We first covered Six3, a cross-platform video service for mobile and desktop, back in February, and today at TNW 2012 conference in Amsterdam, the startup is announcing the end of its beta, and the launch of its full service with a number of new features timed to mark its launch.
Just to recap, Six3 allows users to send short, private video messages between smartphones and computers. The video messages can be created (and viewed) on iPhones, PCs & Macs, but on other video-capable smartphones and feature phones they can only be viewed for now.
Six3 messages are optimized to transfer quickly over 3G and even 2.5G connections, with a cloud-based approach meaning that messages and contact lists are accessible from any compatible device – be it desktop or mobile, and it also supports group conversations.
As part of today’s full launch, the company has announced two main new features demanded by beta users, one of which is integration with Facebook & Twitter. This means you can now opt to share videos to friends and followers through these social channels too.
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The next update is filters – yup, Six3 is reeling in colour filters to video messages to enhance videos created in different light conditions and environments.
The company was founded in July 2011, and the service was built from the ground up in six months. The company’s CTO, Simon Frost, was previously Technical Architect for BBC iPlayer, while co-founder and CEO Tim Grimsditch is the former global head of entertainment product marketing at Nokia.
But why video messaging? Well three main reasons. Firstly, Skype calls need to be pre-arranged and they don’t always work well on mobile phones. Secondly it’s easy to send videos by email from smartphones, but it’s not quite so simple for PC or Mac users to reply with video. And thirdly, MMS only works on devices with SIM cards, and is expensive, especially internationally.
“So, we decided to create a service that makes it incredibly ease to send beautiful video messages using smartphones, PCs and other connected devices,” says Grimsditch. “That service is Six3.”
Meanwhile, you can monitor all our coverage from The Next Web’s 2012 conference here.
➤ Six3
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