Eyeball Chat
Encyclopedia
Eyeball Chat is a proprietary freeware
VoIP, video telephony soft phone with multiple-protocol instant messaging
for Windows
PCs, produced by Eyeball Networks in Vancouver
, and first released in 2000. The software is free for personal use.
, Google Talk
, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger buddies, drag-and-drop file and photo sharing, free voice calls between PCs and (via SIP gateway) from PCs to phones, video chat and video conferencing with up to 5 people, picture-in-picture, still snapshots during video calls, custom avatars, and chat rooms with privacy options. Call management includes call blocking, call hold/un-hold, call transfer, and call forwarding, and standards-based communication protocols SIP
and STUN
, TURN
, and ICE
support traversal of NAT
routers as well as HTTP tunneling and UPnP. Presence is supported with XMPP
and SIMPLE
.
Upon its release, the software was described in the Washington Post as "the first Web video chat service I've tested that seems easy to use" and "similar to videoconferencing programs from Microsoft and other companies, but simpler, and it provides high-quality images."
Beta version 0.9 of Eyeball Chat LE was reviewed in Internet Telephony Magazine, which stated, "the video and audio quality can be very good, especially with a first-rate camera. The settings are very customizable, and its floating interface has its pluses. For these reasons, and especially for the multi-party conferencing abilities", the software received the Editor's Choice award. It received a Communications ASP Magazine 2000 Product of the Year award, and a variety of other accolades.
Version 1.1 incorporated text messaging, window docking; version 1.21 (April 2001) incorporated better video capture and firewall support, call blocking, improved text messaging and web integration. The PC Magazine
May 2001 review of Eyeball Chat LE v1.21 approved of the product's "breadth of control", including image resizing, automatic or manual frame rate and quality adjustments, and its management features for call blocking, information privacy, and text chatting or video answering of calls. On the other hand, it was "not quite ready for prime time" because Internet congestion resulted in video and audio degradation, required multiple connection attempts, and the audio lag required speaking "at a deliberate pace, punctuated by pauses". Overall, "Eyeball chat should be graded on a curve", and it was deemed "pretty neat."
In 2002, with version 2.0, Eyeball Chat chatrooms migrated from the web into the application, requiring web login only for user profile editing, Video Message recording and sending were added, as was IM with AIM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger, and improved contact management and privacy settings.
In its 2002 review, ZDNet
UK gave Eyeball Chat 2.0 a score of 5.6 (out of 10). The program's connectivity to AIM, MSN, and Yahoo for sending recorded video messages, real-time video with other Eyeball users, and its installation simplicity were all listed as "pros", but its "hyped-to-the-hilt video-message delivery service"'s inability to interoperate from behind a firewall, lack of ICQ support, no private chat rooms, and "nearly nonexistent" technical support were listed as "cons." It worked "like a charm" with other Eyeball Chat users. The review summarized, "Eyeball Chat 2.0 promises more than it can deliver. For now, Trillian is a better interoperable messenger, since that client handles ICQ too. For video chat, turn to Yahoo Messenger; if you have Windows XP, go for Windows Messenger."
Version v2.1 of the software, addressed some criticisms by improving firewall support for live video chat and video messaging, and "video adaptation", and version 2.2 (August 2002) improved frame rates and audio, support for AIM, MSN, and Yahoo!, improved firewall support, and added new chat rooms. In its August 2002 review, USA Today
gave the program 3 out of 4 stars, noting that its video and audio quality was "snappier and sonically cleaner than the competition until Yahoo upgraded its product last week", but, without high-speed Internet connection, video was "virtually unwatchable."
Eyeball Chat version 2.2 was released June 5, 2002
In 2009 Eyeball Chat 3.0 was released with a redesigned interface, and provides PC-to-Phone capabilities.
In its May 2011 review of Eyeball Chat 3.1, BSTDownload.com gave the software 4.5/5 stars, stating that it can "import buddies from other services like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and MSN", "supports drag-and-drop file sharing and video conferencing (5 simultaneous users maximum)," has picture-in-picture, and snapshots during video chat, can make audio-only PC to PC calls, has an "embedded address book," and supports custom avatars. Detailed scores for resource usage: 29/35, ease of use: 19/20, look and feel: 9/10, and for functionality: 32/35
In 2011, version 3.2 was announced. The French Tom's Guide made note of the software's emphasis on video (as opposed to Windows Live Messenger), the integration of phone list with contact list, and referred to the video and audio quality as "fluid and fast".
The Dutch Personal Computer Magazine gave the software 2.5 (of 5) stars, called its microphone operation "slow", the process of adding a contact "clumsy", disliked that the incoming call window is not automatically moved to the front of other windows, and that since Eyeball Chat does not use invitations (like Skype), it's not possible to see who is adding you to their contacts list.
Eyeball Networks states that as of 2009, Eyeball Chat has over 7 million registered users.
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
VoIP, video telephony soft phone with multiple-protocol instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PCs, produced by Eyeball Networks in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, and first released in 2000. The software is free for personal use.
Features
Eyeball Chat allows text message exchanges with individuals or conferences, and with AIMAOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
, Google Talk
Google Talk
Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger buddies, drag-and-drop file and photo sharing, free voice calls between PCs and (via SIP gateway) from PCs to phones, video chat and video conferencing with up to 5 people, picture-in-picture, still snapshots during video calls, custom avatars, and chat rooms with privacy options. Call management includes call blocking, call hold/un-hold, call transfer, and call forwarding, and standards-based communication protocols SIP
Session Initiation Protocol
The Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...
and STUN
STUN
STUN is a standardized set of methods, including a network protocol, used in NAT traversal for applications of real-time voice, video, messaging, and other interactive IP communications....
, TURN
Traversal Using Relay NAT
Traversal Using Relays around NAT is a protocol that allows for an element behind a Network address translator or firewall to receive incoming data over TCP or UDP connections. It is most useful for elements behind symmetric NATs or firewalls that wish to be on the receiving end of a connection...
, and ICE
Interactive Connectivity Establishment
Interactive Connectivity Establishment is a technique used in computer networking involving network address translators in Internet applications of Voice over Internet Protocol , peer-to-peer communications, video, instant messaging and other interactive media...
support traversal of NAT
Nat
Nat or NAT may refer to:* Nat., an abbreviation for Natural* Nat , a Burmese spirit worshipped in Myanmar in conjunction with Buddhism...
routers as well as HTTP tunneling and UPnP. Presence is supported with XMPP
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is an open-standard communications protocol for message-oriented middleware based on XML . The protocol was originally named Jabber, and was developed by the Jabber open-source community in 1999 for near-real-time, extensible instant messaging , presence...
and SIMPLE
SIMPLE
SIMPLE, the Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions, is an instant messaging and presence protocol suite based on Session Initiation Protocol managed by the IETF...
.
History
At its introduction in October 2000, features of the software included "proprietary media delivery technology", a contact list to monitor online/offline status and to enable a one-click video chat session, control of picture size, frame rate, and audio performance, and other media quality attributes". Services available for a paid subscription were to include "multi-party video conferencing -- up to six people, video messaging -- record, send, and play video messages, and web-based access -- initiate video chat session and view video messages from any browser." At the time, Eyeball Networks stated that it intended "to charge fees for certain types of use of the Eyeball Chat System, and for the use of some of the features of the system" but in 2009, this was replaced by a requirement that large institutional users should buy one of the company's "enterprise products and/or solutions."Upon its release, the software was described in the Washington Post as "the first Web video chat service I've tested that seems easy to use" and "similar to videoconferencing programs from Microsoft and other companies, but simpler, and it provides high-quality images."
Beta version 0.9 of Eyeball Chat LE was reviewed in Internet Telephony Magazine, which stated, "the video and audio quality can be very good, especially with a first-rate camera. The settings are very customizable, and its floating interface has its pluses. For these reasons, and especially for the multi-party conferencing abilities", the software received the Editor's Choice award. It received a Communications ASP Magazine 2000 Product of the Year award, and a variety of other accolades.
Version 1.1 incorporated text messaging, window docking; version 1.21 (April 2001) incorporated better video capture and firewall support, call blocking, improved text messaging and web integration. The PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
May 2001 review of Eyeball Chat LE v1.21 approved of the product's "breadth of control", including image resizing, automatic or manual frame rate and quality adjustments, and its management features for call blocking, information privacy, and text chatting or video answering of calls. On the other hand, it was "not quite ready for prime time" because Internet congestion resulted in video and audio degradation, required multiple connection attempts, and the audio lag required speaking "at a deliberate pace, punctuated by pauses". Overall, "Eyeball chat should be graded on a curve", and it was deemed "pretty neat."
In 2002, with version 2.0, Eyeball Chat chatrooms migrated from the web into the application, requiring web login only for user profile editing, Video Message recording and sending were added, as was IM with AIM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger, and improved contact management and privacy settings.
In its 2002 review, ZDNet
ZDNet
ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
UK gave Eyeball Chat 2.0 a score of 5.6 (out of 10). The program's connectivity to AIM, MSN, and Yahoo for sending recorded video messages, real-time video with other Eyeball users, and its installation simplicity were all listed as "pros", but its "hyped-to-the-hilt video-message delivery service"'s inability to interoperate from behind a firewall, lack of ICQ support, no private chat rooms, and "nearly nonexistent" technical support were listed as "cons." It worked "like a charm" with other Eyeball Chat users. The review summarized, "Eyeball Chat 2.0 promises more than it can deliver. For now, Trillian is a better interoperable messenger, since that client handles ICQ too. For video chat, turn to Yahoo Messenger; if you have Windows XP, go for Windows Messenger."
Version v2.1 of the software, addressed some criticisms by improving firewall support for live video chat and video messaging, and "video adaptation", and version 2.2 (August 2002) improved frame rates and audio, support for AIM, MSN, and Yahoo!, improved firewall support, and added new chat rooms. In its August 2002 review, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave the program 3 out of 4 stars, noting that its video and audio quality was "snappier and sonically cleaner than the competition until Yahoo upgraded its product last week", but, without high-speed Internet connection, video was "virtually unwatchable."
Eyeball Chat version 2.2 was released June 5, 2002
In 2009 Eyeball Chat 3.0 was released with a redesigned interface, and provides PC-to-Phone capabilities.
In its May 2011 review of Eyeball Chat 3.1, BSTDownload.com gave the software 4.5/5 stars, stating that it can "import buddies from other services like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and MSN", "supports drag-and-drop file sharing and video conferencing (5 simultaneous users maximum)," has picture-in-picture, and snapshots during video chat, can make audio-only PC to PC calls, has an "embedded address book," and supports custom avatars. Detailed scores for resource usage: 29/35, ease of use: 19/20, look and feel: 9/10, and for functionality: 32/35
In 2011, version 3.2 was announced. The French Tom's Guide made note of the software's emphasis on video (as opposed to Windows Live Messenger), the integration of phone list with contact list, and referred to the video and audio quality as "fluid and fast".
The Dutch Personal Computer Magazine gave the software 2.5 (of 5) stars, called its microphone operation "slow", the process of adding a contact "clumsy", disliked that the incoming call window is not automatically moved to the front of other windows, and that since Eyeball Chat does not use invitations (like Skype), it's not possible to see who is adding you to their contacts list.
Eyeball Networks states that as of 2009, Eyeball Chat has over 7 million registered users.