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iChat is More than Instant Messaging

58 Responses (Add) | Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 7:17pm

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When Apple released the features of Leopard, some Mac users got their hoodies in a twist over iChat. They compared it to Windows Messenger… but couldn’t be further from being correct.

iChat isn’t just for instant messaging. Just some of the cool enhancements to iChat include:

With the new video backdrops built into iChat, you can make it look like you’re chatting from the Eiffel Tower, under the sea, or from the moon. You can also create your own custom backdrops by dragging a picture or video from iPhoto or the Finder into the video effects window. Backdrops even show up on the screens of buddies who don’t have Leopard.
Transform your video chats using new Photo Booth effects. Add kapow! to a chat with the comic book effect. Get twisted with twirl. Soften your image with glow. Just choose an effect and your video changes instantly.
Why wait for a darkened room and a projector to present vacation photos or Keynote slides? iChat Theater Now you can do it all remotely, right in iChat. Put on a photo slideshow, click through a Keynote presentation, or play a movie — in full screen, accompanied by a video feed of you hosting — while your buddy looks on. In fact, you can show any file on your system that works with Quick Look.
Thanks to iChat screen sharing, you and your buddy can observe and control a single desktop with iChat, making it a cinch to collaborate with a colleague, browse the web with a friend, or pick plane seats with your spouse. Share your own desktop or your buddy’s — you both have control at all times. And iChat automatically initiates an audio chat when you start a screen sharing session, so you can talk things through while you’re at it.
Now you can save your audio and video chats for posterity with iChat recording. Before recording starts, iChat notifies your buddies and asks for their permission to record. When you’re done chatting, iChat stores your audio chats as AAC files and video chats as MPEG-4 files so you can play them in iTunes or QuickTime. Share them with colleagues, friends, and family or sync them to your iPod and play on the go.

Who says that Instant Messaging has ever had this much functionality… and been this much fun?

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58 Comments

Windows Vista Torrent

October 30th, 2007
at 10:01am

Tech Interviews Chris Plays Santa and Gives away an LED Keyboard Apple Trusts Users more than Microsoft? Is Apple?s .Mac for OS X Worth it? Why a Mac Does not Need a Second Mouse ButtoniChat is More than Instant MessagingWindows Vista – Promises Delivered? How to Troubleshoot your Network The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing? What is Ventrilo? Making the Case for Windows

Colaboración Online, Editores Independientes, Privacidad y Seguridad en los Nuevos Medios e ITC

October 30th, 2007
at 10:19am

Pirillo.comiChat is More than Instant MessagingWhen Apple released the features of Leopard, some Mac users got their hoodies in a twist over iChat… Read more… Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins / Mashable!

PYSFsailing

October 29th, 2007
at 7:24pm

First comment.

PLdrummer

October 29th, 2007
at 7:25pm

NOOB!

PLdrummer

October 29th, 2007
at 7:25pm

second! hehe

Zer0small

October 29th, 2007
at 7:26pm

o.O

34skyline

October 29th, 2007
at 7:42pm

there’s alot new features like spaces, create your own widget, time machine, quick look, bootcamp, core animation, image, audio, stacks,cover flow etc…hey chris can you cover some of these features.

o0splitpaw0o

October 29th, 2007
at 7:42pm

That’s impressive!

macflyfilm

October 29th, 2007
at 7:49pm

Highlight screen-sharing Chris, it rocks!

ursad

October 29th, 2007
at 8:01pm

I would love to see you cover more of iChat like 34skyline said, MSN has never been that good, every one use it becouse it come’s with windows. Also another good IM is XFire its looks a lot better with differnt skins,

buckamoona

October 29th, 2007
at 9:59pm

ichat is nothing more than an instant messaging application

owen0334

October 30th, 2007
at 1:06am

I really like the tool in Safari that allows you to create widgets from any web page.

What happened to the Star Wars hologram video effect in iChat? Steve Jobs gave a demo of it in his keynote, but now that I have Leopard, that effect isn’t anywhere to be found.

IKLIPTIC

October 30th, 2007
at 4:10am

howmany times does ha have to say “not by any stretch of the imagination” at least 1-2 times per video at least. but good review non the less.

DavidDude96

October 30th, 2007
at 9:05am

i love ichat
i believe EVERYONE should have a mac

Coraxuss

October 30th, 2007
at 9:14am

Did you or did you just not get the entire point of this video?

DavidDude96

October 30th, 2007
at 4:05pm

i love ichat
i believe EVERYONE should have a mac

jodorowsky00

October 30th, 2007
at 8:53pm

Pirrilo did you forget screen share?
ichat effects with movies?
its so fun, me and my friend played with this and it rock, you spend hours showing video , text, pictures.

jodorowsky00

October 31st, 2007
at 3:53am

Pirrilo did you forget screen share?
ichat effects with movies?
its so fun, me and my friend played with this and it rock, you spend hours showing video , text, pictures.

nestor240

October 31st, 2007
at 5:33pm

What kind of mac are you using. I think it only works with the intel based

nestor240

November 1st, 2007
at 12:33am

What kind of mac are you using. I think it only works with the intel based

Immortalcatz

November 4th, 2007
at 12:37pm

Btw, anyone know the best Mic/headset to use for a Mac? (Got mini)

Immortalcatz

November 4th, 2007
at 12:46pm

(btw, I use duel intel core mac mini)
*may upgrate to leopard soon too….

Immortalcatz

November 4th, 2007
at 8:37pm

Btw, anyone know the best Mic/headset to use for a Mac? (Got mini)

Immortalcatz

November 4th, 2007
at 8:46pm

(btw, I use duel intel core mac mini)
*may upgrate to leopard soon too….

jayvee f.

November 9th, 2007
at 8:14pm

apple doesnt seem to stress that you can use the same backdrops on ichat with photobooth for enhancing video podcasts.

any of you know of sites that offer free video backdrops? :)

Shwamperoos

November 20th, 2007
at 3:58pm

“You underestimate the power over Apple.”

Best. Line. Ever.

PYSFsailing

November 21st, 2007
at 7:02am

Suck it

mkemoran

December 5th, 2007
at 5:38am

Hi, is there any way to communicate with a yahoo messenger -PC- user if I am using Ichat? I tried to use yahoo messenger for mac, but the audio feature does not work, any ideas, suggestions?
Thanks dude. btw, what do you do? you got a sweet/expensive set up at home there. oh, and can you talk a bit about your dell 30″ lcd’s and apple’s?
thanks

kevinroemer

December 6th, 2007
at 11:30am

Why do u have 2 MBP

mongoosecage

December 28th, 2007
at 12:40am

please give them the money to afford one.

JapnGurl

January 12th, 2008
at 12:27am

LOL i like my hoody WOOO! haha nice humor at the begining. and you have 2 laptops? AWESOME! and is that a tv in the back of them?

toshibatobe

January 18th, 2008
at 6:57am

Yes he has to macbooks and those are two 20 in. monitors for his other computer.

JapnGurl

January 18th, 2008
at 10:13pm

SWEET

toshibatobe

January 19th, 2008
at 12:07am

Wait sorry. Typo. They are 30 in. Monitors

where221

January 25th, 2008
at 11:26am

u sound like a girl!

Mighty Sandwich

February 29th, 2008
at 9:44pm

When I made the decision to upgrade to Leopard, iChat was one of the programs that I was most excited to try out. After playing around with all of the video effects and backdrops, I realized that I didn’t have any IM ‘Buddies” to invite to chat. Occasionally the Bonjour finds one or two other Mac users on our so-called “campus-wide” wireless network (I’m still tethered to an ethernet cable in my dorm). I have enough trouble meeting people in person, and inviting a complete stranger to a live video chat doesn’t really appeal to me.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), my younger brother has recently been in need of assistance with his schoolwork and doesn’t always have a ton of help around the house as both my parents work relatively odd hours. I was surprised to get a call from my dad asking about using video chat to help my brother with his more difficult assignments (and believe me, trying to explain certain types of math problems without visual aid gets old fast). Since the computers in the household are all Windows machines, I guess the choice is AIM for Mac to PC video chat (trying to explain what exactly Skype does is something else altogether).

Now all that’s needed is a low-budget webcam to capture the video from the PC, and for some reason, my mom doesn’t seem to want anything other than a Microsoft product. Her reasoning is that it will go along with the other “Windows stuff” that she already has. In that case, Xbox 360 Vision Cam or bust.

vovtoons

March 3rd, 2008
at 7:59am

Chris,
A lot of people like myself are having a “Communication Error” with IChat. I have a 2 week old Mac Mini with Leopard. I was on the phone with Apple getting Port assignments for my Wireless Belkin Router. Than I called Belkin & they instructed me on where type in each port Number. I have my Firewall Off in Leopard & also Off on router. Still same Error. There are some buddies I can connect with and IChat Video works great. Others, it never works with. Thanks.

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