When Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s video calling functionality as part of the iPhone 4, I wasn’t all that impressed. However, after last week I’ve had a change of heart. Apple describes FaceTime like this: “With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories.” Honestly, I thought so what, it’s probably not something I’ll use much.

I didn’t even get that worked up watching the videos during Jobs’ keynote. They were poignant, heartfelt videos that got a reaction from most people. Not me.

However, last week my daughter went to Florida on vacation. This was her first real trip and her first away from her mother and I — a big trip in a lot of ways.

We stayed in touch texting each every day and then I thought about FaceTime. We gave it a try and it was everything that I think Jobs wanted it to be in his demo.

We talked about everything she was doing, how the trip was going and what she had left to do. She flipped the camera around and took me on a tour of her boyfriend’s family condo where she was staying, so I got an idea of her surroundings too.

FaceTime is most definitely a personal experience and one that you may only be able to appreciate after doing it yourself.