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Skype for iPhone Gets Video Chat Over 3G, Devours Data

by Terrence O'Brien on December 30, 2010 at 10:25 AM

Skype Video Call on iPhoneSkype for the iPhone has finally gotten around to adding video-calling capabilities to its popular VoIP app. (You'll need an iPhone 4, 3GS, or the latest version of the iPod touch to use the feature.) Amazingly, you can place video calls over both Wi-Fi and 3G, and you can even switch between the front- and back-facing cameras, just as you can with Facetime. Obviously, the 3GS doesn't have a front-facing camera, so you'll be forced to use the rear-facing one, which really kind of limits the usefulness of making video calls. If you're using an iPad or the previous generation iPod touch, Skype can receive video calls, but the person on the other end won't be able to see you. You can, of course, use the app to call users on their mobile devices or on their desktop PCs. The official description only lists Macs and PCs as compatible -- not Linux. We hope that's just an oversight in the listing and not an actual restriction of the app (as we haven't yet had a chance to test it out ourselves).

The guys at 9 to 5 Mac ran a quick experiment, and found that video calls over 3G eat up roughly 3.4 MB of data per minute, something to keep in mind with AT&T's new capped data plans. You'll have to place a lot of video calls to eat through a 2 GB plan, but it's certainly not outside of the realm of possibility, especially if you're also using your 3G plan to stream media and browse the Web. Check out the gallery below and the promo video after the break.

Tags: apps, ios, ipad, iphone, ipod, skype, top, voip

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