It's a great time to be involved in Web-based real time communications (WebRTC), as not only is there the flood of news coming out of the WebRTC Conference and Expo, but there is also the added force of the holiday season that makes everyone feel just a little more like keeping in touch with friends and family.
WebRTC is out to make that a lot easier for a lot of people, and Bistri is bringing out a major renovation of its Android app, as well as new versions for both Chrome for desktop and even one for a much more surprising source: Google Glass.
The Android version of Bistri got a serious overhaul, complete with some modifications to the interface, as well as an updated dashboard that works in the timeline style. Though it won't be available in the fullest sense until January of 2014—after the holidays, sadly—it is in private beta mode right now. That's a great step forward by itself, but things only get better when the Google-centered stuff gets fired up in earnest.
A Google Chrome version of Bistri is now available, and users can get it at the Google Chrome Web Store. Once downloaded, users can launch it immediately from the desktop, and it will work just like a desktop application might. This is great for people who are more used to desktop applications, and may help to bridge the gap between the desktop and the mobile app for some users. But perhaps the best of all is Bistri's advance into the still very new field of Google Glass.
While Google Glass isn't even technically available to many yet, unless said people know someone already in the program, Bistri now has the honor of being the first WebRTC calling app for Google Glass.
With such an app in place, users can use Google Glass to stage WebRTC calls right from the smart glasses, without having to bring in Google+ or anything similar. But regardless of what version of Bistri is brought into play, those who are concerned about calls being snooped on need be concerned no longer, as Bistri calls are all encrypted to help protect against prying eyes.
While the use of Bistri on Chrome and Android is significant, and important—this is perhaps one of the best ways to advance the overall use of WebRTC, by putting it in as many hands as possible and letting users discover just how useful a service this actually is—it's the Google Glass version that will likely raise the most eyebrows. Bringing out a calling app for Google Glass makes it both exciting and useful, giving the Bistri line extra cachet in the market. Now, anyone wearing a Google Glass system within range of a Wi-Fi connection could well have access to free video calling, instantly, that's both secure and immediate. The only part that would be insecure is the call from the user's end with the Glass on; after all, said user would be talking to the unit, and that would be overheard pretty easily by the rest of the room. But still, taking—or making—a complete video call might well be as easy as activating the Bistri app in Google Glass.
Bistri has put itself in an excellent position to take advantage of a major new change in the way users connect to each other, and may well be poised to be one of the biggest new calling systems of the wearable technology era.
