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fring
Fring is a video calling and IM app for the HTC Evo and Android. It brings video-phone capabilities to Android. Fring makes full use of your Evo’s front-facing camera and works on both Wi-Fi and 3G/4G data networks. It’s also a full-featured chat and IM interface, supporting Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Twitter, and GTalk and more. It’ll do video chat with any of these protocols. Unlike the previously reviewed Qik app for Android, which requires both users to have Qik installed, this app will work on any of the above protocols which are all widely used already. You can carry out simultaneous voice, video, and chat sessions.
The quality is variable depending on the protocol you use and the kind of network you are on. It works beautifully if both users are on 4G or on an uncrowded W-Fi network. Crisp video and high-quality audio make it a joy to use under ideal conditions. However, a slow Wi-Fi connection or poor reception in a 3G area introduces buffering that is quite tolerable in most situations but can get annoying during longer conversations. If you’re on a Wi-Fi network it’s a no-brainer to launch this app and make a video call. The app is updated pretty often and improvements have been coming along at a healthy clip, so no doubt future versions will offer even better video calling from your HTC Evo 4G. Fring is an excellent and ambitious that makes full use of your smartphone’s capabilities.