Ustream's plan is still to get the app on the official App Store, which would make it much, much more accessible to the general public. The good news is that their latency from streaming to watching is pretty good (about 2-3 seconds), which is live enough to be called live. Not good enough, though, for having a conversation with.

When we tried it over Wi-Fi, the video quality was pretty acceptable for streaming video from a phone. There are a couple short sample videos here. You can actually make out the text if I get in close enough to the screen. What does this say? One, the iPhone 3G's camera is decent enough to take video and the processor is fast enough to process and upload it. Two, we're dying to get this in the App Store so everyone can try.

Another really cool feature is the live poll, which you can activate and have all your viewers vote on. It sends an email to your account address when you close the poll.

The tech is there, so all that's left is for Apple to approve it. You can get it now by jailbreaking.

Their CEO told TechCrunch that users will be able to "participate" in the live chat of the stream directly on the phone. It's the 16th now, and the inauguration is on the 20th, so if Ustream hopes to make it on time, Apple had better get approvin' soon. [Techcrunch]

Owners of the following phones can grab the J2ME client now:

Nokia 5300, Nokia 6300, Nokia 6500 (classic and slide), Nokia 6555, Nokia 8800 Arte/Carbon Arte, Sony Ericsson G502, Sony Ericsson K660i, Sony Ericsson K850i, Sony Ericsson K858c, Sony Ericsson W890i, Sony Ericsson W908c, Sony Ericsson W910i, and Sony Ericsson Z750i.

And those who are carrying these ten Nokia pieces can contact Qik for an even rougher version of the client to test:

- Nokia 3120 classic
- Nokia 3600 slide
- Nokia 3555
- Nokia 5610 Xpress Music
- Nokia 6600 fold
- Nokia 6600 slide
- Nokia 6212 classic
- Nokia 7373
- Nokia 7390
- Nokia 7900 Prism

[Qik]

Qik Launches First Live Mobile Video Streaming on Mass Market Phones
Support for phones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson brings inaugural live streaming to J2ME handsets, the most ubiquitous application platform for mobile devices

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – October 16, 2008 – Qik, Inc., the live mobile video streaming platform, today announced that it is the first live mobile video product to launch on mass market mobile phones. Available today in alpha, Qik's service is now ready for use on more than a dozen Nokia and Sony Ericsson mass market mobile handsets. With Qik’s free service, users can stream video live to the Internet in just two clicks from their mobile phone. Those watching the videos on the web can engage in live interactive chat with the person broadcasting.

“It's a real milestone for mobile technology that an advanced utility like Qik is now available on mass market cell phones,” said Ramu Sunkara, co-founder and CEO of Qik. “We have been astounded by the use of Qik by smartphone owners, and are excited to see what mass market cell phone users will stream live to the Web.”

Mass market cell phones include non-PDA and non-smartphone handsets which are more accessible to a much broader market of customers. These devices usually carry a lower price point than more advanced phones and have deep penetration in the global mobile market. Qik's software for these handsets is based on the Java Platform, Micro Edition, (commonly referred to as J2ME), the most ubiquitous application platform for mobile devices.

“Nokia is pleased that Qik's innovative live video service is now available for owners of Nokia feature phones as well as Nokia smartphones,” said Tom Libretto, Vice President, Forum Nokia. “Qik's release for these phones adds an exciting new way for people to use an even wider variety of Nokia handsets.”

Qik is initially launching in alpha on the following handsets: Nokia 5300, Nokia 6300, Nokia 6500 (classic and slide), Nokia 6555, Nokia 8800 Arte/Carbon Arte, Sony Ericsson G502, Sony Ericsson K660i, Sony Ericsson K850i, Sony Ericsson K858c, Sony Ericsson W890i, Sony Ericsson W908c, Sony Ericsson W910i, and Sony Ericsson Z750i.

Owners of the above devices can get Qik by registering at http://qik.com/. Support for these devices is expected to enter beta in the coming weeks, and support for additional Nokia and Sony Ericsson feature phones is expected soon after.

The Pope, Senator Barack Obama, Bono, and Steve Jobs are just a few of the notables to be streamed live to the web by Qik users in more than 150 countries. Journalists are using Qik to be more transparent in their reporting, and politicians worldwide are employing Qik as they campaign on a more engaging Web platform. Parents around the planet are easily sharing family events as they happen through Qik on their cell phones. With simple but robust software and a feature-rich site, tens of thousands of Qik users are streaming important moments live to the people with whom they want to share.

Qik, in addition to being the live mobile to web video service of choice for celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, is also delivering exciting footage shot by a wide selection of users across entertainment, business, sports, and technology. Recent Qik videos of note have included behind the scenes footage from Sarah Palin and Joe Biden's vice presidential debate, interviews with comedian Dane Cook, the launch of Apple's new notebook computers, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's speech reacting to the global economic climate.

Next2Friends™ launches First Live Mobile Streaming Video for BlackBerry® Devices
Next2Friends free ‘Live’ application makes sharing videos taken from your mobile phone easy and fun.

9th October 2008 - London, UK: Next2Friends™ (www.next2friends.com), the mobile social media platform, today announces the availability of its innovative ‘Live’ mobile video streaming application and Social Suite for the BlackBerry® Curve™ and Pearl™ series smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM). Already available for the Symbian S60 & S40 range of devices and the Windows Mobile 6 platform, Next2Friends is now actively extending its support and development for the BlackBerry OS as well as a number of other popular operating systems.

Next2Friends™ Live enables people to share their lives from anywhere, from broadcasting the little things that make up the day, to capturing a must-see-moment, to bringing happenings across the world closer to home. The application, soft-launched in late 2007 and officially released in June 2008, is continually being enhanced by the Next2Friends™ development team to deliver the optimal service for all the people already sharing their lives through real-time, rich media. Some of the new features that have recently been incorporated are one click streaming, the ability to zoom, pause or re-start live streams and automatic quality selection that guarantees the best streaming experience independent of location, carrier or connection speeds.

“We are excited to be making Next2Friends Live available for BlackBerry users.” commented Anthony Nystrom, CTO of Next2Friends™. “By bringing Next2Friends to the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve we will be opening up a whole new world of connectivity and interactivity to this surprisingly untapped segment of the industry.”

The Next2Friends™ mobile pack has been designed so people can share their life and connect with others anywhere by vastly extending the capability and usability of mobile devices. The Mobile Social Suite includes two-click photo uploading, media rich opinion polling and location-based social networking. Seamlessly integrated with all the extra features on www.Next2Friends.com, the total package is more complete, more compelling and more relevant to the needs and desires of today’s consumer than any other service.

Users can sign up for the free service at www.Next2Friends.com, download the application to their BlackBerry smartphone in seconds, and begin using immediately. Videos captured with the Next2Friends Live application are automatically streamed to the user’s personal video library where they can be easily shared with friends or embedded on other social networking profiles, websites and blogs.

Research in Motion (RIM) is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of smartphones in the US, with the BlackBerry line commanding 46% of the market in Q2 2008. With over 5 million BlackBerry units shipped in Q2 and 17.4% market share worldwide, there is little doubt that development for BlackBerry is a winning move. Driven by innovation and utility for both the business and consumer worlds, there is little sign that this momentum will slow.

Next2Friends™ Live application and Social Suite are free to install and use, with members only paying for networked data traffic via their carrier. Advanced compression technology ensures that all content is reduced to a fraction of its original size, with no degradation of quality or delays.

Fully supported devices include popular models from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Samsung and now select models from BlackBerry.

-ends-

About Next2Friends
Next2Friends (www.next2friends.com), the mobile social media platform, was created to deliver content and connections that entertain, engage and enhance life. Bringing together the full capabilities of both mobile and PC-based internet technology, the comprehensive suite of applications and features provide rich media, commercial and communication services to today’s connected consumer.

Key applications include:
· Live – true, real-time video streaming from mobile device to web.
· Ask – opinion gathering and decision making on the move.
· Snap Up – automatic streaming of images captured while out and about.
· Tag & Meet – intelligent matching of virtual profiles in the physical world.

The Next2Friends platform utilises patent-pending, proprietary technology to ensure consumers, businesses and brands enjoy the full value of the mobile internet. The UK Limited Company, formed in 2007, has offices in the UK and US, in addition to R&D divisions on three continents.

Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected

Either way, I really miss the days when an Apple product was in the store the day of the announcement- Brian Lam
AppleTV Late [Reuters]