Internet (Video)Phone

If you have seen science-fiction movies at any time since about 1950, you have no doubt seen a videophone. Various flavors of videophone have been produced over the years. They have almost always been very expensive and impossible to use if there wasn't an exact replica of your phone on the other end of the line. Although the interoperability angle hasn't quite been solved yet, I am happy to report that some videophones have broken the $300 barrier.

Available today

A number of videophones are now available that use VoIP technologies for voice and video transmission. Some vendors, such as Packet8, are already offering hardware videophone solutions to customers at monthly rates competitive with those of voice-only services.

Hardware Video Phones

The Packet8 videophone has starred in shows such as "Alias," "24," and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Figure 10.1). Even with all its fame, the actual phone remains quite accessible and functional. At competitive monthly rates, this phone offers full-motion video between two callers and can be used to transmit prerecorded video via a video input jack.

Figure 10.1. The Packet8 videophone

The Motorola Ojo videophone looks almost otherworldly by comparison and sports a detachable cordless handset (Figure 10.2). While it hasn't had the same level of prime-time media exposure, it is reported to be selling well and is getting good reviews. It is more expensive (about $500 more) than the Packet8 phone but is designed to be compatible with future videophones from other manufacturers.

Figure 10.2. The Motorola Ojo videophone is compatible with other videophone devices.

Video Softphones

For those of you who don't mind sitting at the PC when calling, you can make use of videophone software from Dialcom and ineen. These video softphones are inexpensive to set up and allow you to make calls at very reasonable rate.

Dialcom's Spontania Video4Skype plug-in for the free Skype VoIP service offers you the ability to call Skype users and converse voice-only or with video (Figure 10.3). Available free from www.video4skype.com, this plug-in works on both Windows 2000 and Windows XP computers.

Figure 10.3. Video4Skype enables free videophone calls over the Skype service.

Ineen is a video softphone built on the XTen eyeBeam development platform (Figure 10.4). Usable as a standard VoIP softphone, this phone also works with the ineen VoIP videophone service. This softphone can be used with Windows and MAC computers and with Windows Mobile devices. Linux versions are in the works.

Figure 10.4. The ineen video softphone enables multiple concurrent videophone calls over the ineen network.

Coming soon

Even on "Star Trek," away teams were restricted to using voice-only technology. How cool would it have been for Captain Kirk to have whipped out a pocket videophone?

Well, we probably won't have to wait for the 24th century for the pleasure of seeing loved ones while away from the house. Some manufacturers are now testing wireless videophones that will use VoIP technology to transmit video. If you think cell phones cause accidents, just wait until some poor Joe gets a look at what his wife is packing for their weekend trip!

Bam!