Joost on the iPhone / iPod Touch
Update:
OK, bad news, Apple corrected their statement about not breaking 3rd party applications on the iPhone/iPod. Apparently “software updates will most likely break” 3rd party app compatibility.
Original post:
No, don’t get excited, this is not an actual product! It is not even talked about by Joost staff. But it would certainly make sense.
Since the iPhone and the iPod Touch where announced I have been thinking about how Joost could use the potential of the new Apple OSX platform. With the recent news that Apple is blessing the development of native software for the platform it all became clear. It would make sense for Joost to find it’s way on it.
This could be done in two ways:
1. Wouldn’t it by cool to watch Joost on the portable device over WiFi? The iPhone/iPod Touch can certainly handle the video playback. After all, the platform already play native h.264 video with AAC audio… and Joost happen to also use the same codecs. So add the P2P content distribution chunk and the encryption bits and you have a little portable Joost application.
Joost could even build up an anthill cache on the device to allow you to watch buffered content while away from WiFi service!
With it you can watch Joost anywhere… OK, where you can get a WiFi connection:
- On the train
- on the bus
- on your bed at home or in an hotel room
- at the airport
- etc.
2. Use the iPhone/iPod as a secondary display device. Essentially create a small application that run on the iPhone/iPod and interface over WiFi with Joost running on you PC, Mac or even STB (Set Top Box). Joost could easilly use the touch screen as a bi-directional communication/control device linking the user on the couch with Joost on the Big Screen.
Imagine using the touch screen as a super Joost remote. Use it to control the User Interface on the Living Room Big Screen. Use it as a virtual keyboard and mouse to do searches and control/move widgets around.
When Joost start playing on the Big Screen the touch interface could become a virtual remote control. Press the virtual pause button, Fast Forward, Rewind and control the action on the main screen.
Joost want to display some advertising back to you? Why not display it as a background on the iPhone/iPod interface? Maybe as motion advertisement that requires some user interaction! You could get creative here!
OK, so Joost just showed you and Advertisement Bug offering you to get more information about a product? Fine, hit the virtual AdBug button on the iPhone/iPod screen and fire up the portable Safari browser while Joost pause playback on the Big Screen. When you are done surfing the vendor web site close the browser, return to the Joost touch screen and resume playback.
Joost could also use the iPhone/iPod as a screen for Widgets. For example a program rating widget would fit perfectly on it. It would allow users to easilly rate the program they just viewed and share it with the Joost communite.
As you can imagine the possibilities are vast.