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Just released this morning, the new Ustream Live Broadcaster app (iTunes link) actually allows you to stream live video from your video-capable iPhone 3GS to the web, something which the recently released Qik app couldn’t (and still can’t) boast. It’s the first app to offer live streaming from Apple’s handset, and it even allows you to do so over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections.

In order to use the app, you’ll need to sign up for a free Ustream account if you don’t already have one. Ustream will prompt you to do so, and then allow you to register right within the app, without having to even pop out to Safari to complete the process.

As with any Ustream video, your live stream will be automatically recorded and stored on your Ustream account for later viewing. You can also notify your friends via Twitter that you’re starting a stream, and take advantage of Ustream’s built-in chat and Social Stream features to interact with viewers watching your video in real-time while you shoot. Obviously not something you can do while recording yourself, unless you are so intimately familiar with your iPhone that you can type when the screen isn’t facing you.

All of your recorded videos can be shared via the app to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, but people wanting to tune in live will have to go to Ustream.tv. If you’re not within range of a data network when you want to make a recording, Ustream Live Broadcaster lets you record now and upload later, when you do find a reliable 3G or Wi-Fi connection.

Other features include the ability to start a yes/no poll, support for portrait and landscape recording, audio muting, video title editing, video resolution selection, viewer count and the ability to broadcast your phone’s GPS recording while streaming. It’s a very full-featured app, and one that I’m honestly surprised made it through the review process.

I think this app being released indicates a relaxation of some of Apple’s strictures regarding the streaming of live video, and possible the streaming of all video over a 3G connection. I expect an updated version of Qik with similar abilities to follow soon, and possibly a host of other apps that have been waiting at the gates for Apple to give the green light.

Interestingly, the app description says that both the 3GS and the 3G models are supported, although the sole purpose of the app is to broadcast live video as its recorded, which last time I checked wasn’t available on a standard, non-jailbroken iPhone 3G. Any users out there who have a 3G, get downloading (the app is free) and help us solve this mystery.

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It seems like just yesterday Kevin Rose was teasing us all with tantalizing tweets about an upcoming Qik iPhone application that would allow you to stream live video from your device to the web. Of course, that was before the iPhone 3GS, which brought actual video recording capabilities. Somehow, in those heady, optimistic days, it still seemed possible that the Qik app might make it into the App Store.

Time passed, we grew older, experienced the harsh disappointment of a fickle and dubiously motivated App Store approval process, and Qik came to jailbroken phones, as do all of the good apps that actually do things iPhone owners would like to be able to do with the devices we overpaid for. There seemed to be little hope of ever seeing Qik in the App Store. But look, that’s exactly where it is (iTunes link), as of today.

Cause for celebration? Could be, but I’d say reserved celebration at best, because while Qik is indeed in the App Store, and it does indeed allow you to record video and post it to the service with your iPhone 3GS (stick to the jailbreak version, 3G owners), it doesn’t let you actually stream live video, which is sort of the point of Qik in the first place, isn’t it? I mean, I can already post videos directly from the camera app to YouTube, and personally, I don’t need to worry about using another recorded video web service.

Also, you have to have a Wi-Fi connection to even upload your videos at all, which all but eradicates any remaining interest I may have had in the app. To be fair, this is probably another example of the AT&T monkey on Apple’s shoulder steering policy, but it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. The FCC can’t drive a wedge between these two soon enough, as far as I’m concerned.

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Evidence is mounting that Apple could indeed be planning on bringing at least one new hardware feature to the iPod touch. First, it was just general whisperings, involving the addition of a video camera after the appearance of the iPhone 3GS with similar functions. Then, a crop of case designs turned up that boasted a cut-out hole, presumably to allow outside access for a camera lens. Now, Apple is said to be ordering the parts necessary for the change by the boatload.

Cameras for All?

The new report claims that a source is saying Apple has placed a bulk order for inexpensive (around $10 each) camera modules with the intent of including them in an upcoming iPod hardware revision. And apparently not only the iPod is slated for an upgrade. More leaked case designs suggest that at least the iPod Nano may also be able to snap pictures in the near future.

TechCrunch’s source, commenting on the information regarding a possible iPod Nano camera, noted that considering the sheer volume of parts ordered by Apple, he wouldn’t be surprised if camera capabilities came to every iPod in the line, except the Shuffle, which wouldn’t support one for obvious reasons.

Turning the Tide of Mobile Video

If you’ve been keeping up with the success of the video-recording capabilities of the iPhone 3GS, you’ve probably seen the impressive numbers concerning YouTube mobile uploads that seem to indicate 3GS owners are very much enjoying their newfound movie-making features.

It only makes sense, then, that Apple should consider bringing the love to the iPod touch line, too. In doing so, it could compete with both basic point-and-shoot cameras, and with devices like the Flip Mino that do cheap and easy video recording. Many of those devices offer YouTube-compatible recording formats and advertise it as a feature, so there’s clearly a demand. The iPod touch, assuming that it has the same features as the iPhone, would be able to not only record YouTube-compatible video, but also upload it directly from the device as long as it is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Apple Wunderkind Enters Another Market

We are seeing Apple’s move into portable gaming result in significant gains for the company, and whether or not Nintendo and Sony see it as a rival, stories of high-placed gaming industry executives switching over to play for the iPhone team are not uncommon these days. With the iPhone 3GS, and, hopefully, with an iPod touch Video on the horizon, we could be seeing Cupertino making a play for the mobile photo/video market, too. Built-in editing tools and even more advanced software to come from third-party companies offer something that camera and camcorder competitors can’t, even if quality is somewhat under the usual 10 megapixels.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t feel inclined to carry around my point-and-shoot anymore now that I have the 3GS. Quality is fine for Facebook, TwitPic and YouTube, which is basically all I need most times. Be wary, camera manufacturers, your space could become even more crowded very soon.

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Do you tweet? Then maybe you should Boo! It’s like a multimedia Twitter, designed especially for iPhone users.

Over in the UK back in 2008, Channel 4 (Britain’s edgy TV channel) launched a unique funding program entitled 4IP. Cut to 2009 and, having just announced a dedicated iPhone 3.0 fund, the suits over at 4IP seem particularly keen on Apple’s device as a platform for pushing interactive wares. In fact, 4IP has announced a fund for developers, with almost $150,000 up for grabs at a maximum of approximately $40,000 per app.

Made possible by 4IP and developed by BestBefore, AudioBoo is among the first of Channel 4′s original iPhone commissions to hit the App Store. As developers ready their funding proposals, AudioBoo is set to be a showcase of the kind of app 4IP will be looking for — making use of various media formats, community-focused, and integrating with the most popular social platforms.

Designed to work alongside Twitter and iTunes, AudioBoo is an audio blogging platform created especially for iPhone.

Anatomy of a Boo

On paper, AudioBoo’s feature set reads excellently — it’s a tour de force of current buzzwords and trends. Using the iPhone you can record an audio message, the message pops up on your Twitter stream and there’s even an automatic, iTunes-compatible RSS feed for your followers to subscribe to.

The sign-up process is simple, taking place either on the iPhone (via a Safari link within the app) or on the desktop version of the web site. Plus, once signed in, it only takes a couple of clicks to link your Twitter account and activate Facebook Connect. The site even grabs your Gravatar, saving the hassle of uploading a profile picture.

It’s worth noting, however, that there’s not much to do on the desktop version of the site. AudioBoo really has been designed for iPhone; the app is where are all the key features are and, as such, there’s no way to record a Boo via the site.

Making the Perfect Boo

Once logged in on the iPhone, the app displays the main Boo stream, similar to Twitter’s public stream. Unlike Twitter, though, there’s no way of following other users; this seemed somewhat odd to me initially, until I realized that — with Twitter and Facebook Connect integration — it’s not needed: AudioBoo pushes messages to the big social platforms where all the action happens.

The focus throughout the app is on simplicity and ease of use. This is reflected in the audio-recording interface — there’s no friction with the technology and so creating a Boo is so quick it retains a real sense of fun throughout.

Although the App Store page states that recordings can be up to three minutes long, there’s actually a maximum length of five minutes. It’s the perfect amount of time to do a blog-style update, sing a little tune or make an impassioned rant.

EmbeddaBoo

Each Boo can be posted alongside a photo, either from your photo album or taken with the iPhoto camera. You can also add tags and, if you’re not the secretive type, even include GPS data. After that it takes a few seconds to publish a Boo — even over slower Edge connections — resulting in a page like this.

If you clicked the link to my test Boo, you’ll have heard that the audio quality from the iPhone mic itself is surprisingly good. And, because I’m a Twitter user, I’ve linked up AudioBoo to auto-tweet for me too. The site even generates code so that you can embed specific Boos on your blog or web page of choice.

There’s one feature, though, that seems to be a real stroke of genius on the part of BestBefore: Alongside an RSS feed, your Boo page also has an iTunes button — clicking this button automagically subscribes users to a podcast feed within iTunes of your Boo updates.

Summing Up

Despite having launched in the App Store, AudioBoo is still clearly in its infancy. The site design is incredibly dull, profile pages lack any sort of personalization options and the iPhone app can be a little crash-happy, too.

While there’s still a long way to go with the main site, the core technology works and, after configuring your account, you’ll find yourself primarily using the iPhone app and never having to visit the main AudioBoo site again — everything is automated for you.

The technology, and all the other added extras, more than make up for any complaints. It’s genuinely exciting to be armed with this fun little tool that enables you to record an audio message (with accompanying photo) and instantly publish to Twitter, Facebook and iTunes.

Simply put, AudioBoo is great fun and totally free. For Twitter users, Facebook members, potential podcasters, and regular folk who have something they’ve just got to voice, it’s well worth a download.

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Still wanting to experience HD Radio as inexpensively as possible, I recently purchased a Sony XDR-F1HD HD Radio Tuner and, despite owning every cable known to human-kind, I lacked the RCA-male-to-3.5mm-female cable required to directly connect the tuner to my desktop speakers. Not wanting to trudge down to the family room to hook it up to the stereo for testing, I got out my trusty Griffin iMic but did not want to crank up anything as complex as Garage Band just to do listen to the radio. While I could have used something like Audacity, that program is overkill for the task I wanted to perform.

Then, I remembered that Griffin provides a free companion tool for the iMic called Final Vinyl [direct download link to 2MB disk image]. This tiny utility lets you choose any input source (an iMic is not a requirement for using the program as it works with any standard OS X input source) for monitoring, recording and in-stream effects manipulation. I really just wanted to “play” my Sony through my Mac just as I would use the radioSHARK, so I fired up Finyl Vinyl, made the appropriate configuration changes and enabled the monitor feature (highlighted in yellow):

Instantly, I was listening to KPLU-FM‘s Jazz24 HD Radio channel with practically no effort. Just to give it a try, I hit “record” and captured a very short sample [364 KB MPEG-4 audio file direct download] from the broadcast to show just how clear the signal comes through and how well the application does its job. While it will never be as straightforward as the radioSHARK when it comes to scheduling tuning and recording, Final Vinyl is a great way to solve simple audio routing, monitoring and recording needs.

One could argue that there is no need for either an HD Radio receiver or this handy setup given the plethora of internet radio streams available. While it is true that there are many streams to choose from, the physical radio does not require any extra bandwidth consumption (which is not a trivial consideration given the introduction of enforced bandwidth utilization limits by providers such as Comcast) and the digital radio source has had many fewer artifacts than the online counterparts have had (remember, “HD” does not stand for “high definition” so there are still imperfections).

If you have an alternate audio tool to suggest for this simple job (preferably one that is scriptable) definitely let me and other TAB readers know by sharing your suggestions in the comments.

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