks over at Cerulean Studios have been hard at work customizing this application for the Android platform.  The app just came out of beta and is available now on the Android Market for $4.99 (Don’t forget you have a 15 min window to return it if you don’t like it).

Supports – AIM, Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ and several others.  It’s nice to see the app using cloud technology.  Moving from one Android device to another?  No problem.  Just download the app on to your new device, log in, and voilà.

» Read the rest

Facebook for Android update brings chat, push updates

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by Dustin Karnes on
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The question: “What’s the biggest problem with Facebook for Android?” The answer: “Facebook for Android”. Well, fortunately, it looks like Facebook for Android has finally gotten some much needed love, as the latest update to the app now includes two major features: chat and push notifications. These have been features long missing from the Android app, and we’re happy to see them come in.

If you want to check it out, you can head to our app database and give it a once over here, or, if you already have it downloaded, just head to the Android Market and update Facebook.

What do you think of these features finally coming to the Android app? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Is Skype mobile getting video calling next year, announcing at CES?

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by Dustin Karnes on
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If you have a front facing camera on your device, chances are, you’ve asked yourself: “why doesn’t the Skype app have video conferencing?” Well, while this is pure speculation, we have received an email from Skype inviting us to the Skype CES press conference in January, and we’re very excited at the prospect that it might be bringing video chat to mobile devices. Remember, there’s no specific mention of Android or mobile, but maybe we’re just being overly hopeful. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. You can check out the Skype app on our app database here, or the super special unlocked version that lets you use 3G here.

TI announces new OMAP4440 mobile processor, speeds of 1.5 GHz per CPU core

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by Dustin Karnes on
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Imagine my excitement when I opened up my inbox this morning to find a press release from Texas Instruments that TI has officially announced their new TI OMAP4440, the latest in the OMAP 4 family of CPU’s. The new CPU boasts:

  • 1.25x increase in graphics performance
  • 30 percent decrease in webpage load time
  • 2x increase in 1080p video playback performance
  • clock speeds as fast as 1.5 GHz per ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCore™

According to Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president of OMAP platform business unit:

The increased performance given by the OMAP4440 applications processor illustrates TI’s ability to push mobile computing possibilities with the right processor architecture enveloped in the right platform. We seized an opportunity to enhance the platform capabilities driving the OMAP4430 processor’s success today. As OMAP4430 processor-based products hit the market in first half 2011, we’re arming our customers with a huge performance boost via an easy migration to OMAP4440 processor for their next wave of exciting devices. The resulting user experiences will radically impact how consumers continue to integrate mobile technology into their daily lives.

The new OMAP4440 will be sampling in Q1 of 2011, and TI expects mass production to start in the second half of the same year. The new CPU is said to increase capabilities of  mobile video teleconferencing, stereoscopic-3D and gesture recognition. For a full lineup of technical specs, hit the break for the full presser.

What do you think about TI’s new processing power? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

» Read the rest

Fring brings dynamic video quality to optimize performance to their mobile app

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by Dustin Karnes on
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One of the biggest issues facing the new, expanding arena of mobile video conferencing is video quality. Fring has seen this issue, and has a solution. The company has now introduced a new feature called DVQ (Digital Video Quality), a system meant to adjust video and audio quality on the fly, depending on the bandwidth available to your device.

In other words, if you’re on a fast 3G or a 4G network, your video quality will be high. If you find yourself with low bandwidth, the app will automatically bump down the video quality down to help save the video conference. Hit the break to check out a video of the new feature… although it is shown on an iPhone, but you’ll get the point. You can check out the updated app here, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

» Read the rest

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