Stream Live Video from Your Phone with Qik

Your flight was delayed and you can't make it to an important meeting. Sure, you could dial in, but wouldn't it be better if you could "video" in? You can with Qik, a free service that streams (and records) live video from cell phones.

Assuming someone in the meeting has a supported phone, they can just fire up Qik and start streaming the proceedings. The key word here is "supported" -- at the moment, Qik is available for a couple dozen Nokia models, the Motorola Q9c and Q9h, and the Samsung SGH-I600 and BlackJack II. (Support is in the works for the iPhone and various HTC phones.) If you have a compatible model, just enter your number at the Qik site and click Sign Up -- you'll receive a link on your phone that gets you up and running.

I don't have a Qik-compatible phone at the moment, but I'm hoping some Business Hacks readers do. Take this nifty-sounding service for a spin (it just entered public beta), then report your findings in the Comments. To me it sounds like a terrific way to transmit live video from meetings, trade shows, and other events. Of course, if you have a notebook with a Webcam, you can always use Ustream.tv. [via jkOnTheRun]