Following close on the heels of the uStream iPhone mobile app, Qik has also released its version of the record and upload application for the iPhone. However, before people get too excited, it suffers from the same restrictions placed on uStream by Apple, and a few additional ones to boot. Here’s a quick look at the new app and the pros and cons dogging its footsteps. 

Right off the bat, the Qik application is designed for the iPhone 3GS and is currently in public beta mode. There is a lot of functionality that still needs to be incorporated into the app, so downloaders can expect a string of releases back-to-back in the near future. One of the major advantages of having an app in public beta is the ability to give feedback and possibly see it implemented into the system almost immediately. 

The app is meant to sync up to a user’s online account on the Internet service Qik. Qik is an online video site which allows its users to stream live video from their devices on to their site for contacts to watch. This is a popular phenomenon currently grabbing the fancy of Internet users, and a number of similar services have sprung up.

Mobile applications are a great side accessory to have to go with an account like this, considering it is the one device almost everyone is guaranteed to have on their person. As a matter of fact, this is not the first mobile application that Qik has released: they first started with Symbian and then Android phones, enjoying great success on those platforms. Everyone knows that Apple is a trickier proposition with their strange iPhone policies, so perhaps it was a sensible decision to leave the iPhone app for last. There was no way they could leave the market untapped however, considering the tremendous popularity of the phone in the last two years. 

There is some debate as to whether the app allowing live video streaming or not. According to an entry on the Qik blog, one of the creators demonstrates that the application streams directly to the Internet. However, most gadget and phone sites are claiming that it is merely a capture and upload application like all others. Perhaps clarification will be forthcoming soon. 

Apart from that, the Qik iPhone app can only connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi. Frankly this little quirk is very strange, considering the app has been purposely designed for the 3GS version of the iPhone. Still, as it is still in beta, there is every possibility this functionality will be tacked on at a later stage. 

Another concern from iPhone users is that the app is not yet available for download via the App Store. There are two ramifications: there is every possibility the app may not be accepted with the live streaming option; or people will have to jailbreak their phones – a course of action many don’t seem inclined to pursue. The creators have not commented too much on the issue, claiming to be looking into it. 

Watch the demonstration of the app on the Qik website here.