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A new service coming online soon may have us hearing the phrase "Quick, take out your cell phone!" a little more often. I suppose it was just a matter of time before somebody came up with a way to stream cell-phone video to the Web and store it there. That company, , yesterday opened for beta testing its Web service to allow camera-equipped phone users to "share moments of your life with your friends, family and the world." The service was introduced in a private alpha program late last year, and now includes numerous usability improvements to what is a slick and handsome .

Pronounced "quick," the company puts on its front page stats on the number of live "Qiks" currently being streamed, how many were added recently and shows one along with a Google-Map with a pointer to its country of origin. They've also added thumbnails of videos a la YouTube which can launch a redesigned player with chat capability.

The Qik beta has also expanded its list of supported handsets to about 30, adding more Symbian and Windows Mobile devices and as well as models from Motorola and Samsung. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are all on board. Also, you can now sign up without a compatible phone, but some phone is required to receive confirmation. Also new is support for distributing Qik videos via Facebook, MySpace, and Orkut. Other improvements include decreased lag time-- to as little as half a second, by some reports. Users can subscribe to favorite "Qikkers" via RSS, create groups for video distribution and events for inviting people to join.

If you thought your kids cell phone changes are high now, wait until they start streaming video. Cell phones can now be used like a camcorder, says Qik, streaming hours and hours of video without worrying about storage on the phone. While the Qik service itself is free, significant streaming changes apply, depending on your carrier. The minimum age for using Qik is 13.

I'll leave issues of privacy to the lawyers.

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This note complements 's overview and 's life‑casting angle with concise, practical guidance for running mobile live streams and avoiding the common pitfalls that often follow a successful demo.

Before broadcasting, verify cellular data allowances and any carrier limits; run a short test stream to estimate data and battery consumption and prefer Wi-Fi for longer sessions. Keep the phone cool, disable automatic screen lock, and close background apps to reduce dropped frames. Use a simple mount and an external mic when audio or steadiness matter.

If a stream stutters or drops, check signal strength and move to stronger reception or a different network if available. Restart the app and the handset, reduce resolution/frame rate inside the app if configurable, and retry short tests to isolate whether the problem is the handset, the app, or the network. If account activation or SMS confirmation fails, try a different phone or confirm SMS delivery settings with the carrier.

Assume live content may be archived and discoverable: disable location/GPS tagging, strip metadata where possible, secure broadcasts with any access controls offered, and obtain consent before recording private conversations or minors. Local laws on recording vary; treat live streaming like any public broadcast.

Simple data estimate (approximate):

# estimate megabytes used by a stream
bitrate_kbps = 500        # example: 500 kbps
duration_seconds = 10*60  # 10 minutes

megabytes = (bitrate_kbps * duration_seconds) / 8 / 1024
print(megabytes)  # approximate MB consumed

Practical testing, conservative bitrates, and clear privacy practices make mobile lifecasting useful without unwanted surprises—this builds on the context provided by and .

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Member Avatar for Techwriter10

Hey Eddie:
I did an article about life casting for Streaming Media Magazine a while back that will be printed in the Fall and interviewed these guys. Just yesterday I considered writing about them in my DW blog, but you beat me to the punch. Nice job.

Ron

Member Avatar for EddieC

Thanks for the kind words. Sorry I scooped you! -Eddie

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