Michael Jennings (he who got the pictures back (thank you Michael)) writes this on Facebook. It’s not personal, so I’m pretty sure he won’t mind me recycling it here, even if I don’t believe a link is in order:
Video calling has been technically possible for 50 years, and telephone companies made various attempts in the first 40 of those years to get people to buy it, but nobody was interested. A sizeable portion of people have had video calling available to them as an option (for free) for about ten years. However, it was still only used in niche cases.
Is now the moment that using video has become the default thing that people do when they just want to talk to someone?
I do not now do this, nor even know how to do it. What’s the betting I do get to do it, some time during the next month or so? I’m pretty sure I will, if you-know-what drags on longer than we all now are hoping.
It would mean me getting a computer with a camera on it, which I do not now have. But I’ve been thinking about getting a new laptop for a while now, for photoing and blogging when out and about. Will video-phoning be the killer app that pushes me over that line? Or, maybe I should do as Michael says, and get a new phone.
Michael thinks: I am sure Brian’s present phone handles video calls just fine.
Michael calls Brian and has video conversation via WhatsApp.
Prophecy made by Briain in this post therefore fulfilled.
I was only partly right. As Michael J proved with his call to me, I already had the technology and the software, all ready to go, which I thought I didn’t have. I merely lacked the knowledge that I possessed it. Already. So, no need for any new purchase of anything, like laptop or new phone, although I may still do one or both of these some time soon.
Not sure I’ll be using this much though. It’s the difference between: okay that’s nice, and: I can’t function without this. It’s not a killer app, for me, merely a superficial wound app.