FaceTime for the iPhone 4 is a pretty awesome tool that lets you make video calls to other iPhone 4 users. Unfortunately there are a few limitations. Both you and the person you’re calling have to be on WiFi, since FaceTime doesn’t currently work over 3G. You’ll both need to have iPhone 4 devices, obviously. And the way things work right now, you actually have to start a normal phone call and then transfer to FaceTime.
But what if you just want to know if your contact is available to talk at a glance? Or what if you want to start a video chat without first making a phone call? While desktop video chat apps like Skype offer a buddy list that shows you who’s online or off, FaceTime doesn’t have that feature.
That’s where FacePlant comes in. It’s a third party app that basically functions as a buddy list for FaceTime. You register for an account with your name and iPhone 4 phone number. And if your friends all do the same thing, FacePlant can tell you who’s online. You can tap on the name for your online contacts to start a voice of FaceTime call.
FacePlant isn’t available in the App Store yet, but it should be coming soon.
