ooVoo - A possible Skype alternative

Posted on April 15, 2008 at 5:13 am

Are you looking for a better way to communicate with others? I have a great solution for you that does not involve using Skype service. Despite the fact that many users all over the world love Skype and the features it has, there are plenty of times that we all wish for something just a little different.

Rummaging around on the Internet, I came across an application called ooVoo. Not only was I impressed with it, but I found it easy to use as well. Within a few minutes, I had it completely downloaded on my computer and ready to begin communicating with friends and family.

ooVoo is an online video chat service that also offers great videoconferencing features. If you have longed for another alternative to using Skype services, then consider giving this application a try. Instead of having boring online video chats, you can add a few special effects for a little extra fun.

Videos will be streamed in a high quality, free from major distortions. One of the best things about using ooVoo is the ability to have face to face chatting session in real time with others or recording the session for a video message later. You can also easily import your existing contacts or locate friends via Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Facebook, and others.

As a an introductory to the service, ooVoo is now currently offering 500 minutes of free calling to landline or mobile phones based out of the United States or Canada. Although I haven’t been able to receive incoming calls, it is still a pretty useful service to have. Call quality was clear and crisp.

I didn’t experience any lagging when speaking to others or an echo. This alone has made the service a major bonus for me. Using it for videoconferencing can be beneficial for business owners and regular consumers. You’ll be able to successfully do this with up to six people at one time. To get the best experience possible, remember to adjust the frame rate according to your preferences.

The interface is nice and sleek looking with a black background. In order to customize some of the default preferences, just enter the settings menu and tweak it a bit. You can set your privacy settings, video settings, and many other features.

Another helpful benefit of using ooVoo is the ability to record your phone calls when needed. There is no complex method for doing so. All you would need to do is simply press the record button while on a call. Once the call has ended, it will be automatically be processed and saved into a folder on your computer for later listening.

My overall impression of ooVoo is a positive one because it has potential. Despite the fact it is lacking in some of the features of well established Skype, it still has a few things going for it. The video quality, sound quality, and ability to record calls are all bonuses for me. ooVoo’s Beta stage has a few kinks that need to be worked out, but nothing overwhelmingly major.

Although I am a current Skype user, my eyes will definitely be kept on this service because of its videoconferencing features and extras. Right now the cost of using ooVoo is free, but probably in the near future rates will soon apply. Until then, I’m going to keep using it until my free minutes run out.

Ms Yokum
Tech Enthusiast & Blogger

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One Response to “ooVoo - A possible Skype alternative”

Lisa said on : April 16th, 2008 at 6:48 am

Hi. I read your post and happy that you’re enjoying ooVoo. I work for the company and would love to get more of your feedback, especially on the “kinks” you’ve encountered as I like to pass these along quickly to our product team. Email me or ooVoo me: oovooLisa