Flixwagon does live video broadcasting from your pocket
Date : 2008 01 28 Category : Web Webware.com
I'll be a bit honest here. If I see another live video broadcasting tool for Nokia phones my head is going to explode. These things are all over the place, but admittedly far from useless. There's always a need to record something, and if you can do it from your phone without having to carry around a bunch of memory cards, you're coming out a winner.
Flixwagon, which quietly launched its private alpha site this morning, has been kicking around a small community of developers and testers for the past few months. Like Kyte, Qik, and Comvu, the aim is to broadcast live video from your phone, and interact with the people who are watching your stream. No computer required.
The tiny (and we mean tiny) broadcasting app can be downloaded to most recent model Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones, and runs either off your Wi-Fi connection, or a speedy 3G signal from your carrier. In testing over AT&T's 3G network I found the quality to be about in line with the stuff you'd find on YouTube, which is a serious compliment considering it was streaming live from a pocket sized device and didn't need to go through any processing on my end. Admittedly our test device was a Nokia N95 which retails in excess of $500, and has the best built-in camera of most other Nokia models (or any cell phone for that matter). Your mileage may vary.
I personally prefer Qik's phone software just a smidge (it lets you pick what camera you want to use, and pause the video), but the flat out performance was a little better on Flixwagon. The killer app for any of these services is involvement, both for your live audience, and for users to be able to watch other user streams right on their phone. It's that second step that I think Kyte has taken the lead, and others like Qik and Flixwagon need to catch up with.
Flixwagon is currently in private alpha. If you're interested in giving the service a go, you can sign up here. I've embedded an Israeli, swingset version of Burning Man after the break. You can also check out my perilous journey to get coffee earlier this morning (my apologies in advance for the shoddy camera work).
View videos people have created live, or later as they're archived. Don't try this after a big lunch.
(Credit: CNET Networks)