Android 2.3.4 confirmed to introduce native video calling

As of now, not many Android phones have Gingerbread, or even have a front facing camera for that matter, but Google has just announced that the latest version of Android, version 2.3.4 will bring native video calling to the operating system. When you have the latest version of Android installed on your phone, all you have to do is launch Google Talk, and you should see an icon for video calling next to the contact’s name if he/she has video calling capabilities. Simply touching the icon will launch video calling on your phone.

While video calling has already been done by quite a number of apps on Android, it hasn’t been integrated this well. For example, if you’d like to check something while you’re in a conversation with someone, you can return to your home screen or check another app without having to end the video call. The video streaming will pause, but audio will continue. Any text messages entered during the video chat will be shown as an overlay on top of the video conversation, so you can still click on links and read text while chatting.

The updated version of Google Talk will be part of the Android 2.3.4 update that will be rolling out over the air for Nexus S phones in the next few weeks and other Android 2.3 devices in the future. Watch a video demonstration of how Google Talk video works:

George Wong
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, android 2.3, Gingerbread (Android), Google, Update, Video