Submitted by Frank Macey on
Twitter has launched its live-streaming video app Periscope for iOS. The social networking app makes it possible to broadcast live video quickly and simply, right from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Followers are notified that your broadcast is live, and they can join and comment on the stream in real time. Periscope even has a "hearts" feature that allows viewers to tap the screen to send fluttering hearts as a sign of appreciation.
Periscope will keep track of hearts received, ranking Periscope users in a "Most Loved" list. Earlier this month, Twitter shut down the competing service Meerkat, which was using Twitter accounts to function. Unlike Meerkat, Periscope allows for video replays to be watched for up to 24 hours after the live broadcast.
Besides replay, there are private settings that will limit Periscope broadcasts to specific people, who must be invited to view the stream. Broadcasts can also be shared via Twitter, with a button that tweets a link to the live video stream to your followers. Following a user on Periscope means you will be notified every time they start a broadcast. Of course there are notification preferences, and Periscope makes it easy to follow or unfollow people.
Periscope is featured in the App Store's Best New Apps section, as an Editor's Choice. Periscope is free on iTunes, clocks 14.8 MB and requires iOS 7.1 or later to install.