Video social networking is going mobile. Unfortunately, Apple has yet to allow third party app developers to access the iPhone’s video architecture to create video capture and streaming apps. We do expect this to change at some point, and hopefully soon, but without commitment from Apple it remains uncertain when video apps will appear in the App Store. However, this has not stopped iPhone hackers from creating their own video apps for jailbroken iPhones.
The two apps leading the way are Qik and Flixwagon, iPhone jailbreak apps that are successfully integrating mobile video with social networking sites. They are both free, and very similar in features. They both enable you to share mobile video by either live streaming to the web, or by record and upload. The only drawback with Qik and Flixwagon is that they each lock you into their own closed social network. You can’t simply save a video and upload it anywhere you want. Fortunately, you can do just that with Cycorder, another free jailbreak app for simply recording and saving videos with your iPhone so you can upload them to video social networking sites like 12seconds.tv.
Jailbreaking your iPhone will void your warranty if you’re caught, but in most cases you can reset your device to its virgin state so it appears non-jailbroken to Apple (ideal if you need to visit the Genius Bar or sell your device to someone else). There are so many free jailbreak apps out there that don’t even have a rival in the App Store. But if you already have purchased or downloaded applications from the App Store, don’t worry, jailbreaking your iPhone will not remove those. You will continue to enjoy access to your native apps and the App Store, in addition to all the jailbreak apps. Video capture apps like Qik and Flixwagon can be yours for the taking.
Recording and uploading video from the iPhone is a killer feature that Apple is just silly to ignore. We trust that they will eventually open up video to app developers, and investors agree. Recently, Qik announced that it will take a significant financial investment from Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen (founder of Netscape, LoudCloud/OpsWare, Ning). Details of the investment were undisclosed but described as “significant”. This move validates the mobile video market and positions the iPhone squarely in the center as a major platform given its advanced technology and market penetration.
YouTube brought video sharing into the mainstream causing dozens of copycat sites to appear on the web. But we think the next big evolution in online video will be lifestreaming, blogging, and social networking sites that integrate mobile video. CNN.com’s fantastic iReport service is a perfect example, utilizing mobile video to take citizen journalism well beyond competing sites like Newsvine.
Other sites will be completely built around mobile video, like 12seconds.tv, which is seemingly poised to trump Twitter’s popular microblogging site by enabling microblogging with mobile video. 12seconds.tv was created by smart, passionate people who have a running start in this emerging space. If they continue to grow their feature set at their current pace, and then Apple enables native video capture for iPhone, well, look out. Twitter will have a tough time playing catch up to 12seconds.tv.
Mobile video capture is a perfect compliment to the iPhone’s powerful platform. We do think Apple will allow native video capture at some point, but you don’t have to wait until then to get your feet wet. If you have the willingness to jailbreak your iPhone, you can jump right in by downloading Qik, Flixwagon, or Cycorder and join in on the new social networking revolution using your iPhone for mobile video.
Note: Cycorder does not currently have a web site, but you can install it on your jailbroken iPhone through Cydia.
If you’re new to jailbraking and reading to take the plunge, here are two excellent tutorials for Mac and PC users.
- How to: Newbie’s Guide to iPhone 3G Jailbreak [Mac]
- How to: Newbie’s Guide to WinPwn 2.0(.1) Jailbreak [PC]
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