Polycom announces social video chat app

New application ships with the new HP webcams

By Reseller News Staff, Auckland | Thursday, 12 July 2012
Polycom has announced the release of its social video software application, currently shipping with the newest HP webcams – the HP Webcam HD models 3310 and upcoming 4310.

The vendor says this HD video software is the first group social video chat application that allows users to access their contact lists in popular consumer social platforms, including Facebook, Skype and gTalk, as well as conduct HD video chats with their friends and family regardless of the applications the other participants are using or where they are.

“Millennials have been raised on video and use video and social media as their primary tools to connect with friends and family,” says Sudhakar Ramakrishna, Polycom president of Products and Services. “Collaborating with HP’s webcams, we’re bridging apps and media to make it easy for people to come together face-to-face in high-definition, even if one friend is on Skype and another is on Facebook. This is a big step forward for social media, as Polycom-powered technology is bringing islands of video chat together into a single platform.”

The new software application leverages technology from Polycom’s acquisition of ViVu in October 2011.

Polycom’s software application works on PCs and Macs and is currently available for free with HP Webcam HD models 3310 and upcoming 4310. The basic version, shipped with the webcams on an accompanying DVD, features three-way video, desktop-sharing and 15 minutes of video recording.