Popular web-based chat application Meebo has integrated voice and video chat applications directly into the Meebo’s IM window. Just fire up a chat in Meebo, then click the rocket ship icon on the message toolbar. Your window will expand to offer different integrated voice and video chat options, like previously mentioned TokBox. If your buddy isn’t also chatting in Meebo, she’ll get a link to open a Meebo chat and start the voice or video conferencing. We’re not talking the high resolution of Skype, but for a web-based, integrated video chat solution for any IM contacts, it’s pretty impressive.
Rocket Ship [Meebo Blog]New video chat web app TokBox offers much the same functionality as Skype and other services when it comes to live chat, but embedded video emails and no need for software downloads set it apart. The site’s interface aims for simplicity, offering single-button starts for launching video chat or recording a new message, and interfaces with web cams and microphones through Flash’s interface. The Times notes that TokBox “looked a little grainier, and its audio sounded a little noisier,” than Skype, but the backers—including a YouTube cofounder—say that will improve. Of course, our readers know how to get even better quality by taking Skype hi-res.
TokBox [via New York Times]
