fring provides you with a single platform on your mobile where you can chat with your friends over VOIP, instant messaging and social networks.
fring supports most of the major chat services including Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo!, and AIM. The application is simple to install and set up. Once you've registered for a fring account you can import your online contacts very easily. You just go to the 'Add-ons' section, click a service you want to access (e.g. Skype, Yahoo!) and sign in using your normal log-in for that account.
Contacts are automatically pulled into fring and displayed in the main window, and you can quickly view who is online and who isn't. If you like, you can alter your fring profile, adding a mugshot, mood message and email address to your details.
Not only can you chat via instant messages but fring also lets you make cheap or free calls to your buddies via the fringOut service. This means you can ring people from your phone's contacts locally or internationally, at vastly reduced rates (it's even cheaper than Skype, too!).
The user interface in the Android version of fring is pretty attractive. Buddy lists are very well laid out, and all of the options are very touch friendly. There's even an attractive dialer that can be pulled up to help you type phone numbers more easily.
fring now includes group video chat with support for up to four people in the conversation at once. There's even a feature, called Playgrounds, that allows you to take part in group chats with like-minded strangers. Be warned though, you never know what some people will be doing when they show up here!
fring represents a fun way to stay in touch with friends and family via voice, video and text.
