Twitter has launched Periscope for iOS, which lets you stream live video from your iPhone, similar to what we’ve seen with the recent popularity of Meerkat.
What makes Periscope different from Meerkat is that it has pretty much zero lag so you can interact in real-time with streamers, plus it has Twitter’s social graph built-in (which was taken away from Meerkat).
Here’s how the Periscope team describes how the app can change the way we live with live video, as it’s “a visual pulse of what’s happening right now”:peri
While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around.
Twitter explains Periscope will offer broadcasters a new medium to share news with followers instantly, while viewers can influence Periscopers (?) by commenting in real-time or tapping the screen to send a ‘heart’.
What makes this app different from rival Meerkat is also the feature of streams being archived so followers can watch later. This results in less urgency to tune-in immediately, something Meerkat users are all too familiar with so they don’t suffer from FOMO.
These new live-video wars should also come with a public service announcement to keep tabs on your data plan, as video consumes lots of data. I’m pretty sure carriers are loving Meerkat and Periscope right about now.
Click here to download Periscope for iOS in the App Store, it’s free.
