Famous video chat and voice calls provider, Skype, launched a new kind of video messaging app on Tuesday -- the Skype Qik.
According to a report by The Wallstreet Journal, the name of the new app came from the mobile video pioneer that Skype acquired back in 2011 but was phased out this April.
The new Skype Qik, Skype claims, is a video-sharing application that allows users to enjoy moments by sharing it with their friends and families through their Windows Phone, Android phone, and iPhone.
You don't even need a Skype account to use it, the company says. Piero Sierra, director at mobile for Skype, describes the service as a "lightweight, spontaneous, mobile-first video messaging app," CNET.com reported.
The Skype Qik lets users send short video messages -- 42 seconds at most -- to other users. All they need to do is download the app from the Google Play Store for Android users, from the Windows store for Windows phone users, and from App Store for iPhone users. Tap the Skype Qik icon on your phone when the download completes, and then verify your mobile number and you're ready to send videos.
According to Techcrunch, the old Qik was entirely different from Skype Qik as the former is about live video streaming whereas the latter was a "closer to a video voicemail experience."
Dan Chastney, principal program manager at Skype, was quoted by Techcrunch as saying that they continue with their mission of "bringing together" and "keeping people connected", but current trends have pushed them to think and create something new.
Chastney, as cited in the Techcrunch report, said that they observed that most people now shift from desktop to mobile. He claimed that more than half of their new users every month are using mobile. More people are connected on mobile than on desktop, he added.
Techcrunch says that the new app is really easy to use. Users just have to tap the pinkish Skype Qik icon, which has a resemblance to Skype's blue icon. A home screen then appears where a list of recent video messages is shown, as well as a record button.
To start recording, users just have to drag the screen down to open up a camera interface and then they can now start recording. To stop, just have to tap the screen.
Users are also given a choice to switch cameras -- front or back cameras -- while recording. When complete, users can select the recipient or recipients of the video call.
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