I'd read lots of threads on here about the video chat feature on the N800/N810, and of course there's the usual complaints about the current version only working with other tablets, but even so... it's amazing. It's made me really appreciate the tablets even more.

I'd never actually used the video chat feature, I knew it was there but it was somehow one of those "I know what it does but I won't bother using it" features. However, I eventually decided to give it a go with some friends in another country whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. They had a tablet as well, and they had a Google account, so it was very easy to set up, they just entered their usual Gmail username and password on the account wizard.

I know webcams on PCs have been around for a long long time, but the camera on the tablets (especially the N800's twistable one) is a bit different because it's totally portable, and we were able to give each other guided tours of our houses. It was absolutely lovely, it was actually using technology for a purpose rather than for its own sake. This sounds corny but video chat really is the next best thing to being there in person.

I know there's a heck of a lot of room for improvement on the tablet video chat software (PC compatibility, Skype compatibility etc) but if you haven't yet had a go on the video chat then it is definitely worth trying it out if you can.

Nokia ought to make this a central selling point when advertising the tablet, because video chat can be a pretty amazing and emotional experience. It has all the hallmarks of a "killer app", if only it could be made compatible with a wider range of devices and services.

Hey, glad you had a nice long distance video chat. Pretty nice indeed. You might not hear much hype over it since there are so many variables to deal with. Besides what you did it also works over a SIP phone connection if the PBX supports it. Mine does and it works very well NIT-NIT and between NIT and a video capable pc such as running x-lite. So for me it is pretty special when I get a phone call and I see their video which prompts me to pop out mine. I no longer ask 'what are you wearing', I say 'show me'..

Yes it puzzles me why Nokia has not made available improved/better software for the camera nor did they improve the camera hardware on N810. What a miss opportunity....sad.

I have used videophone-capable mobile phones (I have to for work) but at the moment the calls are so expensive that it's never been for very long, just to test whether it works really, and I certainly wouldn't use them internationally. You could do videophone through wi-fi too on modern smartphones, but again it's one of those features that I know about but haven't gotten round to trying.

Another thing though is that phones tend to be trickier to set up, SIP settings are a pain. If video calling is going to be mainstream it shouldn't be any more difficult than just entering a username and password, which is all that you need to do on tablet-to-tablet video calls.

I'm willing to put up with 5 minutes of tricky setup one time to make SIP calls that cost me nothing or nearly nothing whether video or not. It was as simple as server name, user name, password. done.

Video calling has been around for a long time and the problem isn't the setup.

You're absolutely right that free and cheap calls are a very powerful incentive, but it would be even more powerful if those calls could be accessed by just entering a username and password.

Skype works like this on the tablets, it never demands any technical settings whatsoever, so why can't all VOIP services be like Skype?


Well, video and VOIP haven't been on cheaper mainstream phone models bought by ordinary people. It's possible that it wasn't a problem before but it will increasingly become a problem, because even lower end phones are starting to get some kind of video call capability.

It also won't help matters that some phone network operators will do their best to put as many obstacles in the way of VOIP as possible.

While you are willing to put in those 5 minutes, not everyone is. And for a app to become popular and mainstream, it has to appeal and be simple for the average joe - who wouldnt care about putting in those 5 minutes.

Heck, even me with my technical background am not willing to put in 5 minutes and setup SIP when Skype allows me to do the same at an equally cheap price by just putting in a username and password across multiple devices and get all my contacts in every device. That is called simple.

And do you wonder why Skype is so popular across the globe.

And as much as being a open source fan myself, I am not religious (enough) to care about proprietary protocols etc if the same app can just do what I want easily.

I am sure that it must have been done already(???), but what about video chat tied in with a game like scrabble, bridge or, I suppose, poker. Social games that folks like to play while chatting with their friends - the game not really being the point of the interaction.

So, do you folks think this would work on the Tablets? Four people playing scrabble together and being able to see and talk to each other at the same time?

Granny is in a home but can still join the family after dinner at night for a game of bridge.

Same thing with kids games.

I can't believe that so many are not willing to enter a few bits of data to get something so desirable to work. fair enough, that is why there is skype and other service specific (and proprietary) systems out there. Meanwhile I'll spend the minute to enter the bits and enjoy using my phone service the way I want to. There must be hundreds of skype devices out there and I'll bet some can do video. don't need a NIT for that.

Here, here! Video chat is THE reason why I bought additional N800s (after the drop in price). For example: my mother lives far away and appreciates to be able to talk and see her grand children. I tried to set up skype on her windows PC a year ago, only to find out that windows PC are so unstable that Skype stopped working after a month. She is not able to set it up or repair it herself. Now I sent her a N800, and it simply works...

IcelandDreams, if you believe everyone can set up SIP, you are mistaken. Not only can it be very tricky to make it work on some routers, there are plenty of people absolutely unable to set up much simpler things. Older people, for example, but also people with little interest in technical devices. Don't forget that there are millions of people unable to set up a VCR clock.