What Does Qik Mean?
Qik is a smartphone application for live video streaming to the Internet. It can also be used for two-way video conferencing. Qik has been very well received since its initial release in 2007. The beta version was introduced in mid 2008. Qik is a product of Qik, Inc. of Redwood City, CA, which also has an office in Russia.
Techopedia Explains Qik
Qik software can be used in 140 smartphones, which must have at least a 2G wireless connection. Videos can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many other social network websites. Qik videos can be manually shared on Del.icio.us, Digg, StumbleUpon, MySpace, Technorati, Facebook, WordPress and Ovi by Nokia.
Available for the Android market in 2010, through Sprint, Qik can also be used for two-way video chat on the Samsung Epic 4G.
Qik has received numerous awards and recognitions, including Winner of Laptop Magazine Mobile Maverick Award, #2 Most Innovative Startup at Telecom Council, Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2008, Top Ten startups to watch by Technology Review and the Top 15 Most Fierce Online Video Movers and Shakers.
Two of several competitors are Kyte and Flixwagon. A 2008 comparison study gave a slight edge to Kyte in video quality, but found Qik and Kyte had clearly higher quality than Flixwagon.
In 2011, Skype acquired Qik for $100 million.
