14. Conducting Videoconferences and Virtual Meetings

Although the iPad isn’t designed to work as a cell phone, when it’s connected to the Internet, you can use the iPad as a Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone or speakerphone when you use a third-party app, such as Skype or Line2. These and other apps like them enable you to make and receive free or low-cost phone calls directly from your tablet.

Thanks to the tablet’s built-in camera, microphone, and speaker, you can also use the iPad as a video calling or video-conferencing tool when an Internet connection is available. The FaceTime app that came preinstalled on your iPad is designed specifically for video calling (for free) with other Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users.

To easily videoconference with PCs, Macs, or other web-enabled mobile devices, the Skype or ooVoo apps offer easy alternatives that are also free, unless you utilize either service’s premium features.

Designed more for use in business, it’s also possible to use your tablet for videoconferencing and to attend virtual meetings using GoToMeeting or WebEx, for example, when you download apps that enable you to connect to these fee-based services.

Your Apple ID or the email address you provide becomes your unique FaceTime identifier (which acts just like a phone number), so others can initiate connections with you when you both have FaceTime running on your devices.

When you want to call another FaceTime user, you must know the other person’s email address (the one associated with his or her FaceTime account) or their iPhone phone number.

After you complete the initial FaceTime setup process (it takes less than a minute), as long as you have FaceTime running on your tablet and it’s connected to the Internet, you are able to participate in videoconferences.

After your iPad is connected to the Internet, launch the FaceTime app. As soon as it’s launched, the tablet’s front-facing camera turns on automatically and you should see yourself on the iPad’s screen.

On the right side of the screen is a window requesting that you sign in with your Apple ID username and password. Enter this information, and then tap the Sign In button.

You’re now ready to initiate or receive FaceTime calls and participate in a videoconference via the Web. Displayed near the lower-right corner of this app screen are three options: Favorites, Recents, and Contacts.

To add a contact, tap the Add Contact (plus sign) icon that’s located near the upper-right corner of the Favorites window and then select people from your established Contacts app database.

If this is the first time you’re using the FaceTime app, this window is empty except for the All and Missed tabs displayed near the top of the window.

After you begin using the app, the All tab displays all FaceTime videoconferences you’ve participated in, as well as any incoming missed calls. Tap the Missed tab to see a list of only the incoming FaceTime calls you didn’t answer.

To initiate a call with someone who also has FaceTime installed and operating on their computer or iOS mobile device, select that person from your Contacts list and tap on the email address or iPhone phone number that was used to register with FaceTime. If a connection can be made, a FaceTime icon automatically appears next to the person’s name within the FaceTime app.

When you initiate a call, near the bottom center of the screen, the FaceTime With message and the person’s name are displayed. Next to this label is the End button, which you can tap at any time to terminate the connection.

As you participate in a video call, notice that near the bottom of the FaceTime screen are three command options: Mute, End Call, and Switch Camera. Use them for the following purposes:

Tap the Mute button to continue the video connection, but mute the iPad’s built-in microphone so the person you’re communicating with is able to see you but not hear you.

Tap the End Call button to terminate the FaceTime connection and promptly end the call.

Tap the Switch Camera button to alternate between the two cameras built in to your iPad. The front-facing camera is facing toward you, whereas the camera on the back of the iPad shows off whatever it’s pointing at.

The FaceTime app is pretty simple to use, and it is a powerful tool for video calls. The best thing about using FaceTime is that it’s free, and you can communicate with anyone in the world who also uses the FaceTime app or software. In other words, you never have to pay long-distance phone charges, international calling fees, or cell phone roaming charges when using FaceTime. Nor do you have to worry about using up your cell phone minutes. (If you’re using it with a cellular Internet connection, you do, however, need to consider your monthly wireless data usage allocation, if applicable.) The biggest benefit to using FaceTime is that you can actually see and hear the person you’re communicating with.

Web conferences or virtual meetings involve using the Internet to connect people at different locations, enabling them to talk (or videoconference) while simultaneously sharing information on their computer screens in real time. This capability has changed the way many companies do business.

Attendees using a PC or Mac to participate in a meeting can utilize audio conferencing via Voice over IP (VoIP) service, using their computer’s microphone and speakers, while simultaneously being able to view whatever the meeting host is showcasing on his computer screen, such as a PowerPoint presentation or a spreadsheet report. People can also collaborate on Word documents, for example.

Thanks to the GoToMeeting app for iPad, tablet users can do everything a meeting attendee using a PC or Mac can do, such as see who is presenting, who’s talking at any given moment, and who else is attending the meeting. Videoconferencing with multiple meeting participants is also possible.

The GoToMeeting app was designed to utilize some of the tablet’s key features, such as its touch-screen interface, so you can zoom in on content being showcased during a meeting.

If you’re a mobile executive who wants or needs to “attend” meetings or webinars from a location outside your office, this app is ideal. When you’re invited to a virtual meeting via email, from the iPad simply tap the link embedded in the invitation email to connect to a meeting and automatically launch the GoToMeeting app. From within the app you can manually enter a meeting ID and your username to be connected to a meeting within seconds.

For businesses, consultants, or entrepreneurs who already use WebEx to host meetings, the company offers a free iPad app that enables people to attend virtual meetings from their Apple mobile devices. Users connect via a Wi-Fi hotspot or through a cellular data connection.

To schedule and host a meeting using Cisco’s WebEx, the host must be using the WebEx software from a Mac or PC and be a paid subscriber to the service. Pricing starts at $24.00 per month to host an unlimited number of meetings that can be attended by up to eight people. For $49.00 per month, you can host meetings with up to 25 attendees. A free account can also be set up that allows you to host non-high-definition-quality meetings, with fewer available features, with up to three attendees.

Attending meetings, however, is free and does not require a WebEx membership (but the free WebEx software for the PC, Mac, iPhone, or iPad is required). You can download WebEx for iPad free from the App Store.

In addition to being a powerful and cost-effective communications tool for PC and Mac users, thanks to the Skype for iPad app, the service is fully functional on the iPad for worldwide VoIP phone calls, text/instant messaging, and videoconferencing.

The Skype app uses your iPad’s built-in microphone, speaker, and camera(s) to enable you to hear and be heard during calls and be heard and seen during videoconferences. A Bluetooth headset or corded headset can also be used with the app to improve audio quality.

Making unlimited Skype-to-Skype VoIP or videoconferencing calls is always free. However, there is a very low per-minute fee to make calls to a landline or cellular telephone from your iPad using Skype. This per-minute fee is typically only pennies per minute, even if you’re traveling overseas and make a call to the United States. You can also save a fortune on international calling from the United States when making calls to any other country.

The videoconferencing functionality of Skype is similar to using FaceTime, but it is compatible with Skype software or apps running on any other devices, including PCs, Macs, and iOS or Android Smartphones and tablets.

Through Skype, you can obtain your own unique telephone number (for an additional fee of $6.00 per month), which comes with call forwarding, voice mail, and other calling features.

With your own phone number, you can manage incoming calls whether or not Skype is activated and your iPad is connected to the Web. You also can receive calls on your iPad from people calling from a landline who do not use Skype.

Thus, people are able to reach you inexpensively by dialing a local phone number regardless of where you’re traveling. However, you can initiate calls (and receive calls from fellow Skype users) without paying for a unique local phone number.

When traveling abroad, making and receiving calls on a cell phone (such as an iPhone) costs anywhere from $.50 to $3.00 per minute because international roaming fees apply. With Skype, that same call (made via an Internet connection) costs just a little more than $.02 per minute. Alternatively, you can pay a flat fee of less than $20.00 per month to make and receive unlimited domestic and international calls from your iPad.

In terms of call quality, as long as you’re within a cellular data coverage area or Wi-Fi hotspot and your iPad has a strong Internet connection, calls are crystal clear. The Skype app is easy to use, and it enables you to maintain a contact list of frequently called people; dial out using a familiar telephone touchpad display; and maintain a detailed call history that lists incoming, outgoing, and missed calls.

If you opt to establish a paid Skype account (to have your own unique phone number and be able to make non-Skype-to-Skype calls), setting up the account takes just minutes when you visit www.Skype.com. All charges are billed to a major credit card or debit card.