As expected, Facebook unveiled its "something awesome" at the Palo Alto headquarters today, and it was a new video chat collaboration with Skype. Facebook users will now be able to place video calls with their friends directly from within the site-- they'll just have to download a plugin first.
Facebook Chat has gotten an overall redesign and now organizes your friends in a new sidebar. The friends you message with the most will automatically appear at the top of your chat list. You can also now easily create a group chat, although unlike with Google+, group chats on Facebook won't support video. To add friends to a chat, simply click "Add Friends to Chat."
Video calling in the new Facebook Chat works a lot like standalone Skype. When you place a video call to someone, a dedicated window pops up that can be maximized or minimized instead of simply wedging into the Facebook window.
The new features are expected to be rolled out to all of Facebook's 750 million users in the coming weeks, but you don't have to wait. Start video chatting with your friends now simply by going to this dedicated website.
[TNW]
