Filed under: mac

Five free videoconferencing solutions for Mac users

The recent news that Skype has started charging a fee for group videoconferencing may not have come as a surprise to anyone—after all, the company had clearly stated that it was planning to make the feature a pay service once Skype 5.0 exited beta. However, that doesn’t change the fact that one of the best multi-party videoconferencing options for OS X has suddenly disappeared behind a paywall.

Fear not, though. The intrepid Macworld staff has scoured the Internets to bring you five alternatives to Skype that will let you create a videoconference with your friends while still preserving the sanctity of your wallet. Some of the options are obvious ones, while others are a bit off the beaten path. In all cases, this article only focuses on applications and services that allow multiple users to be connected together in a videoconference, rather than just simple one-to-one conversations.

iChat

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Let’s start with the choice that requires the least effort: iChat. Available on every Mac as part of the default OS X installation, iChat is not only great for one-on-one conversations using chat, audio, and video, but can also connect you and three others via video. If you own a copy of iLife, you can even use GarageBand to record your conferences and turn them into podcasts.

iChat’s only real downside is that it’s an OS X-only application, which means that you won’t be able to share the joy with your friends and colleagues running Windows and Linux.

QNext

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QNext is a multi-platform chat and conferencing application that allows users to interact in a number of ways: instant messaging, media sharing, and audio and video chat. It runs on OS X, Windows, Linux, and a variety of mobile devices, and supports videoconferencing between up to four computers.

While QNext is entirely free and supports text chatting with users of multiple networks like AIM and GTalk, it does have to be installed on the computer of each participant in order for a videoconference to take place.

Tokbox

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Unlike the other two solutions that we have examined so far, Tokbox’s video chat solution is not a client application that needs to be installed on your computer, but, rather a service that runs directly in your browser, via Adobe’s Flash platform. It is also a specialized system that was designed primarily for videoconferencing, which means that it is unlikely to replace your current instant messaging client for day-to-day chatting.

However, Tokbox’s ephemeral nature also means that you don’t have to spend the first ten minutes of every conference call waiting for the other participants to install software on their computers; you can simply invite them to join your conference directly from a Web browser and, as long as they have a recent version of Flash installed, you’ll be able to see their smiling faces in a matter of seconds, regardless of what operating system they run.

Tinychat

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In the company’s own words, Tinychat “provides dead simple, free to use, video chat rooms that just work.” Much like Tokbox, Tinychat is a Web-based service that uses Flash to allow multiple users to chat via audio, video, and text. Its greatest strength is its simplicity: you visit the Website, choose a name for your own chatroom, and end up with a URL to share with your friends. There is no need to sign up for service, give out any personal information, or install any software.

Given how easy it is to use, Tinychat could be the best solution for chatting with family members who like things to “just work” and are not comfortable with custom software. On the downside, the service offers little flexibility in the way your videoconference is run—for example, you cannot limit access to it by setting a password, and the moderation tools it provides are very limited. The combination of free service and ease of use also tends to attract a number of… colorful users, which means that browsing the service's existing chat rooms is not for the faint of heart.

Sifonr

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Our final stop on the road to videoconferencing independence is a system called Sifonr. Much like Tinychat, this Web-based application uses Flash to create video chat rooms with an unlimited number of participants. Most interestingly, it takes advantage of a feature called peer-assisted networking to allow the participants to share their bandwidth in order to improve the overall quality and efficiency of the service—obviously a plus for users with limited Internet connectivity. And the service throws in peer-to-peer file sharing for good measure.

Sifonr does not require its users to sign up for service; like Tinychat, it allows you to create a chatroom in a matter of seconds just by picking an arbitrary name. You can then share the room’s unique URL with your friends and get your conference started without too much hassle. Once again, the controls are minimal and moderation tools are very basic, which means that just about anybody can join your videoconference with little or no warning. One nice feature, however, is the ability to run the videoconference in full-screen mode.

The adventure continues

Our short list of five alternatives to Skype has only begun to scratch the surface of the many different options available to Mac users. A few minutes’ worth of Google time will lead you to a veritable treasure trove of options, from complex business-grade solutions to simple consumer-oriented tools.

At the end of the day, you may still decide that the fee Skype charges for its service is low enough to outweigh the hassle of using a different provider, but, if you want choice, there is plenty to be had.

Anyone try any of these? iChat is the only one I've used. Love it, but I still know a few people who use PCs. :)

Hidden Finds Your MacBook and Snaps the Thief, Free Until January

Hidden Finds Your MacBook and Snaps the Thief, Free Until January (Normally $20)

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Mac OS X only: That new MacBook Air? It's easy for a thief to hoist. Install theft tracking solution Hidden and you'll know your MacBook's coordinates, screenshots, webcam pictures, and other incriminating data—and the app (normally $20) is currently free.

Unlike some other device-tracking services (like the Prey service we detailed in a video drama), Hidden doesn't constantly ping back, or do anything, really, until you mark your device "Stolen" through the webapp. When you do pull the trigger, Hidden gets to work, collecting location data pulled from every source it can, snapping pictures of the thief or screen regularly or on-demand, and capturing all kinds of nerdy network use data.

The Hidden team does a lot of things right, beyond data collection. They state that they work with police if you file a claim, they offer a 50% discount if you're upgrading from another loss-prevention package, and they offer lots of advice on their support page about setting up your Mac to best take advantage of their service (hint: having a "Guest" account can be a good idea, in this case).

Hidden, normally $20, is free until January through Hidden's web site.

Figured I'd give it a shot and see if it works. Has anyone else tried this with their Mac?

Apple - App Store

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I'm actually really looking forward to the App Store for Mac. The App Store model for mobile devices has taken off, so it only makes sense to bring it to the desktop as well.

Mac owners, what do you think? Will you buy more software if it's available in a store format similar to what you use on your iPhone or Blackberry or Android device?

MacBook Pro and ATI X1600 Graphics Card

I love my first generation 17" MacBook Pro, but a few weeks ago I started having issues with the display. Horizontal lines, blocks of gradient color, random display freezes, and now distorted or stretched images. It only happens once the laptop gets into "normal" operating temperatures (CPU @ 150F, GPU @ 130F.) Rather than re-write everything that's been written, I'll just post the links I've found regarding this issue. If you're having the same problems, feel free to post your findings in the comments below. I re-installed SMC Fan Control, and managed to get the CPU temperature down a few degrees, but still haven't managed to get rid of the display anomalies. It seems to be a heat issue, but as anyone with one of the early MBPs can attest to, heat has always been an issue on these machines. Mine is out of warranty, and is also a work laptop--so I can't even really take it apart to see if I can fix any obvious thermal issues myself. I'm frustrated, and afraid it's going to die on me... And I doubt our department has the budget to replace it.

iTunes 8.1

iTunes 8.1 released... I don't have one of the new Shuffles, but if there's a speed improvement, I'm all for it. iTunes was beginning to feel a bit sluggish.
iTunes 8.1 is now faster and more responsive. You will enjoy noticeable improvements when working with large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, preparing to sync with iPod or iPhone, and optimizing photos for syncing. In addition, iTunes 8.1 provides many other improvements and bug fixes, including: • Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation). • Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ. • Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows. • Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs. • Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods. • Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus. • Includes many accessibility improvements. • Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls. For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222