Mobile video start-up Qik is taking live video streaming from a mobile to a whole new level: DVD quality.
The company has launched a new beta version of its Android app that is optimised for the new Motorola Droid handset’s 720×480 pixel camera resolution.
We were impressed by Qik’s Android app when it first launched in August. Just like its Symbian and Windows Mobile counterparts, it allows live streaming of video from your handset but it throws the option of editing it before uploading if you prefer.
The editing function is eerily similar to that of the iPhone 3GS. Qik’s own iPhone app is crippled by Apple’s restrictions on live video streaming, meaning the app is ‘record and upload’ only.
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The new DVD-quality option will only work with the Motorola Droid and its European counterpart the Milestone for now although there’s no reason why Qik won’t be able to support other phones with high resolution cameras in the future.
Qik is the first mobile streaming service to offer the increase in resolution. Competitors such as Bambuser and Flixwagon will most likely follow suit in due course. UPDATE: It appears Bambuser has been testing HD streaming too – see the comments below.
The new app also makes sharing videos easier using an improved Speed Sharing Ribbon. This allows easy selection of the contacts and social media accounts you want to send your video to.
If you’re a Droid/Milestone owner and want to be a beta tester for the new app, email droidbeta@qik.com and ask them nicely.
Meanwhile, many people outside the few territories that currently have the Droid/Milestone are wondering when they will be able to get their hands on the in-demand handset.
As we reported on The Next Web Europe last week, a SIM-free version you can use on any GSM network is on its way according to UK retailer Expansys. They don’t have a confirmed date for release as yet although rumours we’ve heard suggest 1st December.
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