Fring 3.2 (iOS)

Got a hankering for video calls on your iPhone, but you and all of your friends don't have iPhone 4s? Fring 3.2 offers free audio and video calls over both Wi-Fi and 3G networks. It also doesn't require Apple's latest and greatest smartphone running FaceTime to connect them. Sadly, Fring 3.2's audio and video quality are lousy.

Setup and User Interface To get started, you'll need an iPhone 3G (), iPhone 3GS ($99, ), or iPhone 4 ($199.99-699, ). It also works on the latest version of the iPod touch (the one with the volume controls and mic integration), but obviously only over Wi-Fi in that case. On the software side, Fring requires iOS 3.0 or greater, although it has been tested and enhanced for use with iOS 4. For this review, I tested Fring 3.2 on an iPhone 3GS running iOS 4.0.

On boot-up, Fring's main interface looks like a carbon copy of the iPhone's dialer. Aside from the Fring logo at the top, differences include a flag icon on the left that lets you select country codes, plus a Spring Board strip at the bottom with five icons: Buddy List, Stream, Dialer, Profile, and More. The buddy list hooks into the iPhone address book, and also picks up other Fring contacts if you have some. Tap on an address book entry, and you'll have the option of calling via cellular, SIP, or SkypeOut, although Skype doesn't work because of a dispute between Skype and Fring. You can also send that particular contact a Fring invitation.

Video Calling and Performance In July, Fring updated its iPhone app to include two-way video calling over 3G and Wi-Fi for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 owners. That one-ups Apple's own FaceTime video calling app, which works only over Wi-Fi between two iPhone 4 users.

The software

One of Fring's biggest problems has nothing to do with the software: all pre-iPhone 4 models lack front-facing cameras, so it's really difficult to have a conversation face to face. Even putting that problem aside, I only saw stuttering, blocky video feeds on the 3GS, when they worked at all. Often I just saw a black box, with choppy audio in both directions that was delayed by several seconds.

Testing Fring on an iPhone 4, the front camera worked fine and video calling was better than on the 3GS, but call and video quality were still not very good. Audio was moderately smooth and in sync. But over either 3G or Wi-Fi, our incoming video occasionally stuttered and turned blocky. Volume wasn't high enough, and on Wi-Fi our call dropped twice. FaceTime is a superior experience all around.

Fring crashed several times during testing. Out of nowhere, I'd find myself back at the iPhone's home screen. It's also a battery hog; I left the iPhone 3GS with its home screen showing but with Fring loaded in the background, placed the phone on a table, and walked away. The screen shut off as normal, but two hours later, the iPhone had lost almost 20 percent of its battery life.

The iPhone—

Skype's standalone iPhone app is still our preferred method for VoIP calls on the iPhone—especially now that it stays resident in the background with iOS 4, and therefore is practical for receiving calls as well as sending them. But Skype doesn't offer video calls, and Apple's FaceTime app only works on the iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. I wish Fring did a better job; hopefully the developers are already working on the next version. In the meantime, Fring 3.2 offers rudimentary address book, Facebook, and Twitter integration, and poor-quality audio and video calls. That's not enough to recommend it.