Overview
There are plenty of ways to have a video call, perhaps the easiest method is Google Hangouts since it’s already linked to your Google account. There’s also Skype and Facetime, but each one has its potential drawbacks, hiccups or other reasons why you might not want to use it. Eventually there might be one video calling service to rule them all, and ooVoo is making the case that it’s going to be The One.
The Claim
ooVoo claims that nobody else does video chatting as good as they do. It’s a pretty big claim considering that they’re the relative newcomer to an already crowded marketplace. But they also claim that there’s a reason why they’re able to say this.
It’s because they are using the cloud to host their servers so no matter how sophisticated your device you’re still going to get a quality call. They also say that they make adjustments to the video call as your connection gets better or worse so that you’re not left with that annoying lag or choppiness and you have fewer dropped calls.
The Hype
The app gets great reviews and is experiencing rapid growth right now, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it gets bought out by one of the big Internet companies like Facebook, which currently doesn’t have video chatting. There are a substantial amount of users, and since it’s easy to download and get started it doesn’t take much convincing to have a family member or friend that lives far away join on so you can keep in touch easily and with fewer dropped calls.
The Cost
ooVoo is free to use for many of their most frequently used services, including the ability to video chat with 12 different people at once. There are some paid features that you can upgrade if you want to use, such as video conferencing and making phone calls with it. They also offer the ability to record video calls and send files to each other, all with a paid subscription.
The Commitment
It’s easy enough to download and start using ooVoo, and we were up and running in just a few minutes. Removing the software was just as easy, and uninstalled without any problems or annoying processes involved. So there’s really not much to do on your part except for use it just as you would any other video calling service.
Evaluation
Most users can get away with using the free features of ooVoo, which makes this a great app to download to your phone or desktop and give it a whirl. If your friends aren’t using it your biggest challenge might be getting them to get set up with it, but if you both have experienced similar problems using other services it might be an easy sell. Once you’ve got it all set up and you have your contacts on there too it’s just like using any other service you’re used to, except it works a bit better than what you might be used to.
There’s a reason why so many of the biggest Internet companies have invested heavily in video chatting. It’s something everyone will eventually be using on a daily basis, and the company that wins the battle will have the ultimate service that is used by everyone each day. Right now people are scattered between several different options, but one will rise to the top with better features, better quality, and the most users. In much the same way that everyone migrated from MySpace to Facebook, there will likely be a migration to the best video calling service, once the tipping point has been met and it’s been established that that’s where the majority of users are.
ooVoo is getting our Thumbs Up rating as far as video call quality goes. Even though Google and Skype have offered the service longer, it seems that ooVoo is doing a better job of delivering quality video calls with multiple people. If you’ve ever experienced a lag on Google Hangouts or on a Skype video call, you’ll realize that it’s not always the best way to go.
Our Recommendation
If you’ve always wanted to video chat with several of your friends and family members at the same time and haven’t had success with Google Hangouts, give ooVoo a try. The software is easy enough to download and install, and the quality is noticeably better than what we’ve gotten used to with other video chatting services.
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View Comments
This is really a surprisingly great service. The temptation i to think that Skype is the only way to go when thinking about free online conversations, but using OoVoo for a while you realise that the quality is really great. We all know how Skype can be twitchy. And those who use apple will find the same problem with FaceTime. We really are being a little fussy when you consider that you can use these services for free, but still it really is annoying when the connection goes. OoVoo, does have a more consistently good signal, but you can't send files for free. Worth a try if your Skype connection is annoying you.
This is so cool! I am definitely going to give it a try. I have so many friends that have moved away to other parts of the country, so I hardly ever get to see them anymore, and we can never see each other in the same place anymore. Our main form of communication is now the telephone and the Internet. I will be sure to download this program so that we can all get together again and video chat at the same time. It really is amazing what technology can allow us to do today, and this is certainly an innovative program that will bring people together.
I think this is worth a shot. While Skype has been around for a while and I am not crazy about getting even more software, the fact is that Skype is always choppy. Even when both parties have fast connections, I just don't think I have ever had a call without some issues in the quality. It does give me pause that they say "they make adjustments to the video call as your connection gets better or worse so that you’re not left with that annoying lag or choppiness". This gives me the distinct impression that they are monitoring your calls. Still, apparently everything we do is monitored anyway, so I guess I can overlook that part as long as the quality is top notch and I can have a video conference with up to 12 people - all for free.
Oovoo is awesome! I studied abroad in Italy for a year and used it to do the majority of my calling. I also had Skype that I was using, but as it said above, Skype constantly drops calls and has bad connections most of the time. I honestly only kept it on my computer because I had friends who didn’t have Oovoo and didn’t want to download another software! The only drawback is that you can’t send files for free. But that I can easily get over! I would recommend Oovoo to anyone over Skype! There’s nothing worse than losing the call in the middle of conversation!
I’ve never had any major problems with Skype before and I would be reluctant to use any other program if not for the fact the Oovoo can handle 12 video calls at once. Dee, did you try this feature before? I am really curious to know if it works the way the company advertises this feature because sometimes I find myself in the situation where I would need to have multiple calls at once, not 12 but 3 or 4 at least. If it does work as the company says, then I can see myself giving up on Skype and paying for Oovoo.
As someone who uses Skype on a daily basis and having to talk to a vast amount of people at one time. I can tell you that it lags when there's too many people on and it's hard to get a word in edge wise. If ooVoo can handle video calls (or even just voice calls) with a large amount of people then I will consider using their service. I wonder if the paid subscription will be worth it though. I guess we'll have to find out and see for ourselves.