I’m sure my fellow iPad owners have been there. You’re sitting on the couch chatting with someone on FaceTime and think, “Why the heck can’t I video chat with more than one person?” Well now you can give it a shot.

Fring on Monday released the first iPad app to offer four-way video chat, and it’s completely free. It works for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, and works over Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G. Those devices will also offer group chat features. That said, we’d recommend sticking to the iPad and using it over Wi-Fi because you’ll want screen real estate and a strong connection for those video streams.

Fring currently offers apps for iOS, Android, and Nokia devices. It’s possible Fring’s app was released today because Skype will reportedly release its own iPad app on Tuesday.

Speaking from personal experience, I’ve always had technical troubles with Fring on iOS and Android. Oftentimes, video calls simply wouldn’t connect, and if they did work, the connection always needed to be incredibly fast to have a chance at clear images. I will certainly give this new version a shot, but I’m not going to hold my breath for a great experience.

Last month, the Israel-based Fring raised a reported $10 million in a Series C round of financing, which brings their funding to more than $30 million. Investors include North Bridge Venture Capital, Pitango Venture Capital, and Veritas Venture Partners.

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Facebook is on the verge of launching a native app for Apple’s iPad more than a year after the device went on sale.

Unnamed sources briefed on Facebook’s plans say the application has been in development for almost a year and has been carefully designed and optimized for tablet computing, reports the New York Times.

The new app is also said to overhaul Facebook’s Chat and Groups features and utilize the iPad’s front and rear cameras for both shooting and uploading photos and videos, according to the sources.

Many people have complained about Facebook’s lack of iPad support, which has forced them to use either the iPhone application on the tablet or a third-party app like Friended or Facely HD. However, the company can hardly be accused of laziness.

The iPad app is just one of several different projects reported in the last few days that’s kept the social media giant busy.  Earlier reports indicated that Facebook is working on an HTML5-based web app for mobile Safari designed to circumvent Apple’s App Store — code-named: Project Spartan. There’s also Facebook’s big photo sharing project for the iPhone and the company’s partnership with Comcast on an enhanced TV watching experience.

One think is certain about Facebook: the company is marching forward in all directions.

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