FriendCaller Blog

Hey there Android Users! We got a treat for you!

Guess what?  The secret is out in the open  FriendCaller-the first platform independent VoIP app for iOS, and OS Browser, is now thrilled to announce Group Video Calling feature for Android offering FREE Group Video calling for 4 Video and 6 more audio participants, which makes a total of 10 concurrent users communicating altogether.

Hold on, the best part is yet to come!

The unique feature, unlike other Group Video Calling apps for mobile platforms is that, you can see everyone LIVE on the same screen without toggling among the contacts and yes, you can do this all without any charge!

Furthermore, with Push notifications for Android 2.2+ via Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) from Google Projects, save battery more 8).

Available for over 962 Android devices now, FriendCaller is at the drop of a hat to further increase the number of participants in Group Conferencing feature. Any idea of how many more video participants can communicate together on Android platform?

Ahhh..! One more First from FriendCaller for all Android users.

Progress and Innovations are constantly knocking at FriendCaller’s door and the team behind FriendCaller doesn’t seem to rest! This is the reason that our most demanding FriendCaller app has gradually accelerated its support to over 962 Android devices and we are beyond doubt overjoyed.

Wanna know what’s inside FriendCaller box right now? Let me show you what we are currently working on!

After great success of Group Video Calling on iOS device (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad), FriendCaller – The first platform independent VoIP app for iOS, and OS Browser, is now thrilled to introduce Real Group Video Calling feature for Android with notably great video quality you haven’t seen in other mobile VoIP apps available for Android. The number of members like we had on Group Video Calling on iOS, is incomparable. And now on Android too, the meddling among users will not be needed you can see them LIVE smiling back to you!

Not only this, the upcoming version supports Push notifications for Android 2.2+ via Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) along with Group Video Calling, hence saving battery. So guys, the package does sound appealing, as it’s the first and the foremost deal.

Exhausted of your VoIP at Android? Get ready! For FriendCaller’s Group Video functionality on Android is certainly going to make you happy 

Statistical Analysis for the availability of FriendCaller app on Android Devices

The availability of FriendCaller app on Android devices has crossed the count of 923 today. In no time, the Android device support count will strike the milestone of being available to 1000 Android devices.

Keep submitting your entries in the Hit and Trial Contest occurring at Facebook Fan page. If your entry bears the correct date, FREE 1000 minutes and Text / SMS will be yours!

Best of Luck with the contest folks! 

They say that its the world’s most advanced OS. But, you should know that Java runtime is no longer installed automatically when you upgrade your Mac from Leopard OS 10.6 to Lion 10.7. This fact turns out to be a bit annoying, when you are trying to use FriendCaller, but are running in to application launching errors.

FriendCaller has always been striving to provide you its services on a wide range of platforms; from desktop to mobile phones and now tablets too, enabling you to make audio and video calls. Good news is, despite the fact that platform vendors are releasing new OS for their devices, you can still use FriendCaller on Mac OS 10.7 Lion, by following one of the two easy methods for installing Java.

Solution 1

Using FriendCaller first time on any desktop or Mac, requires a Java runtime installation, if not installed already. And the user is always prompted to install, when FriendCaller is being launched. One can simply follow the onscreen instructions, and install Java runtime in no time.

Solution 2

If you are not sure, that whether you have already installed Java runtime on your Lion OS 10.7, or want to install manually, all you have to do is to please follow the following steps:

1. Go to Applications -> Utilities -> Java Preferences, and open it
2. If Java is not installed yet, you will receive an error message like the following:
3. Make sure you are connected to Internet. Simply click install, and after accepting the license agreement, your Java runtime will be downloaded and installed.

So, imagine using a one-in-all VoIP app on your new Mac OS Lion 10.7 for free.

Video telephony is a term that most people are familiar with, and FriendCaller now supports video telephony. It is not easy to achieve video telephony, as it requires a significant amount of development and testing to ensure seamless functionality.

While working to integrate video telephony into FriendCaller, we asked ourselves about the origins of video calling. When did the idea first come to fruition? Let’s take a look at the early beginnings of video telephony, and follow its development path to see how it has evolved over the years.

Paul St. George's Telectroscope installation

The idea of video telephony is as old as the telephone and the television. During the last part of the 19th century, this idea was referred to as “Telectroscope“. A few decades later, the world’s first public videophone was developed in Germany. In 1938, this service was introduced between Berlin, Nuremberg and Munich. People used public television stations to call each other.

AT&T Picturephone

In the 1960s, then AT&T introduces its so-called Picturephone. However, it cost US$16 to make a three minute call, so there was very little interest in the technology because it was cost-prohibitive for the masses. In subsequent years, several countries attempted to make the video telephony accessible to a wider audience, however, voice calls remained the standard for communication, due to the high costs associated with video calling.

Due to significant technology advances, made possible by high-speed Internet, Video telephony finally came into its prime during the 21st century. It was popularized by free Internet services such as Skype, iChat and ICQ, which made video telephony more attractive to the masses, due to its cost-effectiveness.

The widespread use of smartphones has also driven the development and adoption of an increasing number of video telephony applications, including Fring and Tango, as well as Skype, which was one of the first developers to offer video telephony for iOS and Android devices. The collaboration between Skype and Facebook recently published video telephony on Facebook, but to function, Facebook’s video calling requires the user to install software, which varies based on the browser and OS combination.

Today, however, there is only one browser-based video calling solution that provides echo-free sound WITHOUT headphones, and that is FriendCaller. With FriendCaller, users benefit from the ability to make hassle free video calls to those with whom they want to stay connected. They can make face-to-face video calls, anytime or anywhere, with their FriendCaller contacts, and even with friends who are not yet registered with FriendCaller using their personal CallMe-Link.

Video calling made easy! Make your first FriendCaller video call today!