Qik: Mobile Video Streaming Gone Mainstream

Mobile video fanatics rejoice! Qik, a video streaming platform that allows users to broadcast from mobile devices, has announced support for more mobile devices that will allow users to be visually connected to the world. Users of Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices will be pleased with the latest news -- we can only hope that those users will avoid being charged an arm and a leg for bandwidth usage.Qik was created for one purpose: allow users to stream video from their phone to a live Web audience. So far, it has worked out brilliantly. We've viewed live technology conferences and creative demonstrations of rockets and airplanes being controlled remotely, and while this could be accomplished through a Wi-Fi or mobile broadband connection, unfortunately, that technology is not available to everyone. Cell phones, on the other hand, are devices that an increasing number of people have available to them. In the U.S. alone, over 80% of the population owns a cellular device. Ramu Sunkara, co-founder and CEO of Qik, understands the importance of expanding his mobile video platform to more users: "It's a real milestone for mobile technology that an advanced utility like Qik is now available on mass market cell phones. We have been astounded by the use of Qik by smartphone owners, and are excited to see what mass market cell phone users will stream live to the Web."

Expansion of Streaming Mobile Video

We here at CMSWire certainly wouldn't mind lifestreaming our action-packed lives. However, being able to do that requires a compatible device, and support -- while increasing -- is still fairly low. While that remains true, Qik is making quite a few strides for support on Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Support for the following devices is currently being privately tested in alpha: * Nokia 5300 * Nokia 6300 * Nokia 6500 * Nokia 8800 * Sony Ericsson G502 * Sony Ericsson K660i * Sony Ericsson K850i * Sony Ericsson K858c * Sony Ericsson W890i * Sony Ericsson W908c * Sony Ericsson W910i * Sony Ericsson Z750i As a side note, those fortunate to have an iPhone can also get in on the video streaming action as well -- granted, it requires users to jailbreak (hack) their iPhone to enable the video streaming service.

Impressive Growth Potential

While watching the crazy amount of people streaming their local commute can become quite boring after the hundredth time (why people do this is beyond us), it is far more interesting to think of the practical uses of Qik. Reporting live events, sharing memorable moments, communicating with friends and family, and publishing interesting content are just a few of the things that can be accomplished with Qik. This is where the platform shines, and there are business opportunities with this.

Another boring commute...

All this comes with a price though -- we can all be sure that telecommunication companies are hardly thrilled with the idea of users streaming video content through their pipes. Expect technologies like these to promote tiered service structures, where power users are paying even more for data. We hope that Qik will expand to other platforms like Symbian, RIM and Android in the future. For device compatibility, check out Qik's support page.