Facebook unveils Skype-powered video chat, new group chat feature, and chat redesign

For the past week or so, Google+ users have been enjoying simple, streamlined group video chat by using the new social network's Hangout feature. Not to be outdone by the spry newcomer, Facebook today revealed its own video chat service, powered by the Microsoft-owned Skype platform.

The new video chat option works hand-in-hand with Facebook's already popular chat feature, allowing anyone with a webcam and a Facebook account to communicate face-to-face. Upon selecting the video option at the top of the chat window for the first time you will be prompted to download and install the software that powers the feature. After installation, a single click brings up a video chat window with your conversation partner, with no need to launch a separate program.

The social network also introduced a group chat option for those who prefer the text-based chat format. A new icon on the chat window will allow you to add additional chatters to whatever conversations you already have going. Group video chat, which Google+'s Hangout feature excels at, isn't a part of the new rollout, but when asked about the possibility, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted "I wouldn't rule anything out."

Accompanying the new chat features is a redesigned Facebook chat sidebar which appears and adjusts itself to match your window width whenever there is enough room. Your chat friends can now be organized based on who you chat with the most, which is great for those of you who have beefy friends lists and are tired of scrolling to find your favorite gossipers.

There were many rumors surrounding what Facebook would reveal today, with the social network noting only that it would be "awesome." Some had thought a new Facebook iPad app, or perhaps the rumored "Project Spartan" was on the docket, but it was not to be. Instead, Facebook added what should be yet another solid feature, and made a play at one of the key bullet points of Google+.

The addition of Skype to Facebook isn't entirely surprising, given the fact that the video chat program recently added Facebook integration such as the ability to browse your friends' status updates and "Like" posts. Bringing Skype functionality to the social network seems like the next logical step, and it's one that Facebook clearly didn't hesitate to make.

6 photo applications for your iPhone

Apps to help edit and share your pictures while you're on the go

If you're toting an iPhone around in your pocket, chances are you've pulled the phone out more than once to snap a photograph. The camera app that comes preinstalled on your iPhone works for snapping casual shots you want to send as a text message or email to friends, but what if you want to do a little more with your pictures? There are literally hundreds of different photo apps available for the iPhone. Here are our top 6 photo apps for the iPhone.

1. Instagram Instagram is both a photo editing program and a social network of sorts for your photos. The app lets you take photos or load an existing photo out of your photo album, and then apply a filter to the picture to give it a different look. Pictures that you edit can then be shared with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or Tumblr and can also be uploaded to your Instagram profile where other Instagram users can check them out.

2. Hipstamatic Rather than add filters to your photos after the fact, Hipstamatic changes how you take those pictures in the first place. The app attempts to replicate “the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras from the past,” by essentially turning your iPhone into one of those cameras. The app has a number of built-in lenses and flash options you can virtually swap out to customize the pictures that you take. The screen on your iPhone looks like the back of a camera when you’re framing your shots, and photos take a few seconds to “develop” rather than show up on your screen immediately.

3. ColorSplash ColorSplash is a Photoshop-esque app that lets you adjust the colors in photos stored on your iPhone. ColorSplash removes the color from your photos and then lets you paint color back in on specific portions of the photo using your finger. For instance you might make a photo of your child playing in the yard back and white, and then go back and make just your child color in the photo. The app has four different “brushes” to choose from, and allows you to zoom in on portions of pictures to accurately highlight details.

4. Photosynth Photosyth is an app created by Microsoft that allows you to take 360-degree panoramic pictures with your iPhone. The app guides you through taking a number of photographs of a location, and then stitches those photos together to create a panoramic view of the space.

5. Snapbucket Snapbucket is a photo app created by the photo sharing site Photobucket. The app has a number of built-in filters such as 70s, sunrise, and and antique that can be applied to pictures to give them a different look. The app also has several frame and vignette options for you to customize your finished image, and offers a way to instantly share that image on Twitter and Facebook as well as on Photobucket.

6. CatPaint Every picture shared on the internet could probably use a few more cats in it. CatPaint is an app that lets you add additional felines to any photo. The app comes with a number of built-in cat options. Cats can be adjusted in size and location on the screen, and can shoot lasers out of their eyes for added dramatic effect.