Why is this better than Skype?
iOS and Android users already have this.
New Google vid-call app
Google has released “Duo”, a simple one-to-one video calling app that runs on iOS and Android and can make calls between the two operating systems. Duo needs just a phone number to make a connection, so is a bit of a swipe at closed calling ecosystems like Apple's FaceTime. Google says it's designed the app to figure out when …
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Tuesday 16th August 2016 10:49 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Why is this better than Skype?
Why hand over all your details to an amateur in the data slurping game, when you can hand them over to the professionals?
Exactly. First of all, you won't know who is listening (or, as it's Google, who isn't listening), secondly it means you have agreed for everything you talk about to be kept into perpetuity (read their conditions for once - it's in there) and thirdly, that so-called "ease of use" by using your phone number means that Google can complete its database of global mobile phone numbers.
It puzzles me that there are no other, more open alternatives - is this field really so patent encumbered? The only one I have found is Jitsi, and I wasn't impressed the last time I used it on OSX as both its GUI and setup process was in serious need of a cleanup (plus it is multi-platform by using Java, and I'm not a big fan of that approach).
Maybe I ought to check on its status again, and see what sort of help they need to make it better.
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Tuesday 16th August 2016 19:21 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Open Alternatives
Shame there's no extension to SIP that allows video calling, or maybe there is??
There is - you can carry it via a jabber/xmpp link but I think there's also something in SIP as an Asterisk server can comfortably handle it, and video-capable SIP phones are not even that hard to find.
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Tuesday 16th August 2016 09:22 GMT paulf
Re: Why is this better than Skype?
@ DougS
"Why is this better than Skype? iOS and Android users already have this."
I think the standard comment wondering how long it will be until Google kill this new product applies here also.
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Tuesday 16th August 2016 10:09 GMT Dan 55
Re: Why is this better than Skype?
What seems to be happening with the Skype client is removal of support for older versions of desktop/mobile OSes, but it will carry on working on the newer versions.
If you don't want to update your OS then you've got to stay with an older Skype client. When that stops working on your older OS in 2017 due to network changes, you either update your OS and use the latest Skype client or stop using Skype.
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Tuesday 16th August 2016 17:11 GMT 1Rafayal
I am surprised that Google hasn't tried to do something in this area before now to be honest.
Dont know if it will be a Skype killer, as much as people hate Microsoft they do like Skype and the thing is damn near ubiquitous these days. Either way, I would be interested to see where this ends up, especially the knock knock feature.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
