Live
streaming video from a smartphone may soon be known as “meerkatting”
thanks to a new app which allows anyone with an iPhone to become a
roving reporter.
The
free application called Meerkat has become a virtual overnight
sensation since its low-key arrival on Apple’s online App Store late
last month, winning over journalists, politicians, self-anointed
pundits, social media celebrities and others.
Meerkat
integrates with Twitter, allowing users of the messaging platform to
launch live video streams with a single touch of an on-screen button.
In the rapid-fire Twitterverse, Meerkat has become a sudden hit with tens of thousands of users trying it.
Meerkat
“marries the wide potential of livestreaming with the instant and
social strengths of Twitter. Two great tastes that go so well together,”
Hawaii-based consultant and blogger Ryan Ozawa wrote.
“Imagine
the applications for breaking news. Imagine deploying Meerkat at an
event, with broadcasters and viewers easily interacting throughout. I
could easily see myself falling head over heels in love with Meerkat.”
The
app uses the name and image of a meerkat, which is a long-necked
carnivorous relative of the mongoose, living in the deserts of southern
Africa.
Twitter strikes back
The
news blog TechCrunch described Meerkat as “the livestreaming app
Twitter should have built.” Twitter appears to have taken notice.
The
one-to-many messaging platform announced Friday it was buying the maker
of a rival video streaming app called Periscope, which is in beta
testing and has not yet been released to the public.
“Excited
to officially welcome @periscopeco to the Twitter team. Can’t wait for
everyone to see what they’ve built!” Twitter product vice president
Kevin Weil tweeted on Friday.
Twitter
did not release details about the deal, but media reports said Twitter
was paying between $50 million (roughly Rs. 315 crores) and $100 million
(roughly Rs. 630 crores) for the app, which has only been available by
invitation.
It
was not immediately clear if Twitter would maintain Periscope as an
independent app or integrate it into the platform. Both companies are
based in San Francisco.
“That
is a worry for Meerkat,” Danny Sullivan, founder of the blog Search
Engine Land, said of Twitter buying Periscope. “If Twitter gets their
own live video, they will have a tendency to want to favor that.”
Meerkatting SXSW
Sullivan
“meerkatted” some are calling it “meercasting” a stroll around the
South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, shortly after
arriving there on Friday.
“It
is kind of neat to give a taste of South-By to people who have never
seen it and want a taste of it,” Sullivan said, referring to the
festival by its informal name. “It works surprisingly well; it is very
impressive how easy it was to get going with the live stream.”
With
Meerkat, a tweet is fired off containing a link that anyone can click
to be connected to the stream while it is in progress. Tiny profile
icons pop up to show who is tuning in to broadcasts.
“At one point we had 110 people all walking around with me,” Sullivan said.
Videos
are only available at Meerkat while they are live, but the app gives
users the option of saving what they have recorded on their devices.
On
Friday, an array of Meerkat streams flowing from SXSW included casual
tours of Google and PayPal lounges along with impromptu interviews there
by journalists who have seized on the application as a tool for giving
intimate glimpses at news gathering.
The
Iowa governor’s office announced on Friday that it will use Meerkat to
live-stream press conferences and other events on Twitter.
“By
using the Meerkat app, Iowans will be able to join us as we tour
communities following natural disasters; as we visit a small business,
listen in to our weekly press conferences or even as we hit the trail
for our annual 99-county tour,” said Iowa lieutenant governor Kim
Reynolds.
Posted by : Gizmeon
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