I want live streaming video recording apps on the iPhone. You want live streaming video recording apps on the iPhone. Everyone wants live streaming video recording apps on the iPhone – except for Apple. Though such applications have been available through unofficial means for over a year now, Apple remains mum on the matter. There they sit in Apple’s review queue, rotting away beneath an “In Review” label. Looking to find some way onto the platform, developers have begun to scale back their applications until they reach a point Apple is willing to greenlight. We saw it earlier this month with Ustream’s streamless app, and now Qik has followed suit. Beginning today, Qik’s own sans-streaming app is available for the iPhone 3GS. Like the Ustream app, Qik’s new tool is primarily for pre-recorded video already camped out in your Camera Roll. You can also record video on the spot, but uploading does not begin until the recording is complete. Though not a completely cutting-edge concept, Qik does claim a couple of firsts: Auto Uploading: If you record within the app, videos are uploaded immediately after shooting is complete. Record video in either portrait or landscape mode. Geotagged video uploads, based on your position at the time of upload Auto uploads to Facebook, Youtube, and various blog services. It’s not the jailbreak-free streaming solution we’re dying for, but it’s the best we’ll get until Apple gets friendly with the concept. CrunchBase Information iPhone App Store Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Mobile video streaming service Qik has just announced a new Push API at today’s Realtime CrunchUp in Redwood City. The new API, which is currently in private beta, offers a firehose of new Qik content that will allow developers to immediately update their apps with new Qik videos as they come in. Depending on the app, users will now be able to specify which Qik users, tags, or locations they’d like to follow and immediately get an update once a video matching that criteria goes live.
Alongside the new API, Qik is also allowing select mobile phones to stream live video directly from the web (previously you’ve been restricted to watching archived clips from mobile devices). Unfortunately the iPhone doesn’t support live mobile viewing at this point (you can still only watch archived clips), but Qik will be supporting Nokia and Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones. This is especially cool because you’ll be able to receive immediate push notifications on supported phones, and immediately jump into the phone’s mobile browser to start watching the video. → Read More
There are a few ways you can send out live video feeds over Twitter right now. The most obvious is just take a service like Justin.tv, shorten your live stream URL, and tweet it out. But there’s no real easy-to-use seamless way of doing it. That’s what Camtweet, a new side project of Justin.tv launching today at our Real-Time Stream CrunchUp, wants to be.
Camtweet looks kind of like what the various photo and video sharing sites that are tied to Twitter currently look like, except it has a big live video box in the center. Below that is the place where you chat to others who are watching in your Camtweet (or Justin.tv — the videos will reside on both) room. And these messages are tweeted out with a link to bring people back to the room. Then when they login with their Twitter credentials and chat with you on the page, their messages are tweeted out too. → Read More
Today, we got the latest version of the live-streaming app Qik, a version that will work on the iPhone 3GS. No, we didn’t get it through the App Store, because Apple or AT&T or both still won’t allow for applications that stream live video from the device to be accepted into the store. So instead, just like before, we have to settle for the ad-hoc version, which is fine, but severely dampens the application’s potential reach.
So how does the iPhone 3GS version of Qik compare to the one that worked on the iPhone 3G? Overall, video quality-wise, I would say the iPhone 3GS version of Qik and the iPhone 3G version look about the same. This is despite the 3GS having a nicer camera (3.2 megapixels versus 2). And even though the iPhone 3G didn’t have video camera capabilities, Qik was able to build its own encoders to use the regular camera for video capture. The iPhone 3GS of course, can do video, and it has APIs that give developers access to it. But it would seem that Qik is still limiting the quality of the video that gets streamed, to ensure better live performance. → Read More
We’re here at Qik’s office in Redwood City, California, where Qik is holding a special event to make a new product announcement. Mary Coughlan, the deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, is here to make the announcement.
Qik is announcing a long term partnership with Pat Phelan’s company Cubic Telecom to create QikRoam. QikRoam is a special SIM card you can order today from the QikRoam website that allows users to travel abroad using Qik without having to worry about excessive roaming charges. The card supports 134 countries worldwide, and advertises 60-80% savings on roaming and data charges through deals Cubic Telecom has forged with many partners worldwide.
While this is a good deal for users that have to stream video, it can still turn expensive fast. Depending on where you are, you can expect to spend $100 in QikRoam credit to upload 45 minutes of video. Of course, uploading the same amount of data would be many times more expensive using standard roaming plans. → Read More
Live video startup Ustream is making a big push into mobile. Today it is launching a mobile business division, as well as a new set of mobile video broadcasting apps (which can be found here, after login). Right now, the apps work on a wide variety of Nokia phones, including the N95, and on the iPhone, but only jailbroken ones. Alas, the company is still waiting for approval from Apple to release the app through iTunes. Meanwhile, its view-only iPhone app for watching live video streams is approaching one million downloads.
The broadcasting app, however, is what we are excited about. It includes integrated chat, audience polling, and GPS mapping. The polling lets broadcasters ask their audience what they want to see or what actions they should take in a live broadcast situation. Another key feature: mobile video broadcasters can send out a message via Twitter or Facebook to their audience to tell them when they are about to start streaming live. (See video below). Under the hood, Ustream has developed its own low-latency streaming technology which reduces the amount of transcoding that needs to be done on the server as well as the amount of buffering that needs to be done on the phone. → Read More
This isn’t the first time a guy tries to stream the birth of his child live on the internet (it happened on Ustream back in August 2007), and I’m confident it won’t be the last: Allan Branch yesterday streamed a minute of his wife’s c-section on live streaming site Qik, using a jailbroken iPhone. Right after the birth of his baby girl Sarah, she was even given her own Twitter account in addition.
The video is actually just of his wife’s head and part of the surgery room. It doesn’t show any of the actual surgery or even the baby. You can find the video on Qik here, but here’s the embedded clip: → Read More
The cutbacks continue, even at seemingly healthy startups. Social recommendation engine Strands let exactly 10 percent, or 14 people go (7 in the U.S. and 7 in Spain), the company confirms. Strands has raised a total of $55 million, still employs 125 people, and is hiring for other positions. It also just announced a mobile version for Nokia S60 phones.
Qik, which lets you stream live video from your cell phone, also laid off about 10 percent of its employees, which in its case amounted to five people. We got a tip that the reason for the layoffs is because the startup could not raise a $10 to $15 million round, but a spokesperson says that is not true and that we should stay tuned. We hope its not true because we love Qik. The company so far has raised only $4 million, but its investors include Marc Benioff and Marc Andreessen. → Read More
Qik, a startup that allows you to stream live video to the web directly from your phone, has launched support for RIM’s incredibly popular Blackberry platform. The software is currently available in an alpha state (so don’t be surprised if you encounter bugs), and includes support for the Blackberry Bold and Pearl (other phones, like the Flip and Curve, will be available in a later release that the company expects soon).
This brings Qik to a much broader platform, and also helps cement Qik’s lead in terms of device support well ahead of competitors Kyte and Flixwagon, neither of which support Blackberry. However, Qik will have another competitor on the Blackberry platform: today’s news comes hot on the heels (and may have been prompted by) the launch of Next2Friends, the first streaming video application that supported Blackberries. → Read More
Yes, we know you can get Qik for your jailbroken iPhones now, but this is the App Store version and Mr. Rose, personal hero of mine, gets a look at it before all of us. Jealous? Didn’t think so. Anyway, Rose pontificates that the version he has is near final and that it should be coming soon for free. Would you want your Qik followers to know exactly where you’re streaming from? Also, you better order that Mophie Juice Pack now because this is going to suck the life out of your iPhone 3G faster than a paparrazo’s shutter when Lohan slips a nip. Update: Bhaskar Roy, Co-founder of Qik, has commented on the matter: Hi all – wanted to clarify that we are looking into having Qik be available on App Store, but at present are not sure when and how this will happen. → Read More
Qik has announced that its video streaming software will have a shortcut pre-installed on Nokia’s just-launched 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen phone – the first deal of its kind for the still-young startup. The deal marks a big win for Qik, as it will expose the company to a wide audience while removing its biggest barrier to entry (many mobile phone users are reluctant to seek out and download new software).
Qik allows users to stream live video recordings directly from their phones over Wi-Fi or high-speed data networks, effectively turning the phone into a “mobile television studio”. These videos can be viewed live on Qik’s homepage or in embeddable players scattered across the web (all videos are archived for future reference). The software is available for a variety of phone models (you can see the full list here), including jailbroken versions for the iPhone, though Apple has yet to allow any video apps on the App Store. → Read More
Hot on the heels of its competitor Qik, mobile video service Flixwagon has released an application for the iPhone 3G that allows users to stream live video from their cell phones. Qik released a similar application for the iPhone 3G yesterday. Unfortunately, like the Qik app, this will only work on jailbroken (hacked) iPhones, which severely limits the potential user base. Here are the instructions if you’d like to install it: -On Cydia, make sure you refresh all ‘Sources’ under the ‘Changes’ tab, and then Install Flixwagon from “Sections/Multimedia”. -On installer 4: make sure you refresh ‘Sources’, and then install Flixwagon via “Categories/Multimedia”. The app is also available via Community resources like iSpazio. Apple’s ban on applications using the iPhone’s camera is just one of the seemingly arbitrary restrictions the company is placing on developers. What makes the restriction especially annoying is the fact that the camera is actually designed to capture video. Some users speculate that the lack of a sanctioned video app may be because of Apple’s concerns with the iPhone’s already lackluster battery life, while others believe that the phone’s developers don’t have it very high on their priority list. Update: A developer I’ve spoken to says that the camera buffer is simply a part of the phone developers are not given access to yet, but that this likely has more to do with creating a sandboxed environment than Apple explicitly forbidding video apps. Either way, the fact that Apple is rejecting applications that have significant demand and no malicious qualities has frustrated users and developers alike. Apple’s lack of communication and hazy Terms of Service may cause the App Store to stagnate, as developers become wary of creating something truly innovative only to have it rejected. Notably absent from the race to get streaming video to the iPhone is Kyte, a direct competitor to Qik and Flixwagon. Kyte may be trying to avoid any disagreements with Apple, as it already it has an Apple approved application available in the App Store (which can only handle images, not video). CrunchBase Information Flixwagon Qik Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Qik, the startup that allows users to stream live mobile video from their cell phones, has released an application that allows users to use the service from their 3G iPhones. Unfortunately, the application isn’t available through Apple’s sanctioned App Store, so users will need to jailbreak (hack) their iPhones to use it. And because Apple has yet to enable video capture on the iPhone, we probably won’t be seeing a “legit” application any time soon. Last week Qik released support for iPhones running the old (1.1.4) firmware, which was made obsolete by the 2.0 software that was released in July and gives users access to Apple’s App Store. This new release also supports the older iPhone, but users won’t be able to stream over the slow EDGE network. The following instructions are included in the company’s blog post: You can get Qikking with the iPhone 3G (and earlier models running iPhone OS 2.0!) by doing the following: 1. If you have not already, you’ll need to sign up at http://qik.com/sign_up and receive an SMS from us to activate the application. 2. Launch Cydia. 3. Go to the “Sections” tab at the bottom and scroll down to “Multimedia.” 4. Under Multimedia, you will find Qik. Tap on it then select “Install” at the top right, then in the same spot tap “Confirm.” 5. Now you will see Qik get installed. You may hit the “Return to Cydia” button at the bottom or just quit Cydia when it is done installing. 6. You’ll now notice a “Qik” icon on your home screen – Go ahead and launch it. 7. As long as your initial signup SMS/text message is still in your inbox for the first launch, your account will be linked to your device. 8. Make sure you have 3G service or are on WiFi (edge is not sufficient enough to stream video) before you begin broadcasting. 9. Hit record and enjoy Qik! http://qik.com/player.swf?streamname=1432f51e4efa481e8200d223e44b943d&vid=157462&playback=false&polling=false&user=Michael&userlock=true&islive=&username=anonymous CrunchBase Information Qik Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Qik has released its mobile video streaming application for jailbroken iPhones to the public. The service allows users to broadcast video live from their phones using Wi-Fi or the EDGE network which can be viewed on Qik’s site or through its embeddable player. Unfortunately, the application is only compatible with phones running the 1.1.4 firmware, which has been obsolete for nearly a month since the introduction of the Apple App Store. If you’ve got a phone running the old version, you can download the app after signing up here. Users running the 2.0 version of the software will need to wait for Qik to release a compatible version, which the company expects to do in the near future. Unfortunately, it’s likely that the application won’t be available through the official App Store, as Apple still hasn’t enabled video capture using the phone’s integrated camera. Until Apple changes its mind, you’ll need to jailbreak your phone – something that the vast majority of iPhone users are reluctant to do. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can try downgrading your phone to the 1.1.4 firmware using the instructions here, but we haven’t tested them and there’s a good chance that you’ll fail miserably (don’t try this if you have an iPhone 3G). Qik has offered a private beta service for months, but only recently launched to the public. Besides the iPhone, the service supports a number of other phones, including models offered by Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung (you can see the full list here). http://qik.com/player.swf?streamname=a91cb191ab2f4ababe5179116a3aded4&vid=100699&playback=false&polling=false&user=michael&userlock=true&islive=&username=anonymous CrunchBase Information Qik Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Qik, the video streaming device for cellphones that we’ve used to different degrees of success, is now in open public beta. Well, whenever the site comes back up, that is. In addition to opening up its doors to the public, the beta adds a few new features that are sure to frustrate us the next time we try to use it (I kid). There’s a new embeddable player, better support for Windows Mobile-based devices, and a groups feature. Basically, you can make it so that viewers have to be part of a certain group—The Kop, to invent one—to view videos. It’s one of them there privacy features. Similarly, you can create ad-hoc groups called Events, whose whole raison d’etre is for things like press conferences or concerts or whatever. Short-term groups that don’t necessarily have to be around forever. The list of compatible devices can be found here, again, whenever the site comes back. via TechCrunch → Read More
Qik, the video service that streams live feeds from your mobile phone, has finally launched its public beta. The site has also introduced a number of new features to the service, including support for restricted group access to videos, self-service event streams, and a new embeddable player. The beta will support a wide variety of phones on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, including support for software on the Windows Mobile platform that began testing in June. Qik says that it will be continually adding new phones to the supported list, which you can view here. The site has also implemented support for Groups, which allow users to select who can upload and view selected clips. Among the included privacy options are allowance for public groups, which anyone can post to, restricted groups, which allow anyone to view (but only select users to post), and a private view, which restricts viewing and uploading to a specified group of users. Qik has also introduced support for special Event sites, which are essentially temporary groups that are focused on a single event or conference. In the past users who wanted to create specific event pages would have to go through the company itself. Now, users will be able to create self-serve pages with custom logos where they can aggregate all of the content from a single event. We’ve been using Qik for the last few months, and for the most part we’ve been pleased with the video quality and the convenience that comes from having a portable video camera that can stream directly to the web (although there have been some troubles with upload speeds that are largely the fault of network carriers). There are a number of very similar services in the space, including Kyte and Flixwagon. You can see a general comparison of some of the services here. CrunchBase Information Qik Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Over the course of the last year we’ve seen an explosion of startups looking to take streaming video to the mobile phone. Smartphones with high-speed data plans and video cameras are becoming increasingly commonplace, and many users are eager to turn their phones into handheld recording studios, even at the cost of video quality. Well-known blogger Robert Scoble, who once said that he would “only use HD camcorders”, has become one of the new services’ most vocal supporters. Last month he predicted that Kyte would eventually overtake the competition, based on its interface and devices that support playback. What he neglected to analyze was the audio and video quality of each service, which are obviously key components of media streaming. So we’ve decided to put them to the test. We’ve recruited Sarah Austin of Pop17.com, who has helped us record the same interview four times (once with each service). The questions may get a little repetitive, but at least the videos are easy on the eyes. We’ve done everything we can to make the tests as consistent as possible. Each video was shot using the respective app’s highest quality setting on the same Nokia N95 smartphone. And we’ve used the same location, lighting, and Wi-Fi access point for each test. Qik Qik began testing in November 2007 with support for a limited number of Nokia smartphones. In March the site annouced a partnership with popular lifecasting site Justin.TV. The number of phones supported remains limited, but the site has recently announced support for the Windows Mobile platform (though only on a select number of phones so far), and the release of a version for jailbroken (hacked) iPhones. Qik has raised about $4 million in funding. http://qik.com/player2.swf?streamname=693b03b100c24e508398d4443b95bf0c&vid=131447&playback=false&polling=false&user=cubrilovic&displayname=cubrilovic&safelink=cubrilovic&userlock=true&islive=&username=anonymous Video: Audio: Player: Kyte Kyte opened its media distribution channels in April 2007, but it wasn’t until almost a year later that it launched its streaming video service. Kyte has managed to recruit a number of big-name celebrities like 50 Cent, who prominently features the player on his homepage. Of the services tested, Kyte has by far the most funding, having raised a total of over $23 million. http://www.kyte.tv/flash.swf?v=2&uri=channels/87241/171923&embedId=49090078http://media01.kyte.tv/images/updatenotice.swf Video: Audio: Player: Flixwagon Israel-based Flixwagon launched in a limited private alpha in January, and opened its doors to the public earlier this month. Like Qik, the company has also released a version for the iPhone, but it too is for hacked phones only. Flixwagon → Read More
The post below is written by Robert Scoble, a top blogger and the founder FastCompanyTV. Robert has been one of the earliest adopters of cell phone video, which offers the ability to stream live to the Internet, with the primary tradeoff being relatively poor video quality. He’s extensively tested all of the major emerging services in this area, including Kyte, Qik and Flixwagon, among others. This is a post I didn’t want to write. Why? For the last six months I’ve been using Qik’s live video service off of my cell phone. I’m the top user there, with most views, most videos, and all that. I’ve used that service to take videos inside the first production Tesla, Annie Leibovitz as she showed us around her latest photos of famous people, Google press conferences, Ansel Adams’ son at the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite, Bono at the World Economic Forum, and more than 700 other videos as well. Qik has done something remarkable: it put a TV studio in my pocket. I can get live video onto the Internet faster than I can make a phone call (Qik takes two clicks to start streaming, a phone call takes 12 clicks on my phone’s keypad). Even better, while doing a video you can watch live and you can send text chat messages to my phone while I am filming. While we were racing around Santa Monica in Elon Musk’s new Tesla (he’s the chairman of the board and was giving us a killer demo) we had hundreds of people watching my cell phone along with Jason Calacanis’ phone, which was shooting the same view from his Corvette alongside. As Elon was driving we had hundreds of people asking questions about the new Tesla. This was interactivity the world had never seen. → Read More
http://qik.com/player.swf?streamname=a91cb191ab2f4ababe5179116a3aded4&vid=100699&playback=false&polling=false&user=michael&userlock=true&islive=&username=anonymous Qik is coming to the iPhone! Soon! Yes, the video streaming app for cellphones will soon be available on the iPhone. It’s the “full Qik experience” so many of you use to bore your friends across the country. via Kevin Rose’s Twitter → Read More
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