Written by Chris Albrecht
Posted Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 12:10 PM PT

Joost Launches iPhone App

Joost launched an iPhone app over the holiday break, making its ~~P2P~~ web TV service mobile. With the app, users can watch Joost’s content library of more than 46,000 videos on the go for free. The service streams video over Wi-Fi connections and not over the phone’s EDGE or 3G network. The content available is a mix of full-length movies like Men in Black, music videos and TV shows.

VentureBeat had some troubles with the app’s video playback being choppy. CNET praised the app as falling “just short of greatness,” lamenting the lack of decent content.

These outlets have frothed over the prospect of a Hulu app running on the iPhone with all its premium content. But the bigger wildcard may be YouTube, which is already on the iPhone and is making aggressive moves to acquire premium content with the likes of CBS and MGM.

Mobile video has bigger problems than what content is available. Finding a solid signal to stream a full-length movie while on the go is a dicey proposition (hello, train tunnel!). Even Joost’s Wi-Fi solution requires you to stay near your connection, limiting your “mobility.” In a conversation this morning, Liz called the Joost iPhone app “cute,” but thinks they should focus their efforts on the living room. While I agree with her, I like the notion that we are inching (no matter how slowly) to a world where we can pull down a video wherever we may be. Baby steps.

Sphere Tweet This

Topic: Distribution, Hardware, Hitlines, Mobile, Networks & Studios, Picks

Comments (4)

Chris Joost is no longer p2p only the live portion will be live when they relaunch the Live service possibly next year .

Matt_ — 12:39 PM on November 29, 2008 Reply
I think the best buy Iphone 3g 16 gb. and install it on his software version 2.2. Its large
touch screen and very comfortable realized sensory management. I bought a Iphone and happy!)

John Nox — 2:03 PM on November 29, 2008 Reply
I downloaded Joost here in Ireland while on vacation. Interestingly, they’re using their own video player – or at least their own graphical overlays. Content sucks, but maybe it’ll be better when I get home. As far as mobile video goes, Slingbox is still the one to beat – they’ve yet to officially release anything for the iPhone.

Dave Zatz — 2:43 AM on November 30, 2008 Reply
@Matt_, you are correct, old company intro habits die hard. Must have been the tryptophan. It’s been fixed. Thank you for pointing it out.

Chris Albrecht, NewTeeVee — 7:27 AM on December 1, 2008 Reply

Linkbacks (12)

[...] It’s kind of crashy, could use a better navigation UI and takes too long for movie streams to get going (and then when they do it’s kind of finicky) but we definitely appreciate being to stream The Fifth Element over Wi-Fi in decent quality, when it actually gets going. More than anything though, it just makes us soak our pillow with even more drool dreaming of a Hulu app. [iTunes via NewTeeVee] [...]

Apple iPhone Apps - Joost Video Streaming… — 11:20 PM on November 29, 2008
[...] the example place here: Joost Launches iPhone App « NewTeeVee Leave a comment Comment RSS Previous: More iPhone Game Sales This Weekend: Raging [...]

Joost Launches iPhone App « NewTeeVee |… — 12:32 AM on November 30, 2008
[...] Joost Launches iPhone App « NewTeeVee Articoli [...]

Joost arriva su iPhone… prima di Skype… — 3:18 AM on November 30, 2008
[...] It’s kind of crashy, could use a better navigation UI and takes too long for movie streams to get going (and then when they do it’s kind of finicky) but we definitely appreciate being to stream The Fifth Element over Wi-Fi in decent quality, when it actually gets going. More than anything though, it just makes us soak our pillow with even more drool dreaming of a Hulu app. [iTunes via NewTeeVee] [...]

IPhone App Reviews - Joost Video Streaming… — 7:06 PM on November 30, 2008
[...] to a download-free, all-Flash version of the service in October, and follows hot on the heels of its iPhone app, which launched in [...]

Joost Connects With Facebook « NewTeeVee — 3:40 PM on December 12, 2008
[...] the iPhone goes, YouTube is really the only viable option. There are a few up-and-coming apps like Joost, Livestation, CBS EyeMobile, Sling, Poptiq and Qik, but it’s fairly undeveloped [...]

i.TV Is iPhone’s Content Depot, with… — 9:00 PM on January 8, 2009
[...] the iPhone goes, YouTube is really the only viable option. There are a few up-and-coming apps like Joost, Livestation, CBS EyeMobile, Sling, Poptiq and Qik, but it’s fairly undeveloped [...]

i.TV Is iPhone’s Content Depot, with Barely… — 6:12 PM on January 11, 2009
[...] Joost’s recent mobile video app, which only works through Wi-Fi, Babelgum’s service will work over 3G networks. For now, it [...]

Babelgum’s Web TV Goes Mobile on 3G… — 8:32 AM on January 12, 2009
[...] Joost’s recent mobile video app, which only works through Wi-Fi, Babelgum’s service will work over 3G networks. For now, it [...]

Babelgum’s Web TV Goes Mobile on 3G (in… — 8:40 AM on January 13, 2009
[...] the game over EDGE, 3G or Wi-Fi. Being Wi-Fi only has limited the mobility of some mobile apps like Joost’s, so freeing it up over 3G is [...]

Watch the NBA All-Star Game Online and on… — 1:03 PM on February 11, 2009
[...] which seems like an opportunity for Joost to rise above. Joost does already have its own iPhone app. Ooyala makes use of Adobe AIR and also Amazon’s web services, whose startup competition it [...]

Ooyala to Power Joost « NewTeeVee — 4:48 PM on February 18, 2009
[...] which seems like an opportunity for Joost to rise above. Joost does already have its own iPhone app. Ooyala makes use of Adobe AIR and also Amazon’s web services, whose startup competition it [...]

Ooyala to Power Joost | Viral Video… — 8:13 PM on February 18, 2009