TeamSpeak for Android Beta Allows Push To Talk Voice Chat while Gaming on Android
by Jonathan Lonczak
Oct 1, 2011 11:36 AM –
Install
TeamSpeak for Android Beta. TeamSpeak software enables groups of people to speak with one another over any platform or operating system. For over 10 years TeamSpeak has become among the preferred voice chat solutions for online gamers, friends and family, and small businesses worldwide. Most TeamSpeak users typically connect to their guild or clan’s TeamSpeak server to chat with fellow team mates, discuss strategy in real-time, or facilitate online events. With this app and TeamSpeak’s cross-platform design you can connect to any TeamSpeak server running on Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems and chat with users running the TeamSpeak client on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android. TeamSpeak for Android is optimized to enhance your mobile device experience and keeps you connected with your peers while you’re on-the-go.
Price: Free
Tested on: Sony Xperia Play
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Allows you to have mobile access to your guild’s TeamSpeak server!
- Supports Push To Talk (PTT) or Always on Voice Capture!
- Comes preloaded with the TeamSpeak public server!
- Allows for multiple servers and multiple identities!
- Allows you to create and password lock your own channels on both public and private servers!
Cons
- No user profiles or avatars.
- No option for server searches.
- No option for application themes or wallpapers.
Features:
TeamSpeak is an excellent Ventrillo like voice client which is extremely popular for the PC and was recently released for the Android platform. TeamSpeak allows you to join both public and private servers, create private channels to communicate with others, manage multiple identities for different servers, and to turn on and off push to talk based on your needs.
When you first start using TeamSpeak you will need to log in to a TeamSpeak server. If you already have a TeamSpeak server then you can select bookmarks and then add the server(s) that you currently use. If you do not have one then you can access the TeamSpeak public server which comes preloaded with the TeamSpeak application.
Once you have accessed a server you will be able to see a list of channels and users on that server. For testing purposes I used the TeamSpeak public server and was able to peruse a few dozen channels in order to examine the application’s features and audio quality. The interface was easy to navigate and chat quality was good even over 3G service, but I did find that many of the public channels were being used in foreign countries in a foreign language.
You are able to see a server log at any time on a server by selecting the events option within the application. Events allows you to see the application’s server logs including users entering or leaving the server or server channels as well as new channel creations.
You are also able to manage various logins for different servers under the identities tab within the application. This allows you to use different handles for different servers if you so choose. What this means is that you can give yourself different names for different game chats (i.e Fat Cow for your World of Warcraft Tauren Warrior, and Jack Bauer for your Call of Duty Modern Warefare Server.)
Finally, TeamSpeak allows you to turn on and off Push to Talk mode. Many users prefer to use Push to Talk for gaming servers because it prevents them from broadcasting conversations with others, avoids broadcasting eating and burping noises, or even worse heavy breathing. LOL! However, other users may prefer turning Push to Talk off in order to use TeamSpeak for Android games. If PTT was turned on they would not be able to play Dungeon Defenders on the same device they are using TeamSpeak. Turning PTT off allows them to perform this feat.
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TeamSpeak Main Screen
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TeamSpeak Server List
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TeamSpeak Test Server
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TeamSpeak Identities
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TeamSpeak Events
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TeamSpeak Channel Info
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TeamSpeak Create Channel
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TeamSpeak Settings
Usefulness:
TeamSpeak for Android is useful for those looking for a better way to communicate with other players while gaming on their Android device, or for those looking for a mobile way to access their favorite PC game’s voice sever.
Users who are not looking for a mobile voice chat application for gaming will find less use in TeamSpeak since mobile teleconferences have better quality and more security through conference calls.
Ease of Use:
TeamSpeak is a fairly easy application to use if you are familiar with the PC product. If you have never used a Ventrillo or TeamSpeak server before then you may find the application a little strange and daunting. This application could provide easier access for new users if it allowed you to search through servers and manually locate the type of gaming communities you are looking to join. This would prevent the user from having to input server information and allow them to become more entwined with the TeamSpeak application.
Frequently Used:
If you are hardcore gamer either on PC or on Android then you will probably end up using TeamSpeak as a daily flier. It allows you to always be in contact with other gamers and also allows you to talk with the members of your party on mobile MMORPGs like Dungeon Defenders or Order & Chaos online.
If you are not a gamer then you will probably pass on it for better alternatives for conference calling such as GroupMe or Call My Meetinig. TeamSpeak is a good application for communication for gamers, but not as practical for business use.
Interface:
The interface is on par with the PC application. What this means is that the application is not horribly difficult to use, but does not quite live up to the standard that we would like to see it get to here at AndroidTapp.
I would like to see a few features implemented in to the application’s interface in order to make it easier to use. First, the TeamSpeak team should integrate a server search option to allow users to locate servers of interest to them. This would allow more Android users who have not used the PC application to integrate themselves and to discover other gamers.
The individual channels of the server could still be private, but a single public channel on each server with a searchable server list would bring a lot more gamers into the TeamSpeak fold.
Another option I would like to see integrated is customizable user profiles for each identity. This would allow gamers to better personalize their experience and to better differentiate themselves from other gamers.
Finally, I would like to see a more customizable aesthetic experience with the option for application themes, gamer avatars, and customizable wallpapers. This would also allow the gamer to personalize their experience and further embed themselves within the application.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Communication,
Game Server,
Push to Talk,
Team Fortress,
TeamSpeak,
Teamspeak for Android Beta,
Ventrillo,
Voice Server
Categorised in: Communication
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