In many movies and TV shows starting in the 1950s (or possibly earlier), we were shown instances of people having telephone conversations via video conferencing, be it one-to-one or one-to-many; this was seen as the modern communication of the future.
The first real instance of truly easy video conferencing that anyone could use – and can still use – is instant messaging clients; this has been available since the early 2000s and even worked on dial-up internet. However this was PC-to-PC and not telephone or wireless phone.
Fast-forward a few years and introduce faster wireless networks (starting with EDGE) and ta-da, now you can video conference right from mobile wireless phones that have a camera.
The future has been realized. This is great, right?
Not really.
A few facts about video conferencing on wireless mobile:
- You have to look directly at the phone to be seen, as does the person you’re conversing with.
- You’re forced to use a wireless microphone or speakerphone to be heard instead of just speaking directly into the handset’s microphone.
- The bandwidth required to make a "video call" may (and probably will) work against your monthly allowed data limit.
In the end, video conferencing is decidedly inconvenient compared to texting. Once you get past the whole "Oh, cool I’m video conferencing" kick, you quickly realize that it just gets in the way more than anything else.
I’m not saying the video conferencing feature should be dropped because some people do like it – but those who like it are in the minority while the rest of us would just prefer to text instead.
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I remember the last or second to last episode of ‘Fringe’, where the characters were video-phoning each other over Sprint phones (the yellow logo was small, yet VERY visible!). The immediate difference that struck me was the way the characters had to, as you noted, hold the phone stiffly in front of them while having what was actually a very short two lines of dialogue. Plus, they had to stand still. Wouldn’t do to have Peter trip and fall while talking to Olivia! Otherwise, the character would have normally been moving or running while talking on their phone giving the viewer the sense of constant, moving, edge-of-the-seat action.
I wonder how much Sprint paid for that dramatic Product Placement insert? Also remembering that before that episode, Peter and Company had iPhones.
Last– My Male Chauvinist Id rears itself up again: Women won’t like it. Guys don’t care what they look like the same way Gals do. And if the lady is home and just laying around in her sweats and all mussed up, the notion of her phone accidentally transmitting her actual look would be. . .interesting for a lot of us.
But on a more serious note, it raises stalking issues.
and the worst bit is you have to look decent whereas you can answer a regular call or text naked.