Facebook rumored to launch Skype-powered video chat

July 2, 2011 By Andrew Couts

Word is still out on what "awesome" new product Facebook plans to unveil on Wednesday, but there's a good hunch floating around that it's a built-in Skype-powered video chat feature.

Amidst the intoxicated love-fest over Google+, Facebook is trying to steal back a ray of spotlight with an “awesome” mystery announcement on Wednesday. There is understandably a great deal of speculation surrounding what it might be (check out our round-up here), but there’s one possibility that seems to have struck a chord: Skype-powered video chat built directly into Facebook.

That rumor comes from a report by Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, who spoke with “a source with knowledge of the partnership.”

“Facebook will launch a new video chat product, powered by Skype, that works in browser,” writes Arrington.

On top of the “in browser” aspect, the new video chat service will also have a “desktop component,” according to the source, though it’s not entirely clear what that means. Though Arrington says that one thing is for certain: “there’s very deep integration between the products, and from the user’s perspective, the product will be an in browser experience.”

The timing of this release is curious, as a big part of Google+, Google’s new Facebook competitor, is “Hangout,” a built-in group video chat feature that works excellently. If video chat is Facebook’s big news, it better hope that whatever it releases blows the pants off Hangouts, otherwise it’ll only be a matter of moments before people start declaring Facebook behind-the-times.

That said, there’s a good chance such a service would work excellently — Skype and Facebook are at the top of their games, with 170 million people on Skype and 750 million on Facebook. Google+ can’t compete with those numbers — even if it were to open the floodgates of its walled social network city right now, and let everybody who wants to join come in.

Regardless of what Facebook plans to announce, its even will take place on Wednesday at 10am PST/1pm EST. Watch the “Product Announcement” event live here.

P.S. If it seems as though the only things happening in the world of tech this weekend are related to either grilling and fireworks or Google and Facebook, it’s because they are. And we’re sorry.

Showing 12 comments

Tom Pajak at 8:12pm 3rd July 2011 Yay...another feature of facebook to slow down the rest of it
Paul Thomas at 8:10pm 3rd July 2011 So no Facebook app for the iPad then
Ian Bell at 12:24pm 3rd July 2011 I still think this is a dumb idea. I don't like the idea of replacing real applications with cloud apps built into other platforms. Skype is a great video chat product, better than anything else out there. I really wish there was a way to add your FB contacts to apps like Trillian or Pidgin. I hate that you have to be on Facebook to chat with your friends on there.
1. Tiffany Fay J at 3:33pm 5th July 2011 You can link FB to pidgin, or least you could before.
  1. Ian Bell at 5:16pm 5th July 2011 hmm I see that I can add MySpace, but not Facebook on here
Nima Soleimany at 7:11pm 3rd July 2011 Wow you're a dij
Juan Frias at 7:07pm 3rd July 2011 Owned.... haha
Daniel Vazquez at 6:43pm 3rd July 2011 Cool story bro. Tell another
Digital Trends at 6:37pm 3rd July 2011 @Mohi - we referenced Techcrunch in our story
Marco Antonio Ricco Pintos at 6:33pm 3rd July 2011 Tuenti a Spanish closed social network is using this from a lot of time.
Mohi Abro at 6:29pm 3rd July 2011 its not rumoured anymore, according to Techcrunch.
Max Bluemist at 6:37am 3rd July 2011 Skype is already using facebook in it's services. http://blue1black.blogspot.com/