A decade ago video phone calls were just one of the gizmo wow factors from science fiction movies. But then Skype came along and video conferencing became so common that it was being used for regular social calls across the globe. Now the video call feature is coming to your phones. This technology is pushed predominately by Apple, but is gaining interest from all smart phone manufacturers.

A recent addition to the video call application arena is Tango. Launched just yesterday, Tango offers high quality video calling service over 3G, 4G and WiFi networks.This application is available for both iPhone and Android phones, and the best part is, it is all for free (at least for now). It is expected that the company would launch premium paid features later on. Here is a demo video and you can download the free application from here.

A review by The Wall Street Journal tested and reported the application’s performance for several factors. Here are some highlights from the article:

When you use Tango via Wi-Fi, it doesn’t affect your cellphone bill. But when you use it over a cellphone-data network, it can take a chunk out of a capped data plan, such as those AT&T now sells, although it won’t use up your voice minutes. […] Another Tango advantage is simplicity. There are a few other third-party, mobile video-calling services, such as Fring and Qik. But I found Tango easier to use. […] There is no need to set up a complicated profile. You just download the Tango app and supply your phone number and an email address. […] It allows you to switch a call back and forth between video and audio.

“And it works on phones with only a rear camera, like the iPhone 3GS or Motorola Droid, rather than just the handful that also have a front camera. […] On phones with two cameras, you can switch between them by pressing an icon, as you can with FaceTime. […] Some calls were generally sharp and clear, especially those where both parties were on Wi-Fi, which usually has the greatest bandwidth. But more than half of my test calls, including some entirely over Wi-Fi, were of suboptimal quality. In many cases, Tango put up a red warning that network issues were degrading video quality, and in one case, it said my cellular connection was too poor to even make a call.

Compared to main competitor FaceTime, Tango video calls might have some glitches, like getting stuck, or relatively blurry video. But Tango offers the service on WiFi , 3G and 4G networks, unlike FaceTime, who offer the service only via WiFi.  Tango can really cash in on compatibility over multiple platforms. Whatever the case, video calls seem to be around to stay. We can expect other new entrants as well like Google developing in-built app for Android OS, or Skype to venture into video calls via the mobile.