14 DAY TRIAL // fring, the award-winning mobile application that enables users to communicate and share experiences over their mobile phones, announced recently the release of an updated version for selected Symbian devices. According to the company, the new flavor comes as the first implementation of Skype video calls on a mobile phone, which can be enjoyed either via a Wi-Fi connection or over a 3G network.
“As the mobile VoIP trail-blazers since this industry’s inception, we have a responsibility to continue breaking the mobile-internet barriers, and bringing users all the choices, richness and always-on connectivity that internet communications on mobile can deliver,” Avi Shechter, co-founder & CEO of fring, commented on the new achievement.
The new video feature comes with the application and offers users the possibility to make or receive free voice calls to other fring users, Skype and GTalk buddies via a regular phone line through Skype-Out and other popular SIP services. What fring users can do includes live chatting, updating profiles, share files, and talk with friends, all via a series of popular Instant Messaging services, including MSN, AIM, GoogleTalk, and Skype.
Moreover, they can also interact with various social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm and more, all directly from the integrated fring contact list. According to All About Symbian, the video quality of the call is a rather poor one, yet the option should still be saluted. For comparison, the desktop Skype calls deliver a better quality, though the hardware capabilities of a mobile phone should also be taken into consideration here.
“fring was the first to bring Nokia, iPhone and Android users the choice to make free calls together with live chat over their devices’ internet connection, the first to enable cost-saving mobile twitter over internet, and now we’re proud to continue leading the field with the world’s first mobile video over internet including fring and Skype mobile video calls,” Shechter also stated.
The new version of fring is available for a series of Nokia mobile phones that run under the Symbian platform, including the Nokia X6, N97 mini, N97, 5800, N95 8G and N95 devices. At the same time, it should be noted that fring already delivers support for various other mobile operating systems, including Symbian S60, iPhone/iPod touch, Android, Windows Mobile, J2ME, and Linux.