I’ve been really enjoying an app called Tango lately. I wanted to share it here because I think it might be a good resource for personal and business use. Basically, Tango enables you to make free video calls with your smart phone to anyone in the world (iPhone, Android, iPod Touch). It does not use minutes on your phone, but rather data, so as long as your data plan is ample or unlimited, this is a great app.

I’ve had conversations with my twin brother every day this week using Tango, and it’s been fun to connect for a few minutes and “see” him. It’s actually so much more personal to talk with someone on the phone like this. Previously my brother and I tried to use our phone’s built-in video chat, but his iPhone4 and my myTouch4G weren’t compatible with each other, so Tango has filled the void thus far.   

Overall the app is easy to set up and simple to use. It’s free to download in the app market, so that’s always a plus. The biggest downfall is that the quality feels like a mediocre webcam experience much of the time. When the connection is solid, I love the app, but when the connection is not great, the app feels clunky because words get lost. The phone connection from my office (as shown above – green screen in background) and my brother’s office is actually really good, so I’m not too sure why the video connection would not be equally as good. Hopefully over time the app will get better and better in this regard.

I can see Tango having a use for business too because I can talk with clients directly and show them firsthand what I am seeing while inspecting properties. I actually just sent an email to a local broker to see if he’ll install it so we can talk shop when need be while I’m out in the field. Additionally, an app like this might give a personal touch for business. It’s so important to get “Facetime” with clients, so it’s always a bonus to find ways to have more personable interaction.

If you install Tango, let me know what you think. Or if you use a similar app on your smart phone to make video calls, I’d like to hear about it. Or if you would like to do business together, and meet on the phone first, let’s have a video conversation. My number is listed below.

UPDATE in July 2011: I get quite a few hits on this post, so I wanted to give a little update. I don’t use Tango much because of the mediocre quality. It’s a great idea, but it just seems to need some fine-tuning in the quality department. Facetime is far superior, but I do not have an iPhone. I’m looking forward to exploring video useage a bit more with Google+, Facebook and Skype on mobile.  

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.