Google will include video chat in Android, matching Apple's FaceTime feature and perhaps sowing unease among third-party VoIP clients like Fring.
Nexus S and Nexus S 4G handsets soon. Other Android 2.3 devices will reportedly get the update in the future.
Users will see text chats superimposed over the video feed, and will be able to switch to other apps while maintaining the audio portion of the call.
The move gives some Android smartphones native video calling support for the first time, matching a feature Apple introduced on the iPhone 4 ten months ago. In some ways, though, Google's offering may be more practical because many people already use Google Talk as a PC chat and VoIP client, whereas FaceTime only works between iOS devices.
But for now, most Android phones won't support the new feature, since they're still on version 2.2 and don't have forward- facing cameras anyway.
VoIP app Fring already provides video chat, including conferencing calling, for Android handsets and the iPhone. Skype is also reportedly fielding a video-capable version for Android. Skype's massive PC user base is immune to what does or doesn't happen on Android, but smaller players may find themselves squeezed out by a native client like Google Talk.
Tablets running Android 3.0 already support video chat.
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