FacePlant helps you find someone to talk to on FaceTime

Before you can fire up FaceTime on your iPhone 4, you are going to need someone to talk to. If only there was some sort of list, where you could see the people using FaceTime and are currently on WiFi. Well worry no more. FacePlant is the perfect companion for FaceTime; it lets you know whether or not people are available to chat in a FT session.



As you well know by now, FaceTime only works with iPhone 4 users. This narrows the selection of people to talk to by quite a bit. It also only works with iPhone 4 users who are on AT&T (at least for now. We’ll have to see what the jailbreakers and unlockers come up with); now you have even less people to talk to. Take away the people who don’t have WiFi, and your selection is down to a handful of people. Then, of that handful, they have to be using FT at the same moment you are. What are the odds of ever FaceTiming someone unless you have a predetermined time? To make it worse, FaceTime gives you no indication that you have a friend available to talk. Well, at least for that last one, FacePlant solves that problem in a simple, organized style.

The genius behind the FacePlant app is a Santa Cruz, CA, engineer named Sol Lipman. His main thought was that if IM needs statuses (stati?), FaceTime needs them too. FacePlant goes beyond just a list of people online, with features like a fully-fledged video inbox for receiving and sending short video clips to friends. You can send those funny videos of your cat playing the guitar without having to pay for pricey MMS. Also, with a privacy mode, you can let others know your online, but unable to accept video calls at the moment. The best part is you can initiate FT calls without leaving the FacePlant app.

In addition to the rumors that the next versions of iPad and iPod Touch will come with a front-facing camera, Apple has outlined plans to make FT an open standard, allowing it to work on other devices. This would give you more people to talk to; however, Mr. Lipman doesn’t see that as removing the need for his application. In fact, it probably makes it even more necessary, as a greater number of people will have it available.

As of now, the FacePlant app is awaiting approval from Apple. If you have an iPhone 4 and you see FacePlant in the App Store, you may want to grab it as fast as you can; there’s no telling if Apple might pull it down (it’s been known to happen). You can also head over here to get notified when the app is available.

Via: Geek.com, NYT