Video Chat on cell phones

[eluuzion]

The next stage of technological wizardry (or privacy invasion) has arrived. Video features on cell phones. This adds yet another challenge for many of us.

After spending all of that time, you finally have your makeup "just right". What do you do when the phone rings and it is a friend or relative expecting to video chat with you?

My plan is to stay with my current solution for as long as I can. Stick with my Motorola Razr that has a camera on the back, but not a front-facing camera for video chat.

My daughter talked me into buying an Android smart-phone a few months ago. It took me 24 hours to decide I wanted nothing to do with that dangerous privacy thief. I returned to my trusty Motorola. Two days later, my daughter owned that new Android, lol. She knows how diligent I am about protecting my privacy. I think it was her secret plan to get a new phone. Maybe I taught her a little too much about “reading” people...lol.

So, you are all dressed up, the phone is ringing, it is a friend or relative, the video light is flashing. What do you do?

[Noortje]

I don't think video calls will be very prevalent in reality, because they're annoying. Like 3D movies and to a lesser extent jetpacks, they are what we once envisioned as "futuristic", and so we feel we have to make them once we have the technology.

In reality, 3D movies look worse than 2D ones, and the feature adds nothing. Jetpacks barely work and are dangerous and clumsy. Video calls require crazy bandwidth that the cellular network can't handle, plus people always look super ugly in them (because the confortable way to hold your phone in front of you is slighly below your face, giving the caller a view up your nose). I live and work with technology geeks and gadget fiends, and I have never seen anyone make a video call, except for that one time to try it out. A lot of people prefer texting to calling, anyway.

That being said, one of my fears is accidentally switching on the video function when I'm calling my girlfriend (I like to use the speaker function and just hold the phone in front of me). It has not happened, though, and probably never will.

My advice is to just never use the video function and claim that you dislike it. You will not be alone. Or just "accidentally" scratch the camera lens beyond functionality.

[crusadergirl]

I have that feature on my phone but i will never use it for video chat. So if they do call and want to video chat i will not answer it.

[suzy1]

Stick your head in a bag.
Say I’m his girlfriend.
Just off to the fancy dress party.
Say I am a crossdresser.
Turn all the lights out and step into a cupboard before answering.
Or simply don’t answer it.

[kristinacd55]

I stick to my old beat up Pantech, that has a nice lil ol keyboard to text with.....and make phone calls :)

[Kaz]

We can choose 'no'? I still have my Nokia 6300. Yes I should go smart phone and whist I have a personal issue with the Apple agenda, the Samsung Galaxy 2 is really making me want to try! But I keep resisting... I wonder why?

[Sophie_C]

Never understood fear of technology, especially when you can choose to simply turn the video part, off. I guess this is what all our parents thought of when they saw cell phones. Congrats, you're just as stuck in the past as they were!!

As for me and the rest of the world, I think it'll slowly catch on, but with live video technology in phones, you need some degree of privacy - that'll need to be worked out. People don't like others snooping on their one-on-one convo's with other people, so there'll probably be more talking in cars, maybe a return to using old phone booths? It's the only catch I see with doing it. And, it WILL slowly catch on, as soon as it works pretty easily.