Color announces Verizon partnership, preaches the dream of streaming HD
Color founder Bill Nguyen describes the startup's early life as being "in the wilderness," a state, he adds, that can also be used to describe past projects he's helmed (a point we can't exactly argue). Of course, Lala finally found its way -- eventually being scooped up by Apple. And now Color, an app that's already lived through its share of lives, has a big name on its side. The company has partnered with none other than Verizon to help soup up its life-streaming service. The two sides have signed an exclusivity deal that promises to harness Big Red's zippy LTE.
The version of the app which will be exclusively available to subscribers of that carrier brings with it some much welcomed upgrades, including sound and a higher frame rate. Color was pretty insistent that such things weren't key to the app's functionality when it first launched, but it has apparently seen the error of its ways. As Nguyen told us, simply, "we were wrong." Now, thanks to Verizon's 4G technology, it's now able to offer up a product closer to an ideal streaming situation -- a scenario Nguyen apparently decided upon after playing around with a Red camera at CES. The dream now is live HD streaming. More after the break.
Says Nyugen in a blog post,
[T]he relationship with Verizon represents our entire vision for the future. One day in the near future, you will be able to capture every moment and share it LIVE in beautiful HD quality and you'll have the recorded video to keep.
Granted, that's just the dream, not the news for today. Color is essentially giving itself until the end of the year to hit 720p live streaming. The goal is also the ability to offer up hi-res stills that can be pulled from the video. Oh, and Twitter. So much for standalone Facebook integration. In the meantime, you can get an updated version of the app if you're a Verizon subscriber, featuring the aforementioned, much welcomed upgrades like audio and a frame rate bump. Color has promised to continue support for non-Verizon users, but in the end the company sees that majority of smartphone owners as content viewers, rather than generators, when it comes to the app.
The app is available as a free download -- how it will affect your data plan, on the other hand, is a different story.
Show full PR text
VERIZON WIRELESS AND COLOR INTRODUCE LIVE VIDEO SHARING ON FACEBOOK
Share Spontaneous Moments on America's Largest 4G LTE Network
NEW ORLEANS, BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and PALO ALTO, Calif. – Verizon Wireless customers can use their smartphones to share live video broadcasts of life's special moments with their Facebook® friends using Color, a free social camera application, the companies announced today.
Color highlights the power of video on Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, giving customers with a wide range of smartphones the ability to broadcast up to 30 seconds of live video and share the important moments in their daily lives at blazing speeds. Verizon Wireless customers will also have access to an exclusive audio feature to add sound to their broadcasts.
Friends and fans receive a notification on their devices when one of their friends starts broadcasting live video and audio. Concerts, sporting events, road trips and other special moments can all be shared live.
Using Color, batch photo uploads to Facebook are an easy and fast way to share multiple photos from a phone's camera roll to any Facebook album. Customers can pick the best photos, choose or create a new album, and share with any group or all of their friends on Facebook with a single tap.
"Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network is a huge opportunity for creating new applications," said Bill Nguyen, chief executive officer of Color. "The performance, coverage and features available on Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network establish a new platform for creativity; it is revolutionary for app developers. Color plans to develop additional features exclusively with Verizon Wireless to showcase its 4G LTE network."
"Color is an amazing team dreaming up creative ways for people to share even more using smartphones," said Kristi Crum, executive director, Consumer Solutions at Verizon Wireless. "This app, which highlights the speed and immediacy of video over 4G LTE, is just the first step in what we will deliver for Verizon Wireless customers."
Availability and pricing
Verizon Wireless customers can dial "**COLOR" to download the app, or download it from a number of app stores. The app is free, and other charges will apply according to a customer's data package.
