Feel upset when the new millennium rolled around with nary a video phone or flying car in sight?
It seems the future has finally been realized as companies roll out video-based communications faster than the black market can sell Louis Vuitton knock-offs.
First there was four-way conferencing on Apples Tiger OS; then Motorola released the Ojo video phone.
On Wednesday, Sony Electronics introduced the IVE (Instant Video Everywhere) IP-based teleconferencing system and Spain-based Dialcom Networks presented a videoconferencing plug-in for the widely used Skype voice over IP network.
Both business and home users can take advantage of Sonys IVE service, created in conjunction with GlowPoint, a leading provider of IP video services.
The IVE Business Service works with existing videoconferencing systems and costs around $499 per month for unlimited video chat.
Business users will be able to chat in a QoS, closed environment with broadcast-quality video.
“This is more than a video communications product and service,” GlowPoint CEO David Trachtenberg said. “It is a video-enabled community that truly delivers on the promise of anytime, anywhere face-to-face communications.”
Sony and GlowPoint aim to fulfill the “anytime, anywhere” promise with IVE Mobile, now available for users with Windows-based systems with a camera and broadband connection.