periscope
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Twitter starts rolling out Periscope button for Android
A very small fraction of Android users might notice a new button in their Twitter app. According to The Verge, the company has added a "go live" button that users can see when they compose tweets. It fires up Periscope when you tap it, so you can start broadcasting from within the application. But if you don't have the video streaming app yet, it takes you straight to Google Play. Twitter, which acquired Periscope in 2015, told The Verge that it's rolling out the "go live" button to a small number of users. It will eventually be available to everyone -- we're assuming even to iOS users -- though the spokesperson didn't mention when the feature will be officially released.
Periscope users can start broadcasting from DJI drones
You can start streaming videos taken by compatible DJI drones on Periscope. The video streaming team introduced the feature a few days ago, and it's now out on iTunes as part of the app's latest update. You can switch between the drone's camera and your iPhone's anytime, so you can narrate while broadcasting and feature different sights. The latest upgrade also comes with a new Search button that's much easier to use than the app's map interface when looking for videos on specific topics. Now if what you've truly been waiting for is the ability to save your broadcasts forever, which Periscope announced at the same time, don't worry. While it's not officially available yet, you can test it out anytime without even having to update your application.
French authorities investigate suicide broadcast via Periscope
In another intersection of internet livestreaming and tragedy, French police are investigating the suicide of a teenager that was apparently broadcast on Periscope. The New York Times reports that a 19 year-old woman threw herself in front of a train at the Égly station (25 miles south of Paris) Tuesday afternoon, at the end of five streaming sessions totaling nearly two hours. French paper Metro says she told viewers they would "see something" around 4PM. During the broadcasts, a viewer asked if she was going to kill herself, and she responded "No," but also said nothing could make her get up in the morning. Prosecutor Éric Lallement said in a statement that she sent a text to a close friend, saying that her actions came as a result of evil, in the form of violence and rape, inflicted upon her by an ex-boyfriend.
Periscope will add DJI drone streaming and broadcast saving soon
Today Periscope announced that later this week it will be implementing support for live streaming from DJI drones via iPhones and that it will soon start saving all videos by default. The Twitter-owned service also said that users will be able to search for broadcasts based on topic hashtags like #Travel, #Music and #Food. It will also launch special topics like "GoPros and Drones" and "First Scope."
Periscope #saves your broadcasts beyond 24 hours
Periscope broadcasts can low live longer than a day, so long as you add #save to their titles. In fact, any broadcast with the hashtag will stay online forever unless you delete it. Periscope videos are typically only accessible for 24 hours. Company CEO Kayvon Beykpour announced the feature's launch as a public beta, explaining that they're still working on a full solution that won't require you to add #save to your titles.
Periscope gets an editor-in-chief to spot its best live streams
Periscope wants to not only help you share live streams, but find the best of them... and it's willing to try unusual strategies to make that happen. Medium editor Evan Hansen has joined Periscope to become its first editor-in-chief. As he explains to CNN Money, the title isn't as odd as it sounds at first blush. He'll initially be "curating [the] best feeds," making sure that you see the most interesting (and hopefully, relevant) real-time video. Hansen adds that there's "lots of potential room" to grow, so his role may expand as he settles in.
Periscope lets you scribble on your livestreams
Just like Snapchat and a dozen other social media apps, it's now possible to draw on Periscope. With the latest version of the iOS app, you can long-press on the screen and tap the "Sketch" option to scribble in one of three different colors. For greater control, however, you can also use the dropper tool to pick a custom color from inside your video. It could prove useful if you're streaming and want to point out something in particular, or, if you're bored, simply play some Pictionary with strangers online.
Teen indicted for Periscoping her friend's sexual assault
An Ohio woman used Periscope to livestream her friend's rape. According to a report by local NBC affiliate KXAN, in February 18-year-old Marina Lonina and her 17-year-old friend were hanging out with 29-year-old Raymond Boyd Gates when after an indeterminate period of time, Gates allegedly began sexually assaulting the victim. From another state, one of Lonina's friends watching the stream reported it to the proper authorities. A grand jury has recently indicted Lonina and Gates with charges for one count of kidnapping, two of rape, one of sexual battery and three counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor.
Periscope will let you draw on your live streams
Ever wanted to point something out to your livestream audience without having to literally point at it? It's your lucky day. Periscope is testing a feature that lets you draw on top of your stream to highlight things, such as something on your computer screen or that funny person behind you. The scribbles only last a few seconds, but they should be enough to answer questions. You won't see this unless you're in Periscope's beta, but don't despair at being left out. Twitter informs TechRadar that the feature will be available to everybody "in a few weeks," so it's really just a question of when you can start doodling.
Facebook Live gets a discovery section and instant reactions
Facebook Live is looking to tap its billion-plus user advantage and built-in social and group features to gain an edge on rivals like Periscope. As such, it has revealed live streaming within groups and events, real-time reactions, invitations to watch video with friends and a live map showing video in 60 countries. Later today, the social network will launch the service in LA (on Facebook Live, of course) with appearances by Mark Zuckerberg and product chief Chris Cox. If you've been using Live, Facebook will give you a heads-up as to when to tune in to the broadcasts.
Periscope's first year is part of a livestreaming success story
Twitter's social livestreaming service, Periscope, has accomplished a lot in just one year. Users have generated 200 million broadcasts on the app since launch and they watch 110 years of live Periscope content every day. That's more than 100 years of live horror movies, puddles, crime watching, museum tours and an ice cube melting in a glass of whiskey -- every day.
YouTube wants in on the mobile livestreaming game
YouTube Gaming might not be taking off the way Google's video wing expected, but that won't stop the outfit from taking inspiration from another growing video sector. VentureBeat reports that "YouTube Connect" is the video service's attempt at livestreaming a la Periscope and Facebook Live. You can log in with a Google or YouTube account (you haven't merged those yet?), plus there's a built-in news feed, chat and tagging -- but apparently no Facebook or Twitter sharing yet.
Meerkat pivots towards a video social network
Meerkat's time in the media spotlight was short-lived. The livestreaming app was a hit at last year's SXSW festival, but it quickly lost steam after Twitter blocked access to its social feed and launched Periscope, a direct streaming competitor. And once Facebook joined the party with its live videos, Meerkat simply couldn't compete. Now the company is planning to shift away from individual livestreaming and towards a social network "where everyone is always live," Recode reports.
Facebook's Live Video is rolling out internationally
While Facebook Live Video has been around for a couple of months now, access has been reserved for celebrities, verified profiles, and users in the US. International users won't have long to wait, however, because the social network has confirmed it's begun rolling out the feature globally. The in-app update was released yesterday and we've already had reports of people using Live Video in the UK, Germany, Brazil and South Africa.
Livestream your next GoPro video through Periscope
Those Periscope livestreams on Twitter are about to get a bit more eXtreme (note the uppercase X). Or at least you'll have a front row seat to someone wiping out. Today Periscope and GoPro announced that the app will now support streams from HERO4 Black and HERO4 Silver cameras. Unfortunately, only the iOS version of the app supports connecting to GoPro footage. No word on when or if Android support is on its way.
Live Periscope feeds will show up on Twitter for iOS
Like GIFs and Vines before it, Periscope streams will now show up and play directly in the Twitter timeline on iOS. If you happen to miss the live stream, replays will also autoplay when you see the original tweet. When tapped, the videos will expand to fill the screen instead of forcing you to launch the Periscope app.
The internet was fixated on a livestream for a puddle
It's official: the internet is off its rocker. Just months after the one-two punch of the blue/gold dress and a llama chase took absurdity to a new level, legions of people (reportedly over 300,000) have tuned in to #DrummondPuddleWatch, a live Periscope stream of a big, pothole-filling puddle in the UK's Newcastle upon Tyne. Why? Part of it was the comedy of watching people try to cross, but it also reflected the herd mentality of social networking. While this was started by a marketing agency, it quickly drew in jokesters, politicians and many others trying to capitalize on the weirdness of the situation -- not to mention everyone wondering what that strange trend was in their Twitter feed.
Periscope's skip-ahead update hits mobile, with 3D Touch on iOS
Periscope's latest update hit the web late last week, and today it's live across Android and iOS devices, with some special twists. Mobile users can now fast-forward and rewind through replays, as promised. The app's Global Map has a few more functions, as follows: Zoom in on a location and the map will show live broadcasts (red dots) and replays (blue dots) from the past 24 hours. Anyone with Periscope on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus can use 3D Touch to press down on the app icon and pull up a menu of options: Search People, Teleport (which takes you to a random live stream), Broadcast Mutuals and Broadcast. Android users finally get pinch-to-zoom in this update, as well. [Image credit: Periscope]
Periscope adds rewinding and fast forwarding
We live in a fast-paced world and sometimes there are things that we miss. The folks over at Periscope understand this and so have added a rewind and fast forward function to the app. All you need to do is hold your finger down on a replay broadcast and it will minimize, allowing you to drag and drop at a timestamp you wish to start watching from. Currently the new features are available on the web version of the app and around half of Android user accounts. Not to worry, though, the company says it plans to release the updated app for iOS users and the remaining Android accounts in the coming weeks.
Periscope's first live horror flick will scare you off the internet for good
The internet can be a scary place if you're not careful. Horror film producer Jason Blum is making sure of that. His latest film, Fifteen, doesn't just leverage social media networks for its setting, they're also the movies' broadcast platform. The film follows a serial killer who livestreams his heinous crimes in real time using the Periscope app to promote his grisly deeds. So of course the movie itself premiered live on Periscope Thursday evening, just in time for the Halloween weekend. Blumhouse pictures, the film's production company, is billing the 20-minute show as a "live horror experience".
