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BoostCam does instant two-way video chat

Begin instant conversations with friends and family with BoostCam, a free two-way video chat service that runs right in your browser.

Josh Lowensohn Former Senior Writer
Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
Josh Lowensohn

BoostCam is a quick and simple way to start a two-way video chat with someone else. You simply point your browser there and click a single button to start a chat. There's no sign-up for you, or the person you talk to--you just send them the URL it creates each time you begin a new conversation.

Despite its simplicity we had a few hiccups getting it to work in the office. There's about a second of delay between when you say something and when it hits the other end, which might get shorter or longer depending on your connection and that of the person you're talking to. You can also hear the audio from whomever you're talking to before you can see their video feed, the latter of which they have to click a tiny button inside of their Adobe Flash settings to flip on. If the person you're talking to is Flash-savvy this shouldn't be a problem though.

BoostCam is missing one big thing that some of its competitors have: text chat. Orgoo, another no-register site, does the video thing with an additional two people, bringing the total up to four. It also throws in rich text chat. Also, TokBox (which requires registration for the host) lets you video chat with three other people, and works inside of third-party services like Meebo through its application programming interface.

BoostCam puts video chat straight in your browser, and gives you a quick way to invite someone else to join in. CNET Networks