“The next version of Mac OS X will deliver an updated version of iChat capable of logging into Yahoo IM accounts, providing an improved experience when using multiple accounts, and adding web page sharing in iChat Theater,” AppleInsider reports.
“Last year, Apple brought video chat to iPhone 4 under the name FaceTime, and later added support for both iPod touch and iPad 2. A Mac client for FaceTime was also released, curiously delivering very similar functionality to iChat but in a different, standalone app,” AppleInsider reports. “FaceTime uses the same open technologies as iChat does for video chats, but rather than being tethered to AOL or another IM service for “buddy” discovery, the system uses phone numbers or email addresses to establish video connections. This makes FaceTime more like a phone call (or Skype) rather than an IM chat service. ”
AppleInsider reports, “FaceTime does not monitor and advertise users’ status, making it more efficient than conventional IM on a mobile device, as there is no background user discovery process. Instead, when a user attempts to make a FaceTime call, the system triggers a push message (using the same XMPP PubSub technology Apple uses to power iOS push notifications) to the client, which can then ring, alerting the other user that an incoming call request is being made.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]