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.

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

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

    Matt_ on November 29th, 2008 at 12:39 pm - Permalink

  2. 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 on November 29th, 2008 at 2:03 pm - Permalink

  3. [...] 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 iPhone App Makes Us Dream of Hulu | iFones.com Apple iPhone 3G News on November 29th, 2008 at 11:20 pm - Permalink

  4. [...] 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 | IPHONE NEWS on November 30th, 2008 at 12:32 am - Permalink

  5. 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 on November 30th, 2008 at 2:43 am - Permalink

  6. [...] Joost Launches iPhone App « NewTeeVee Articoli [...]

    Joost arriva su iPhone… prima di Skype | VoipBlog.it on November 30th, 2008 at 3:18 am - Permalink

  7. [...] 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 iPhone App Makes Us Dream of Hulu | iFones.com Apple iPhone 3G News on November 30th, 2008 at 7:06 pm - Permalink

  8. @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 on December 1st, 2008 at 7:27 am - Permalink

  9. [...] 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 on December 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm - Permalink

  10. [...] 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 Any Video Yet « NewTeeVee on January 8th, 2009 at 9:00 pm - Permalink

  11. [...] 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 Any Video Yet | Viral Video Maker on January 11th, 2009 at 6:12 pm - Permalink

  12. [...] 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 the U.K.) « NewTeeVee on January 12th, 2009 at 8:32 am - Permalink

  13. [...] 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 the UK) | Viral Video Maker on January 13th, 2009 at 8:40 am - Permalink

  14. [...] 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 iPhones (and over 3G) « NewTeeVee on February 11th, 2009 at 1:03 pm - Permalink

  15. [...] 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 on February 18th, 2009 at 4:48 pm - Permalink

  16. [...] 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 Maker on February 18th, 2009 at 8:13 pm - Permalink

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