Videoconferencing Via Pocket PC's?

Videoconferencing is one of the most interesting technologies to come out of the last twenty years. Videoconferencing, as a technology, isn't necessarily a new invention. Videoconferencing, on some level, was available when the first televisions sets were created. Two closed circuit television sets could be connected via a cable, and one participant could see and talk to another. The technology did begin to grow and change, but for many years, it was far too expensive to be useful to very many people. Moreover, the quality of the original video conferencing systems was so poor, that few people wanted to invest in such horrible technology, as it didn't really have any serious practical applications at the time. In the nineteen eighties, telephone companies attempted a revolution in the video conferencing industry, but it, again, failed, because the phone lines were far too poor to transmit high quality video images that people wanted to see using video conferencing equipment. However, as networks and technologies like ISDN became more and more popular, the video conferencing industry revolutionized itself again.

The video conferencing solutions of today, though, are not the same as the video conferencing solutions of tomorrow. As with any new technology, video conferencing is changing rapidly. While no one knows exactly what the future of a technology that is this new to the business scene will hold, most people can make at least one major prediction: video conferencing as we know it will improve. Perhaps one of the most important changes to the video conferencing industry as we know it will be the ability to get away from the cumbersome video conferencing systems most offices choose to use. It might even be possible, in the future, to use Pocket PCs to help with video conferencing applications. This means that people could, quite literally, have a small videoconference on the train during their morning commute.

This technology is not years into the future, either. Many pocket PC companies are already offering this great new technology for busy people. There are many different things that you need to hold a videoconference with your pocket PC. For example, if you happen to have a fairly new pocket PC that you would like to use for video conferencing applications, some additional software will have to be installed on your machine. Moreover, the party at the other end of the videoconference will need similar software to make the conference proceed normally. You will also, most likely, need to add some hardware to your pocket PC, primarily a camera. Some type of connection to the other party will also be required. Something like WIFI will work quite nicely, but that sort of thing is not always available on the train to work. Most test runs with this equipment indicate that it is performing quite nicely. The quality of video isn't even as poor as the first videoconferences made possible through computer equipment, and the sound quality is easily as good as a telephone call that you might make to your mother.

This opens up all sorts of new video conferencing roads. It would finally be possible to use a hand held videophone to contact friends and loved ones. This might be particularly nice for grandparents who live half a world away and have never seen or met their grandchildren. In business, the list of new applications with this type of technology simply doesn't ends. For example, a real estate agent could instantly show new listings to colleagues with the help of a handheld PC. If clients were in the office, they, too, could see the newer listing, making it possible to shop for homes without ever leaving the office. Doctors might be able to offer assistance to emergency personnel who are in the field, helping to save more lives than anyone ever thought possible in a simple car accident or in the event of a terrorist attack or a catastrophic natural disaster. Repair technicians of all industries can consult with colleagues while they are at the scene of the repair, showing specialists in the field the problem and getting the best advice the first time. Journalists will finally be able to show events occurring around the world in real time to viewers, making the news industry no longer a thing of the past, but a thing of right now. Pocket PCs are the newest rage in video conferencing equipment.