ooVoo Beta for Android Review: VoIP

Overview

This is a review of the ooVoo application for Android 2.2 smartphones and devices. ooVoo is available from the Android Market and is free, although it is currently in beta format. ooVoo is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) application for video or voice chatting over the internet. This program offers up to six simultaneous participants on a call over one connection. ooVoo is also capable of connecting to standard land line phones, cellular phones, PCs, and will work on 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi networks.

Configuration & Requirements

ooVoo requires Android version 2.2 as a minimum standard and currently supports the following devices: HTC Evo, Samsung Epic, Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy Tab, T-Mobile MyTouch 4G. Additionally for Android to PC connections version 3.0 is required and can be found at www.oovoo.com. A restart is also required once installed to activate the status bar for the ooVoo application allowing the user to go online, or change status. The user interface is average with drop down menus and sliding menus. The interface allows the user to select friends to contact, phone numbers to dial, and make additions to the friends list. The interface is average and it works effectively but it doesn’t offer anything particularly unique or new to the market.

First Impressions

ooVoo is very clearly still in it’s beta form and is not at all ready for large scale release into the Android Market. I encountered many problems with this application starting with the lengthy install (3.8 MB). While the download package was not a problem the installation time was quite lengthy. Additionally ooVoo seems to be prone to frequent crashes and force closes even when sitting idle, a restart of the phone can fix this issue but not in all cases. I found that disconnects were entirely too frequent, this was the case both with 3G connections and Wi-Fi. I have not tested stability with 4G connections as none are available in my region at this time. Call quality is average while not superior to similar VoIP apps neither was it lacking in quality. As previously mentioned disconnects are not infrequent and they seem to follow no regular pattern. Furthermore the number of participants does not seem to affect the frequency or time at which disconnects occur.

Final Opinion (2 out of 5)

ooVoo is very cleary still in its beta stages and it needs a lot of bug fixes and stability fixes before it is anywhere near ready for release to a mass market. From the limited release due to the Android 2.2 requirement, to a long installation and buggy function it will be a few versions before this application is ready. If you use the PC version of ooVoo and wish for a more portable solution then by all means download it and give it a try, anyone else I would recommend waiting for a new version to launch before downloading.