Edward C. Baig
USA Today
Adam and AnnLee Schwadron of Miami try out the AT&T Video Share phone while touring Times Square in New York.
Ever want a friend’s opinion before buying an outfit, but the buddy whose advice you cherish is not with you in the store? Wish you could share your kid’s Little League game as it’s happening with grandparents who live far away?
Now, you can call them on your cellphone and show them live, streaming video of what you are seeing — while continuing to carry on a conversation. These and other scenarios make up the pitch for a first-of-its-kind service launched this week by AT&T (T) called Video Share.
The service mostly worked as promised in my New York City tests with two compatible Samsung phones. But while the potential is there, the initial service is costly, the quality of the experience is far from perfect, and you and the person you are talking to must have access to AT&T’s fastest, so-called 3G, or third-generation, network. That ruled out testing in and around my New Jersey neighborhood. AT&T says 3G service is available in nearly 160 markets nationwide.
Here’s a closer look:
•What you’ll need. Video Share works with one of four handsets, including the pair I tested with a colleague, the $150 Samsung 717 and $100 Samsung 727. The other compatible phones are the Samsung Sync and the LG CU500, each $50. (All prices are with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate; further discounts are available online.) AT&T says more phones that take advantage of Video Share are coming. You and the person you are sharing video with both must be using one of these phones during a call.
•Starting the video. You make a phone call as usual. If you are in a 3G environment, a Video Share prompt will automatically appear on the phone. A tiny 3G status indicator lets you know you’re in 3G territory. If not, you’ll see an “E” representing the slower AT&T Edge data network; Video Share will not be an option. AT&T’s 3G network is based on the geeky-sounding UMTS/HSDPA standards, which permit simultaneous transmission of voice and video.
Only, sometimes the Video Share option was not offered even when I was supposedly in a 3G coverage area. Turning the device off and on again provided a quick fix, like it sometimes does when rebooting a computer. The Video Share option was presented the next time I was on a call.
While on a call, either party can initiate a video session. The person who does so will see an “Establishing a Video Connection” message while waiting for the other person to accept the “(So and so) Wants To Share Video With You” invitation. Once accepted, video from your phone’s camera will be seen on both your device and the other person’s display. Since the whole idea of this exercise is to keep your eyes glued to the screen, the speakerphone turns on by default.
But while the audio conversation is two way, the video is only one way. That means both parties see only the video captured by the person who initiated the video session. You can switch off by shutting down one video feed in favor of the stream from the other phone. AT&T isn’t tipping its hand on when two-way video will be available. For now, you can also save a recording of the video when you are done, possibly to upload to the Web (though not a seamless process).
•The experience. We’re not exactly talking high-definition video here, or even TV-quality video. It’s grainy and choppy. But you can at least make out what is happening on screen. For example, I was able to read newspaper headlines.
I experienced far bigger problems with the speakerphone; there was a lot of background noise, and my colleague and I often talked over each other.
•Pricing. AT&T is offering two expensive monthly Video Share plans. A $5 plan gives you just 25 Video Share minutes a month, with each additional minute billed at 30 cents. A $10 plan gives you 60 Video Share minutes, with each additional minute costing 25 cents. Video Share minutes are charged only to the sender. You can also pay 35 cents a minute on a per-use basis.
•Where this is headed. AT&T says the new service is just the beginning. In the company’s vision of the future, you’ll eventually be able to receive Video Share calls on your PC or TV screen. “This is a very rich area for innovation,” says David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T’s wireless unit. For now, Video Share does give you the sense of “being there.” But the service could be cheaper, and the video and audio quality better.