Twitter complicit in portrait video crimes as it launches “Periscope” live streaming app
Over the last few weeks, an app called Meerkat has been the hot new trend on Twitter. What it does is stream live video from your phone – and is fully integrated with Twitter so you can see who is watching, and receive alerts as soon as anyone you follow begins streaming. It has grown massively, incredibly quickly.
So it must be annoying for the makers of Meerkat that Twitter has now launched its own live streaming app, called Periscope.
The app is pretty similar – allowing you to shoot video, but see chat messages overlaid whilst you record. There’s also functions to like streams, follow people and see who has been streaming recently.
Unlike Meerkat, it is possible to keep the video for watching back after (Meerkats just disappear) and also the ability to create a private stream, to specific users.
Perhaps worst of all though is that Twitter is clearly positioning the app as something that can be used to shoot video in portrait mode rather than landscape – something that, if I were in charge, would be enough to have someone put up against the wall.
You can grab Periscope in the app store.
