Web Apps News

Qik: Yet another brilliant service crippled on iPhone

By Tim Conneally | Published August 14, 2009, 10:48 AM

Qik on the iPhone 3GSMobile video streaming site Qik, which was introduced last year is leading the charge into the next generation of the Web. Think of it as a real-time YouTube where a user's mobile phone is paired with an online channel that broadcasts live video streamed from his handset camera over 3G. The service's value for citizen journalism is undeniable.

Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Android all have the ability to stream live video to Qik, and the iPhone 3G S just got an app for the service for the first time yesterday.

Unfortunately, as we've seen with many of the most groundbreaking new apps, the iPhone's version provides none of the groundbreaking features.

Qik's Director of Marketing, Jackie Danicki said last night, "For now, this is a capture and upload app -- not the low latency live video you've become used to with Qik. And for today, this app only works over Wi-Fi. But we've submitted an update to the App Store which will have it working over 3G networks, too."

So the service which is noteworthy for streaming live video over 3G networks has come to the iPhone with no live streaming and no 3G connectivity. This places Qik in the ranks of most of Google's services which have to be tailored to fit the iPhone, or which have been rejected entirely.

Comments

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mshulman
Aug 17, 2009 - 11:11 AM

I don't get it. What's the big deal?

No single phone can do everything. If anything, Qik released the app prematurely and should have just waited until it was full featured. Instead, they figured they'd give something and will update it later.

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dsulls
Aug 18, 2009 - 2:04 PM

the problem is that the iPhone can do it.... Apple and AT&T just don't want you doing it and won't let you....

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The Faceless Master
Aug 16, 2009 - 3:13 PM edited

people too dumb to click [ Next > ] a few times to jailbreak their iphone can always just get a different phone

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Aires
Aug 15, 2009 - 4:45 AM

The problem is that the iPhone is becoming like a PC - popular. And Apple just ain't use to being popular with Mac OS, they're used to being niche. Yes the iPod is popular, but it does nothing other than play songs (and films). The more popular the iPhone is and the more it's used, the more people are going to want what they use on the PC - on the iPhone. Apple are going to have to get to grips with the success of the iPhone and that they've basically produced a mini portable handheld computer - that just so happens to be a phone as well.

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preinterpost
Aug 14, 2009 - 3:51 PM edited

Thanks posting objective iPhone criticism.
But I fear the zealots are blind in any case...
Which logically leads to no requirement for video anyway...

(You kow - I feel kind of under pressure with this Edit count down...)

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PC_Tool
Aug 14, 2009 - 5:43 PM

Just play some Queen in the background while browsing the site. ;)

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ctk
Aug 14, 2009 - 1:30 PM

i wonder what other native iphone/touch app does the same thing...

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PC_Tool
Aug 14, 2009 - 12:26 PM

They're going to have to change their slogan pretty soon. Because as it stands...there isn't an app for that. ;)

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swattz101
Aug 14, 2009 - 12:48 PM

How about they change it to: "There is an (jailbroken) app for that. :-)

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