Apps Bring Video Broadcasting To iPhone 3GApps Bring Video Broadcasting To iPhone 3G

While the iPhone 3G has been a commercial hit, many users still bemoan the fact that its 2-megapixel camera can't record videos. But two recently released applications are partially addressing that problem by allowing some iPhone users to stream live video from their phones.

Both applications come with a catch: Users have to "jailbreak" their iPhones to install them. This means a customer will have to download software that will enable an iPhone 3G to install applications that are not approved by Apple. While it's not illegal to jailbreak a phone, it does void a user's warranty. Additionally, any handset with these applications could potentially be rendered useless by a future firmware update.

The video streaming service Qik recently announced support for Apple's latest handset. The service had previously been available for certain Windows Mobile and Symbian devices, and it enables users to broadcast live video from the iPhone's camera to the Web over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection.

Qik's iPhone 3G service is still in beta, so the company is asking for feedback on any issues users are encountering. These video streams can be embedded into Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Twitter, YouTube, and more.

Rival Flixwagon also has released a video streaming application for Apple's handset. Flixwagon offers similar abilities as the Qik application, but it also enables users to edit titles and description directly from the app.

Apple's App Store has seen at least 60 million downloads since its launch last month, but the company has put limitations on what the apps can do. Some developers feel Apple's tight control can be limiting, and they say these restrictions are the reason why there are no video recording applications in the store.