Think MS would have done a lot better creating a native video chatting app for the WP8.

[contributorM]

One big plus that IOS has is facetime. I really enjoy video calls, especially to my kid when I'm away.

MS you have to rely on Skype. I'm not a Skype person, the majority of my contacts are not on Skype nor are they interested in signing up. Nothing against the service, but MS would fair better creating native video chatting capabilities. I mean, there's 1. No additional sign-on needed. That alone is a big plus. Really big. Just tap and go. 2. Can possibly get better frame/transfer rates using a native application baked in and optimized for Windows Phone (I've seen Skype and their call quality can be from horrendous to decent. Depends on your wifi/3g signal n'such)

Again, I like my lumia a lot. The video chatting thing is really my only gripe with the phone. Well not the phone, just the phone's OS. Like I said, convincing others to join Skype when they are all using facetime and such won't cut it.

Anyone else feel similar?

 

[SnailUK]

Face time is ok, but a single os is a problem. Skype is os agnostic, used by hundreds of millions already and now Microsoft allow you to sign in with your Microsoft account, so you don't need another account.

Just wait till the next skype update, when it gets baled into wp8 properly and you'll see why skype is much better than face time.
Sent from my RM-821_eu_euro1_342 using Board Express

 

[contributorM]

You may be correct. I'm just all about convenience.

 

[anon(1019781)]

I'm really shocked that Microsoft didn't bake Skype into WP8. Everybody expected this and it simply didn't happen. Even now the Skype app is in "preview status".

As for the OP though...dude...just make a Skype account. You don't even need to make another Microsoft account yet. Facetime works great and all but Microsoft gives you the freedom to videochat to anybody on any computer and any touchscreen phone.

I will say that not having Skype baked into the OS does hurt the convenience level of it all.

 

[fwaits]

Once Skype is finished and not a preview it will act just like a baked in app. Calls will work in the background, chat and such will as well. There is no extra login if you link your MS account with your Skype account. The VOIP API is there to allow all similar services to function similarly on WP8 so you have a consistent experience with them all. Skype is still more integrated with the MS account linking.

 

[fwaits]

One more thing about Skype. I really hope they make Skype also be the new BBIM/Whatsapp type messaging as well. With them merging it with the Messenger backend, I suspect this is where they are heading, so hopefully it will be sooner than later.

 

[ironsoulreaver]

I was expecting Skype to be baked in as well. I swear that Microsoft programs so slowly that they are Googling how to do this as they write their software.

Face time sucks. I mean, it works ok if you can even get it to connect but it usually won't connect.

 

[SnailUK]

I was expecting Skype to be baked in as well. I swear that Microsoft programs so slowly that they are Googling how to do this as they write their software.

Whilst it seems silly, that iOS/Android/PC are getting tons of Skype resource, where WP8 isn't, it makes complete sense.

Skype has hundreds of millions of users across the other platforms, and is battling with facetime, GoogleTalk, and various other services, for all users.

If Skype stop fighting the bigger battle, just to appease one maybe two million WP8 users, they may find they've won a small war, but lost the major battle. Then we all end up with a brilliantly integrated, grade A+++ facility, that nobody else uses, because they are all on GoogleTalk, or whatever.

 

[contributorM]

Whilst it seems silly, that iOS/Android/PC are getting tons of Skype resource, where WP8 isn't, it makes complete sense.

Skype has hundreds of millions of users across the other platforms, and is battling with facetime, GoogleTalk, and various other services, for all users.

If Skype stop fighting the bigger battle, just to appease one maybe two million WP8 users, they may find they've won a small war, but lost the major battle. Then we all end up with a brilliantly integrated, grade A+++ facility, that nobody else uses, because they are all on GoogleTalk, or whatever.

TThat's my dilemma now. No one I know uses it lol

 

[narv]

Skype may be better integrated later into the phone, but probably because it's having issues and is in preview form they don't even include it in the product when you first buy the phone. Microsoft owns skype though, so it is their equal to facetime. And skype now supports microsoft live accounts so anyone that has a windows phone (or surface tablet, or windows 8 desktop or hotmail account really) can use skype without anything special. Skype will take about 4 seconds to download and install and actually has more features than facetime. Not only can you video chat with skype (and if you signup for premium skype, you can do multiple video conversations which facetime doesn't have), you can also write messages and send files. And while i doubt the WP8 version will support this, you can also share your desktop over skype.

I think skype will turn out better in the end than facetime because it CAN be used on multiple operating systems and every phone out there has skype. So if your friends are on iphone you can still video chat with them.

 

[rantanplan1980]

MS you have to rely on Skype. I'm not a Skype person, the majority of my contacts are not on Skype nor are they interested in signing up. Nothing against the service, but MS would fair better creating native video chatting capabilities. I mean, there's 1. No additional sign-on needed. That alone is a big plus. Really big. Just tap and go. 2. Can possibly get better frame/transfer rates using a native application baked in and optimized for Windows Phone (I've seen Skype and their call quality can be from horrendous to decent. Depends on your wifi/3g signal n'such)

You can login to skype with your hotmail/outlook.com account.

 

[diapers]

One big plus that IOS has is facetime. I really enjoy video calls, especially to my kid when I'm away.

MS you have to rely on Skype. I'm not a Skype person, the majority of my contacts are not on Skype nor are they interested in signing up. Nothing against the service, but MS would fair better creating native video chatting capabilities. I mean, there's 1. No additional sign-on needed. That alone is a big plus. Really big. Just tap and go. 2. Can possibly get better frame/transfer rates using a native application baked in and optimized for Windows Phone (I've seen Skype and their call quality can be from horrendous to decent. Depends on your wifi/3g signal n'such)

Again, I like my lumia a lot. The video chatting thing is really my only gripe with the phone. Well not the phone, just the phone's OS. Like I said, convincing others to join Skype when they are all using facetime and such won't cut it.

Anyone else feel similar?

what exactly is "native video". You mean something like facetime? You know facetime only works with people who have iphones or macbooks? If your friends have iphones they can't chat with you anyway even if there was a native app. They would still have to use skype.

BTW you still have to sign up to use facetime.

 

[chrgeorgeson]

The reasoning for not integrating it into the system (because it was the original idea) was because of carrier competition. ATT doesn't want you to use Skype.

 

[majortom1981]

Have your family and friends use Skype. ON iphones Skype can use data connections for video while some people on att still cant use facetime on their cellular data. I told my wife if she wants to video chat with me use Skype. She now has the app installed on her iphone 4s and uses that to communicate with me. I think Skype works better then Facetime.

 

[Reflexx]

I don't really get the OP's desire for a native solution like Facetime. Face time only works with other iPhone users. Something like that would mean that a WP user wouldn't be able to video chat with other WP users.

So the OP wouldn't be able to chat with his iPhone friends at all.

 

[KingCrimson]

Facetime is not "baked" into iOS so it's totally appropriate for Skype to be a separate app. Of course parts of Skype are baked into places like the phone book contact entry.

 

[Coffee]

Skype was purchased more for the installed user base and brand name than the technology - Microsoft already had Lync, which is cross platform, and I would've preferred moved into the consumer world rather than just enterprise.

I'm not sure it matters whether or not it's an 'app' or built-in, it just matters if it works, which we all know is an issue. As long as you can get the same functionality from Skype that you can from the phone feature, the delivery isn't as important.

So... yes, they need to fix Skype. No need to create a brand-new messaging system when they already had... 3?

 

[Aliandren]

One big plus that IOS has is facetime. I really enjoy video calls, especially to my kid when I'm away.

MS you have to rely on Skype. I'm not a Skype person, the majority of my contacts are not on Skype nor are they interested in signing up. Nothing against the service, but MS would fair better creating native video chatting capabilities. I mean, there's 1. No additional sign-on needed. That alone is a big plus. Really big. Just tap and go. 2. Can possibly get better frame/transfer rates using a native application baked in and optimized for Windows Phone (I've seen Skype and their call quality can be from horrendous to decent. Depends on your wifi/3g signal n'such)

Again, I like my lumia a lot. The video chatting thing is really my only gripe with the phone. Well not the phone, just the phone's OS. Like I said, convincing others to join Skype when they are all using facetime and such won't cut it.

Anyone else feel similar?

When your company spends $8.4 billion acquiring Skype you probably want to make use of it.