Iphone Development – The Facetime Feature

As with all new electronic hardware like mobile phones, there is new software too. The fourth generation of iPhone is no exception as it adds more and more new technology that blows the competition out of the water. This latest version features high quality cameras that not only provide exceptional recording capabilities, but also provide the option to video call other iPhone 4 users. This video calling has been attempted before, but during the iPhone development, it was integrated and will no doubt resurrect video calling again.

The Cameras

The iPhone 4 has two high-quality cameras; a user-facing VGA camera for use with FaceTime and a rear-facing, 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash. The latter allows for high-quality video to be recorded at 720p, which is excellent for a mobile phone device. Furthermore, it’s recorded at 30 frames per second, so the high definition quality is very thorough. These videos can also be transferred to social networks and to various locations across the web.

What Is FaceTime?

Video calling from a mobile isn’t a new prospect, but with its fresh reboot on Apple’s Phone, it will no doubt go on to be a big hit. It allows two users with the fourth generation of iPhone to have video calling across a wifi network. You read correctly, only over a wifi. This may be a disappointment for some, but it ensures an efficient and high-quality call with little to no lag, which might become a major factor for some over a normal line.

FaceTime provides high quality video and audio using H. 264 and AAC codecs, respectively. It also has provided an open-industry standard to allow other companies to develop their own software around it so FaceTime can spread to other technologies. Furthermore, and somewhat competitively, an app called Fring has been created to allow FaceTime to function over the 3G network. It is integrated into the calling options and allows for the user to request a FaceTime call from another user.