<p>This may have been asked earlier - forgive me. D2 has a MacBook at school, and I know is set up for video chatting with other kids who also have MacBooks. She has done so successfully.</p>
<p>Question is: I have a Dell Latitude. Is there some program I can buy or download for my computer so that, if she is in front of her webcam and has it turned on, she can video chat with me? I know I can’t video with her as I don’t have a web camera (maybe something good to ask for for Christmas), but if I could at least see her once in a while, it might be nice.</p>
<p>If there are programs, do you have any to recommend?</p>
<p>Ok, I had to ask the offspring, but:
iChat, which is a program that comes on all Macs, has a built-in one-way video chat function that works with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). You probably have AIM on your computer, but if you don’t, you can download it free from <a href=“http://www.aim.com%5B/url%5D”>www.aim.com</a>. With this setup, you both can communicate, you can see her, she can’t see you (of course).</p>
<p>This should work fine if your Dell is not too old. Good luck.</p>
<p>P.S. Ok, I am supposed to say it will get even better when the new Mac operating system comes out.</p>
<p>Son and I can ichat with our macbooks, but I wasn’t able to see him when I didn’t have a camera hooked up. Both computers have to have cameras w/ ichat. I bought a cheapy at the computer store, then downloaded a program that allows me to use it with ichat. You and your daughter can set up a skype account and video chat.</p>
<p>When your daughter has iChat operating, she needs to click on your name, which will appear in her iChat window if you have your AIM open, and you have identified each other as chat buddies. After she selects you, she goes up under Buddies in the menu, and slides down to select “Invite to One-Way Video Chat.” She has to do this, not you, to initiate the video chat.</p>
<p>BTW, the “Invite to One-Way Video Chat” option only shows up in her menu if she has selected a person whose computer doesn’t have the capability to do two-way video. (Don’t ask me how the computers know these things.)</p>
<p>another question came to mind regarding one-way video chat. So I understand I can see her and hear her, but she can’t see me obviously. Is there a way for her to hear me, meaning a microphone in my computer that allows audio? Otherwise it might get boring really quick if she does all the talking, and I can’t reply, at least verbally.</p>
<p>What we are finding that is key is a fast connection. Our daughter has been in China for about a month. At her first place we could see her and hear her pretty well, but at her new place her connection is slower and there is such a lag that when she talks we can hardly understand her.</p>
<p>Get it set up and have fun with it because it is a wonderful tool for communication! I just got off the “video chat” with my son and his girlfriend. We talk this way about once a week. I have one computer where we can do two-way and one where I can see them but they can’t see me. I prefer that one since many times I am just waking up!</p>
<p>OK… update - bought the web camera today (Logitech), and tried to video with D, but it didn’t work. We tried it over AIM… it kept saying that it was trying to confirm something with her. She, too, was trying to connect with me, but no luck. Should I download something so I can use iChat on my Dell?</p>
<p>Right, calls computer to computer are free.</p>
<p>Somehow my daughter figured out how to call us on her cell phone to our home landline phone but did it through a skype “in” phone number. This is one service you do pay for but it’s less then 3 cents a minute! </p>