Qik

Alpha support for Samsung Omnia i900 and i910

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:01:00 +0000

To share your July 4th moments live, we are rolling out alpha support for the cool, Windows Mobile, touch-screen Samsung Omnia i900 and i910. This alpha version can be downloaded from the browser on your mobile phone by visiting http://qik.com/dl/409.

Features in this release:
- Cool, new touch interface to stream live and share (images below)
- Support for VGA quality (640x480)
- Better audio quality
- Share to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube with one click
- Switch between auto-sharing of all videos to sharing them individually by holding the Facebook, Twitter, YouTube icon for > 2seconds.

Upcoming features:
- Sharing using SMS and Email
- Ability to harness GPS for street and precise location tracking
- Turn Flashlight On/Off while streaming

As usual we would love to hear from you. So, please send your feedback to winmo@qik.com.

Join us to showcase Qik in education technology!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:05:00 +0000

We are excited to be working with Hall from the Discovery Channel Network on an upcoming global educational project. On July 1st (Wednesday), Qik will be participating in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Conference in Washington D.C., to showcase how live mobile streaming could empower both teacher and student for more interactive learning.

At noon, live Qik videos will be picked up and mapped on Google Earth in a worldwide demonstration of Qik and the power of the cellphone. Here's your chance to say "Hello!" to thousands of educators from around the world and show them how Qik could enhance learning in and out of the classroom!

Simply record a Qik video greeting from now till 12:00 noon on Wednesday and email hall_davidson@discovery.com with your video permalink to be included!

The Dead Weather perform live with Qik!

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:41:00 +0000

From the Basement features intimate performances by A-list musicians. The first ever UK set, performed live on Monday, featured The Dead Weather, the new band from the White Stripes' Jack White. The format of From the Basement is to have no studio audience or presenter, just superstar acts playing great music live, totally uncut with its focus on the performers.

Featuring live Qik coverage of the event, From The Basement delivers live video content online, streaming the band's performance and behind the scenes event coverage with the newly released Nokia N97.

Band members include Jack White, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs.

Performance by The Dead Weather:

Dancing to the music:

Check back for more live coverage of From the Basement on Qik!

Qik on Android: early alpha now available!

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Well, we have a very early alpha version of Qik on Android that can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace.

Minimum Device Requirement:
- Firmware 1.5
- SD Card on the device

Features in this release
- Live streaming with live chat
- Share videos to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
- Ability to set your videos to Private / Public with a touch of a button
- Add Title / Description to the video prior

As usual we would love to hear from you. So, please send your feedback to android@qik.com.

Happy Qikking :)

Qik & Brightcove partner for mobile video publishing on the web

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0000

We're excited to announce our new partnership with Brightcove, the world's number one online video platform. Brightcove's on-demand platform lets its customers publish and distribute video across websites, social networks and video portals. Brightcove also provides monetization options for customers through integration with advertising servers and networks. With today’s partnership announcement, Qik’s mobile video capabilities can now be easily integrated into Brightcove’s online video publishing and distribution workflow.

What does this mean for Qik users?

This partnership opens up new distribution and monetization opportunities for Qik users who have Brightcove accounts by enabling them to publish mobile video content through Brightcove players and integrate ads into their mobile video content via Brightcove just as they would for their other video content. It also enables them to distribute their Qik-generated content across the wide distribution opportunities available through Brightcove partners.

What does this mean for Brightcove customers?

With this partnership, Brightcove customers can now integrate mobile video uploads from more than 130 mobile phones into their Brightcove platform accounts enabling them to add a new, cost-effective source of publisher-produced and user-generated video to their mix of online content.

Key features of this integration include:

- Automatically upload your videos to your Brightcove account
- Share your or any public videos to Brightcove by clicking Share under the video on Qik.com
- Add tags to automatically organize all mobile content created by each user in the Brightcove Media Module

Coming soon: Ability to stream live mobile video through Brightcove players.

Pricing and Limited Time Offer:

To celebrate the launch of our partnership, we're offering a limited time special offer: Until July 15, Brightcove customers (existing or new) will receive three months of free Qik integration with Brightcove when signing up for an annual account. This is a savings of $450 per user, with the monthly license per user priced at $150.

Want to get started? Send an email to brightcove@qik.com and we'll get you rolling with a trial of the integration.

Watch Qik videos within TweetDeck!

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:19:00 +0000

We have been big fans at Qik HQ of the desktop Twitter app TweetDeck for many months. It's the way we monitor Twitter to keep up with you, our users. If one of you has a problem with Qik and tweets about it, we work hard to respond directly and quickly to try to help. It's also great for picking up your (much appreciated!) praise of our own app. :)

So we're thrilled to announce that, with the major new release of TweetDeck that's just been launched, you can now watch Qik videos within TweetDeck!

Here's what it looks like (click the thumbnail for the full sized picture) in action:

Well done to Iain Dodsworth and the TweetDeck team on a fantastic new version of an already excellent app!

Qik Pre-Loaded on Nokia N97!

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:31:00 +0000

We can't express how hard it has been to keep this a secret!

After months of rigorous testing of all mobile video applications, Nokia has selected Qik as the exclusive live mobile video application to be pre-loaded on the Nokia N97. What does this mean? Anyone who buys a Nokia N97 will find Qik already pre-installed on the device. (press release)

"We have been working with Qik since its entry to the market and have seen the way they have rapidly progressed to being recognized as the leader in the mobile video space," said Rob Taylor, Vice President of Forum Nokia. "Qik was an obvious choice when we were looking to pre-load an innovative mobile video solution on the Nokia N97 and future Symbian S60 devices."

To get started with Qik on the N97, go to the Application folder and press the Qik icon. Once the application starts, you will be prompted to upgrade. This is a mandatory upgrade so go ahead and select "Yes" when prompted and within seconds, you will be ready to share what you are doing live with your friends and family on any website, blog, or social network.

Feature highlights on the Nokia N97:

Video Quality Enhancements:
- nHD quality video in a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio video with 642x358 resolution (sample)
- Toggle between the different resolutions, with SD 640x480 resolution, Normal in 352x288 and Low in 176x144.

Share your Qik videos with your friends and family - right from your phone:
- Share your videos via Sms and Email with one touch
- Post videos directly from your phone to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter

Share your location while you Qik:
Share your location with your friends which appears on your profile page - Track your location live while you stream from one place to another
- Share your location from where you are at City or Street level
- Or choose not to do so at all

Manage your profile and view the videos from the mobile browser:
- Visit your profile page to view and manage the videos you've recently streamed
- Visit other's profiles or videos right from the mobile browser

Enhanced Features on the device also enables you to:
- Qik with front and back camera
- Activate flash settings

Qik in 19 different languages:
Simply change your language preference in your phone settings and Qik will auto detect the default language that you have selected. The languages supported include British English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Hebrew.

We appreciate all your feedback and urge you to get in touch with us with any questions, comments, or congratulations at support@qik.com. Thanks so much to our invaluable Qikkers for helping us to develop our product to this incredible point!

"Qik" thinker captures hit-and-run driver

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000

I was driving down the 101 expressway on Wednesday and suddenly a car hit me from behind. To my astonishment, instead of pulling over, he sped away and tried to get out of my sight. While still in the state of shock, my 2 and a half years of police officer experience signaled to me that my only evidence is running away. I chased him down the 101, pulled out my Samsung Blackjack 2 and started to Qik to get his license plate number. Having done that, I called 911 immediately and gave the license plate number to the operator. I took the nearest exit and waited at the petrol station for the California Highway Patrol officer to take my statement.

I then told the policeman that I have video evidence being uploaded onto the Internet. Surprised, he looked at me with skeptical eyes. It seemed that he did not believe such technology existed. It was then that I had the great pleasure to share with the police officer about Qik.

If not because of Qik's amazing technology, I would not have captured any evidence to facilitate the police in the investigation. It was indeed a memorable experience.

SCOTTEVEST Bus Tour

Fri, 29 May 2009 17:07:00 +0000

On June 2, Scott Jordan, CEO/founder of SCOTTEVEST is embarking on a week long bus trip in his 1970 VW Microbus, together with his frisbee catching poodle Lucy and my friend Scott (no relation), on a trip from Sun Valley, Idaho to Silicon Valley/San Francisco. Scott will be vising Apple co-fonder, Steve Wozniak, and stopping by the TWiT Cottage to visit Leo Laporte on the way. Scott will be streaming live from his Microbus via Qik, and you can follow him below! You can also follow his travels on Twitter as well.

Nokia's Ovi Store launches with Qik!

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:25:45 +0000

Today is the day! Nokia's Ovi Store has launched, and we're thrilled that Qik is a featured app on this exciting new application marketplace.

Many thanks to Robin Wauters at TechCrunch for naming Qik as one of the must-downloads to kick off! I can't help but agree. :)

Go to the Ovi Store to download Qik for your Nokia device. You can even send Qik to a friend from the Ovi Store!

Qik on Blackberry becomes location-aware!

Thu, 21 May 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Okay, Crackberry addicts, here's something for you: We've just pushed live a new version of Qik for BlackBerry devices (alpha version 0.1.12). This release contains one of the most requested feature - ability to share their location while Qikking. With this client you can now share your location at city, street level or precisely where you are streaming from. Check out the demo below!

Apart from this, the 0.1.12 client also has a number of bug fixes including not starting to stream immediately under certain conditions.

Happy Qikking!

Qik Mother's Day contest - win a Macy's gift card!

Sat, 09 May 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Some of our favorite Qik videos are the ones you guys share with us of your families. The everyday moments and special occasions where loved ones come together are riveting viewing at Qik HQ. It really means a lot that you give us a peek into your families' lives.

In the US, tomorrow is Mother's Day. We thought it would be fun to challenge Qikkers to share their best Mother's Day videos with us. What are we looking for? It's up to you. Show us how you're celebrating the day with mom, capture her reaction when she first sees that special gift you got her, show her delight when you bring her breakfast in bed, tell her why she means so much to you and let us watch, sing a funny song for mom, document a huge surprise you've planned for her...or maybe your wife is an amazing mother, and you and the kids have put together a spceial day for her. There is no limit to the touching, interesting moments you capture on Qik, so we're leaving this wide open to your imagination.

NOTE: Even if you live in a country which celebrates Mother's Day on a different date, or doesn't celebrate it at all, you can still enter to win. Just show us something cool related to your mom!

To enter, simply tag your video with mothers day or use the term "Mother's Day" somewhere in the title or description. We'll review all your videos and then have a vote at Qik HQ as to our favorite. The winner will receive a Qik swag pack and a $50 gift card to Macy's. If the runners-up are good enough, there might be some Qik swag heading to them, too.

Make tomorrow a special day for mom - and capture the best moments on Qik!

Vote for Qik in the TiEcon 50!

Mon, 04 May 2009 05:15:00 +0000

I speak for everyone here when I say that we're all thrilled that Qik has been nominated for the TiE 50 in the Wireless category. With such fierce competition from start-ups all over the world, it's a real honor to be chosen as one of the best of the best.

TiE (formerly The Indus Entrepreneurs) is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurialism around the globe. In fact, TiE is the world's largest organization for entrepreneurs. TiEcon is TiE's spotlight annual event and one of the largest conventions in the world focused on entrepreneurs. The 2009 TiEcon will feature the first annual showcase of 50 of the most promising start-ups in the world, selected from hundreds of companies after a rigorous screening process.

We would be hugely grateful if you would vote for Qik in the TiEcon 50. Awards are always great, but there is something special about ones where fans of Qik have taken the time and effort to place their vote for us.

Click here to vote for Qik in the Wireless category of TiEcon 50. Thank you in advance for your support - we really appreciate it!

Facebook Connect updated

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:49:00 +0000

We have updated our Facebook Connect implementation to provide more flexibility on how videos get uploaded and also take care of those situations where in certain cases the videos were not getting uploaded as Facebook videos (Facebook bug report)

Videos still not getting uploaded?
To workaround the bug, please make the following changes.
1. Go to your Edit Networks page, and make sure that "Allow Qik to Upload videos" is checked. If it is not, try checking it and streaming again. Otherwise, go to step 2.
2. If it is checked, go to your Facebook Application Settings page, scroll to "Qik", and click "Edit Settings"
3. Click on the "Additional permissions" tab.
4. Deselect the "Access my data even when I'm not using the application." checkbox and hit "Okay".
5. Go back to your Edit Networks, refresh the page, then click the "Allow Qik to Upload videos" button again. This should prompt you to allow offline access again. The page may reload a few times. This is expected as it is related to a <bug on Facebook.

Updated settings in the Networks tab
We have updated the settings to enable flexibility for us to trigger uploads to Facebook when you are not online on Facebook.

Qik - the FIRST mobile video service to utilize Facebook Connect for video uploads

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

What does that mean for you? It means you can now instantly share your Qik videos on Facebook the way you have been able to share photos for quite some time — directly from your mobile device.

We are super excited to roll out Qik’s Facebook Connect integration — with a big thanks to the team at Facebook for all their help! Here’s how this works.

Share your Qik videos with your friends on Facebook
Qik is the first mobile video service to use Facebook Connect for video uploads. So once you have streamed live using Qik, your videos are now instantly uploaded to your Facebook video collection. You can then proceed to tag, share and comment on the videos from Facebook as you would with any other Facebook photo or video. You even have the option to update your Facebook status and post a one-line story on your wall.

Set up Facebook as a network: You can now set up Facebook as a network by logging into to Qik and then going to Edit Profile > Edit Networks.

When the “Update your status and wall” box is checked, the Facebook status is updated with the Title of the video along with the link to the Qik video. If the Qik video does not have any Title, your Facebook status is not updated. It also posts a one-line story on the wall.

Trigger Facebook video uploads — right from your phone
If you don’t want to upload all your videos to Facebook, you can selectively trigger which ones to upload from your phone through the “Share” menu on your phone. This feature is currently available on all Windows Mobile non-touch smartphones and will be available on all our other supported devices soon.

Post your comments from Qik to Facebook
When you comment on someone else’s recorded Qik video, a story will appear in your newsfeed showing the activity. If you have not yet connected your Facebook account to your Qik profile, but have a valid Facebook session, we will prompt you to connect to Qik when you post a comment. Also, if you and the person you are commenting on are both members of Facebook and you are friends, then the news feed item will be posted on your feed AND your friend’s feed.

Notify your Facebook friends when you follow someone on Qik
When you follow someone on Qik, we will prompt you to post a story to your newsfeed indicating that you have done so.

Auto-login to Qik when logged into Facebook
Once you have connected your Facebook account with your Qik profile, we will automatically log you in to Qik if you have a valid Facebook session. If you were logged in via Facebook, signing out of Qik will also sign you out of Facebook.

Sign-up and Sign-in using Facebook Connect
New users can now sign up for Qik using Facebook Connect. If you're a new Qik user, once you sign up using Facebook Connect, you will be prompted to select your user URL on Qik (qik.com/<user>) and then go on to select your phone model and download Qik for your phone. SMS-capable devices will receive an SMS with a download and registration link via SMS for seamless association to your Qik account. The login information for the device is also sent as a Facebook message, enabling you to associate your device(s) to Qik.

As usual, we would love to get your feedback. Drop us a line at support@qik.com with comments or questions.