Qik

This afternoon we were the first to announce that Flixwagon had cracked the iPhone and was able to run live video streaming through unlocked iPhones. Not to be outdone, the team at Qik have announced this afternoon that they too have cracked the iPhone and will be able to do live video streaming. Qik sent their iPhone demo video to Mashable (we don't exist apparently!) and I've embedded it below as well.

We are setting up for some hot summer battles between Qik and Flixwagon - since both do basically the same thing, it will be the "surroundings" that make the difference. Who has the better player? Who has the better community?

come inside to view the video demo »

Mobile photo and video are game changers for individuals and news organizations. As more mobile devices (and carriers) are supported, this market is going to skyrocket. Here are 10 apps that are in the mobile photo and video space. Some are well known and some might be new to you, in any event, give them all a try! And as always add your own faves in the comments.

Flixwagon

The Flixwagon app allows you to stream video live online. Their player is the best currently and Flixwagon recently worked with MTV on their Choose or Lose campaign by having reporters all over the country streaming in live video using a mobile handset. Currently Flixwagon works mainly with Nokia handsets but also has some support via a Java client. Flixwagon is also partnering with a variety of conferences to get live streaming from conference attendees. They most recently had many mobile devices at SXSW. (our Flixwagon coverage) MORE »

At the core of Seesmic is a threaded discussion forum using video. One person starts a thread, others follow, all using video. I've written about Seesmic several times before including an initial demo video.

Earlier this week Mashable installed a new plugin from Viddler that allows site visitors to comment on articles using video. In 24 hours I've watched about 30 video comments.

Why do I believe the combination of blog/cms is stronger than Seesmic? Because it allows the content publisher and his or her audience to interact, each in their own preferred medium. I may prefer to start in text, John wants to reply with video, Mary with audio, Rachel with text. Together we are forming a combined discussion that doesn't force us into one medium, be it text (currently for most blogs) or video (as Seesmic does).

To make this model perfect, we need three things. Audio recording capabilities, mobile commenting and video/audio transcription. The transcription is important because if users will contribute in their preferred method, they should be able to consume in as many ways as possible. These new input and ouput options could bring real innovation to the blog space which has set relatively still for a couple of years.

And how will the live video services (Qik/Flixwagon) be able to play in this new blog realm? I believe Seesmic is working on live video as well.

Perhaps Seesmic could offer a plugin similar to what Viddler is offering to enhance their current video offering. Viddler has a variety of innovative features but lacks the YouTube buzz and take rate. If they could figure out how to bundle the video commenting plugin into a variety of blog and CMS platforms, it could help elevate and provide a strong distribution model for Viddler.

What's your take? Are video comments the future? Do you prefer the Seesmic video threading to the traditional blog setup?

After my post about Kyte yesterday, the team asked me to swing by their booth. Let me just say that what they showed me was impressive. They showed me their 2-minute full Facebook application along with the one-minute embed option. The system works with mobile phones, webcams, and saved videos. We were able to take my mobile phone, create a video, email it to Kyte and it was online immediately in my channel. The live features work mainly with the Nokia N95 (Nokia is an investor in Kyte).

With all of the new live video services hitting the airwaves recently, I asked co-founder Daniel Graf about the differences between Kyte and Seesmic, Qik and Flixwagon. Come inside for his video response.

This afternoon I was a panel member discussing privacy at the Politics Online Conference in Washington D.C. I will have a full recap of the panel along with some other thoughts on privacy. If you are interested in the meantime in checking out the full panel discussion, Mashable Director Adam Hirsch captured it on Qik and I've embedded it below. For some reason it starts out on a slant but corrects itself early into the movie. Enjoy!

A bunch of people have asked me if I have any Qik invites and I am happy to say that I have some invites now for you awesome CN readers! Qik is a mobile streaming video service that uses your mobile device to stream. It's pretty cool and heck, if Robert Scoble thinks its great then you know it's worth something!

I don't have a mobile device capable of doing anything but making phone calls so I will rely on ya'all for feedback. If you test out the service and would like to write a review, send in a note to us. And if you start streaming, post a comment so we can check you out!

If you would like an invite, go to www.qik.com/sign_up and then send an email to support@qik.com indicating that you are a CenterNetworks reader and the Qik team will approve your request.