PalTalk, a video chat messenger, is rolling out its new 9.0 client over the next two days with the help of several celebrities, including blogger Ariana Huffington and Amanda Congdon of Rocketboom fame. Paltalk’s messenger client has all the basic IM chat features you expect including interoperability with AIM, Yahoo!, and ICQ, but distinguishes itself by throwing video and chat rooms into the mix.
The new 9.0 client features what they call “SuperIM”, where you can chat with up to nine other people in live video and audio. You view video feeds of your friend’s webcams on a strip running along the top of the window, like the one above. From the strip, you can break out and expand a video feed for a closer look. Such a rich chatting experience may prove hectic for most users used to carrying on multiple conversations, but the ability to switch your focus and audio feed between windows helps control the chaos.
The video quality is great if you shell out the extra $4.99 each month ($59.95/year) for the best version, Paltalk x-treme. The basic version, however, only displays user snapshots, while the second-tier version displays video at about half the frame-rate of x-treme, but for $39.95 per year. There is a good comparison preview here.
Paltalk is known for creating communities out of its four million users (amassed over the past eight years). They have hundreds of chat rooms categorized by topics such as religion, politics, and technology, with subcategories narrowing them down even further. Radio shows like Opie and Anthony use Paltalk to broadcast to a couple thousand fans while they’re on the air, and I expect the same will happen for their guest line-up.
Regular chat rooms on PakTalk can be overstimulating to the unaccustomed user. There are often several IMs at once and music can be blaring from the administrator’s room. You can control some of that by muting audio, ignoring users, sending a personal IM, or raising your hand to talk (similar to Skype Live). If things really get out of hand, users can report abuse through a team of 250 volunteer who police the rooms and respond to complaints.
Amanda Congdon will go live on Paltalk tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. Everyone who visits the celebrity chat room on Paltalk will get to experience the full video feed for free. See the full schedule here.
Amanda Congdon?
Everybody knows that Natali Del Conte is the new and improved Amanda Congdon!!
How does this service distinguish itself again? I can think of at least 5 other services that do the same thing.
Or is it cool now because a couple of “net-famous chics” are on it?
amanda congdon is not a “celebrity”
@ 3 that was the exact thing I thought when I read that, though her talent firm is definitely trying.
I agree. I had to lookup each of these so called “celebrities” on Google.
why doesn’t someone just start a company that offers free UNLIMITED web hosting and get it over with.
People still use desktop clients to chat? So while Paltalk tries to leverage “celebrities” to gain users, Meebo is creating an empire by letting you talk to anyone else.
-Jason
Jason,
I agree some people are just so close-minded.
Sweet! Just like Connectix QuickCams from 1996!
Amanda is what people called a cewebrity!
I love Meebo. It’s the best one out there right now!
“Paltalk’s messenger client has all the basic IM chat features you expect including interoperability with AIM, Yahoo!, and ICQ”
Actually, I’d *expect* interoperability with standard Internet chat, i.e. Jabber/XMPP and IRC. Seems to be conspicuously absent, though.
Paltalk is horrible, they are one of the few chat services I’ve ever experienced that actually bans users for talking bad about the service. The way this service distinguishes itself is as an experiment in virtual facism, nothing else
Can you see Amanda from the waist up? If so, she’s a celebrity.
[This view is not mine. It has been culled from the meta-consciouness of Digg users.]
Nick, dude, please look up definition of interoperability.
If I can call your cellphone on Cingular from my cellphone with Verizon that’s interoperability.
When I need to get a separate phone number on Cingular in order to call you, that’s non-interoperability.
When a service requires you to enter 5 different IM accounts into 1 client to chat on all IM networks: that is the very definition of non-interoperability.
Ariana Huffington has some clout on the web and so does Rocket Boom (not Amanda Congdon) but both girls hit PalTalk’s target demo so kudo’s to their new PR stunt:)
@ AH Sadly that’s the state of interoperability we have these days. Although it’s a pain to add your contact info for other networks, you only have to do it once. It’s the same for other programs like Meebo, eBuddy, and company. Mobile networks have a unique phone number id over all networks, which has yet to get wide adoption in IM (see OpenID).
So-called celebrities promoting online video chat services….what has the world come to!
@ 17 – off topic, I went to your site, very cool. I’ve got a site in fashion too – I couldn’t find your email on your site.
@ 18, Patricia, I checked out your site. I really like your site; nice and cleanly looking…much better than the other one (17). BTW, 17’s email is on the Contact page. Cheers
@ 19 – duh. how did I miss the contact page? thank you for finding it for me.
the concept behind 17’s site is really cool – TONS of people want to start fashion lines. if you saw how stylediary was when it first launched, you’d crack up. I think it’s on waybackmachine.com. We’ve come a long way – hopefully 17 will too
“The basic version, however, only displays user snapshots”…..The basic version displays 15 second streams of the video then cuts out. The user can then view that same camera again after 2 mins.
Last time I checked (sometime this year) paltalk software came with ‘goodies’ in the way of toolbars and dancing purple monkeys.
Is this still the case?
Nick, IM interoperability exists: http://www.crun...rd.com/job/1501
This is cool.
OT Guys metacafe is being bought for 200m$… its in the israeli news don’t drop the ball
No Mac version?! seriously???!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
paltalk
free paltalk
you have to pay big $$$ to see video on Paltalk..Yahoo, MSN….still free…
Paltalk announced a partnership with CRN Digital Talk Radio to provide live broadcasts of one of Paltalk’s most popular interactive online programs, News Talk Online. News Talk Online is hosted by news veteran Gary Baumgarten and airs live on CRN Channel 5 daily at 5 PM EST/ 2 PM PST. CRN Digital Talk Radio, which features news, information and entertainment programming, is carried by major cable television companies nationally and heard in over 24 million homes.
CRN, which reaches millions of households, is currently broadcasting the audio feed from the live show to its cable affiliates around the country, and will soon be including interactive video features from its online portal as well. By logging on to Paltalk.com, viewers can also interact with Gary and his guests via real-time audio and video chat.
Do you like this article? Submit it to Blogosphere News!