The sheer power of video is well-known; we
all remember what it did to radio back in the '80s, after all. But what would
happen if video picked a fight with video? Curious, we tossed two of the top video chat options into a cage
to determine the superior specimen. Skype may be the big man on campus, but
Google's scrappy video calling plugin delivers the same features from within
the Google ecosystem. There can be only one!
Round 1: Video and Audio Quality
Google video chat looks better, hands
down. As you can see in the screenshots at right – which were taken with the
same device, on the same network, in the same time frame – Google’s picture is
clean and clear.
Whether
you're using it in Google+, Gmail, or the Google Talk app, Google's video calls
come through crisp and clear. And the Ul is very clean and intuitive.
Skype, on the other hand, is much more
pixelated and blurry, though still serviceable. There are more glitches and
momentary freezes in Skype's video calls. Don't get us wrong, Skype is totally
usable – just nowhere near as smooth as Google video chat. These results
stayed the same across multiple devices and networks.
The audio quality for both services is akin
to talking to someone on a cellphone. As expected, group video chats degrade in
quality as more users join in, though Google handles large groups better.
Winner: Google
Round 2: Device Support
Both video chat services do a bang-up job
of supporting all the major operating systems, including Linux. The big difference
lies in auxiliary device support. Google's desire to integrate video and voice
calling into its ecosystem and Skype's focus on universal functionality come
to a head here.
Device
Support – Skype is the winner
Google video chat is available on both
Android devices and the iPhone via either the Google+ or Google Talk apps, but
that's about it. Skype, on the other hand, makes video calls through its
dedicated Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone apps, as well as a growing number
of Smart TVs that either ship with Skype and a webcam or offer a webcam
accessory.
On the social media front, Google video
chat powers Google+'s Hangouts while Skype provides the muscle behind
Facebook's video calling.
Winner: Skype
Google video chat is a browser plugin
rather than a standalone program, so installing it is a marvel of simplicity:
Install the plugin, then restart your browser. Boom! Done. (The desktop Google
Talk app doesn't support video calling.) The service uses your existing Google
ID so most people won't even need to go through the hassle of setting up an account,
though Google chats only work in Gmail, Google+, and the GTalk app.
Ease
of Use/ Installation – Google is the winner
Skype is a stand-alone program, so it
takes a bit more work to set up. The process is straightforward, but downloading
and installing a large program, then creating a Skype account takes much
longer than setting up Google's video chat plugin.
Both services are remarkably easy to use:
Just select a contact and start jib-jabbering. Chatting couldn't be simpler.
Winner: Google
Both services include the ability to make
free voice calls to other members and low-cost calls to outside telephone
lines, but Google one-ups Skype by offering free calls to the U.S. and Canada.
Skype currently charges 2.3 cents per minute for domestic U.S. calls.
Additional
Features – Google continuously is the winner
Google offers free, limited texting through
Google Voice, but not directly through the video plugin itself. You need to pay
9 cents per domestic text with Skype.
Google also comes out on top during group
video chats. Google+ Hangouts are easy, powerful, and support up to 10
simultaneous users, for free. The ability to edit Google Docs or watch YouTube
videos as a group is a huge plus. Skype handles 10-person video conferences,
too, but at least one person has to have a Premium subscription.
Winner: Google
Round 5: Number of Users
This originally wasn't even going to be a
category, but then we tried to actually use Google's video chat and none of our
numerous Google contacts were online to serve as test subjects, aside from fellow
professional tech dorks. Ditto the second time we went online... and the
third... and the seventh....
And
about Number of Users, Skype is the Winner
Posting a request for help on Google+,
where we have hundreds of followers, resulted in a couple of positive responses
(thanks, Scott Davis and Trevor Foster!) and several comments along the line
of, ‘Meh, I don't use that.’
Skype, however, is virtually synonymous
with video chatting and overflowing with active users. A key factor is the
integrated Facebook functionality; your Facebook Friends also appear online
with Skype. Finding people to chat with is a snap on Skype.
Winner: Skype
And the Winner is...
What? Google video chat won three out of
five rounds – including A/V quality, by far – and Skype still wins the crown?
Yep, and here's why: Google video chat is a ghost town. Skype may not look as
pretty or offer Google video chat's bells and whistles, but it's nevertheless
an incredibly solid service with a user base that actually uses it. Your
mileage may vary if you can convince your pals to board Google's bandwagon,
however.
