Before voicemail and answering machines, in the days of the rotary phone and the party line, a telephone call was an event. If the phone rang when you were in the bath, you would grab and towel and run down the hallway to answer it, dripping and cursing, because the call would be important.
I've been thinking a lot about phone calls this week, thanks to FaceTime, the new video calling feature in iPhone 4.
As you may have heard from every media outlet in the world, iPhone 4 goes on sale today in Canada and several other countries. Like the previous model, iPhone 4 can send and receive email, browse the Web, and play music and video files on its bright colour screen. It also plays games and other software you can download and install directly from the App Store.
iPhone 4 has a new design that combines a stainless steel frame with a front and back made of strengthened, scratch-resistant glass. Notable new features include a better screen, longer battery life, two cameras, and the ability to record and edit high definition video right on the iPhone.
And then there's FaceTime, the video calling feature. While testing with an iPhone 4 this week, I haven't been able to think about much else.
Video calling isn't a new idea. It's been around in various forms for many years, including Apple's own iChat software for Mac computers.
What makes FaceTime different is that it just works. There's no special setup required. You don't need a user name or a password. There's no extra cost to make video calls. To start a FaceTime session, you just place a call to another iPhone 4 and press the FaceTime button on the screen when you connect. Suddenly you can see the caller on your screen. A picture-in-picture view shows the video from your camera and their camera. If you want to display something other than your face, just tap the screen to use the second, front-facing camera instead of the one pointed at you.
There is something strange and emotional about making a video phone call. You can see the expression on the face of the person you're calling. You can see their eyes crinkle when they laugh. You can see the room they're in and the clothes they're wearing. You can see if they've been crying.
It's also practical, in ways I hadn't anticipated. During one test conversation this week, the chat turned to the topic of wine. I was able to hold up a bottle and show the label. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
I think FaceTime has huge implications for the future. If you can show and tell, that changes the nature of phone calls. There's no need to describe the weather when you can just point the phone at the window. You can't pretend to be interested in a conversation. Also, you have to be fully dressed before you press the FaceTime button. (Or maybe you don't, depending on who you call.)
My family is away this week, and I've been missing them. We've talked by phone a couple of times, but I would have loved to see some of what they're seeing, and to be virtually present with them on their holiday. I think Apple is going to sell a lot of iPhones with this feature.
For now, FaceTime only connects iPhone 4 users to each other, and it only works via Wi-Fi wireless networks (i.e. not over cellular networks). Apple says it's talking to its carrier partners about this, and I expect that will change in the future. (We can use this time to figure out the new etiquette rules of video calls.)
I'll have more to say about iPhone 4 soon, when I've had a chance to review some of the new software that will appear in the App Store today, like the new iMovie app that lets you edit HD video right on the iPhone.
For now, though, I'm putting on my pants and making a few phone calls.
For more information about FaceTime, including some great TV ads that show how it works, click here.
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