Top Five (5) Websites To Watch Video, View Images and Meet People on Your Phone

Video on your phone is increasing drastically in popularity and as with any industry, several companies are vying for your business. We have examined, reviewed and selected the five best mobile / internet websites on the phone and Web. Each website has its positives and negatives and will be leaders in the future of video on your phone. (The websites are listed in no particular order.)

1. Youtube

Introduction

After getting out of their exclusive contract with Verizon for the mobile phone, YouTube, launched their mobile version.
Currently the mobile version of YouTube offers a lack of content from the original website. Since it is not the complete Youtube, it offers a smaller variety of videos based on highest rated, most viewed and editorial picks. YouTube plans on offering the entire library of videos at some point, however the completion date has not been determined. You can also search for videos, however much of the content is not available.

Review

Mobile YouTube works very well. The pages work and load quickly. I played the videos on my Treo 700p, however also tested the service with several AT&T/Cingular and Sprint phones and the service worked well. On the functional phones, after a few seconds of buffering, videos played back smoothly. Picture quality was good and in fact some looked better than the internet version of YouTube.

Negatives

On the negative side, similar to Verizon's original offering, YouTube Mobile does not possess the viral aspects that helped make the internet version of YouTube a success. Therefore, if a friend emails you a link to a YouTube video taken from the internet version of the website, clicking that link on your phone will not take you to the mobile video. This issue will hurt YouTube's mobile success. Also, the video service does not work on most Verizon phones. Lastly, there are not many community features nor the ability to upload and share images.

Summary

The videos on mobile YouTube play back smoothly and look good, however being so accustomed to the internet version of YouTube, the mobile experience is subpar. The limited content and the non-integration are key detriments, making YouTube mobile feel like it lacks many of the social aspects we have come accustomed to in a video sharing site. Also, when you upload on YouTube it might never be available for viewing on your mobile phone and there is no ability to share pictures.

2. Mofoyo

Introduction

Mofoyo is a destination to view and share videos and images and meet people on your phone. When you upload a video on Mofoyo it is sent to your phone in minutes. Mofoyo allows you to access all of the websites content including images, videos and user profiles directly on your phone and has some interactive meeting and dating features.

Review

Mofoyo is carrier agnostic and free. Mofoyo's user interface was basic and straightforward. I didn't have to sign in to view any videos and it was easy for me to send videos and images directly from the internet page to friends phones. When I did sign up, I uploaded videos and images and all were organized nicely into my user page. I could select whether or not I wanted a link to view the video directly from my phone which I could text to share. The video and images worked well on most phones from Sprint, AT&T and surprisingly some Verizon phones. Additionally, I was able to view user profiles and communicate with users on my computer and on my phone. Also, similar to the other websites I was able to embed images and video.*

Negatives

Since this is a new website there was a lack of content. Also, when I wanted to send images and video to a friend from the website, I had to input a friend's phone carrier. (I was able to get around this by texting the video or image to myself first and then forwarding the text to friends.)

In Summary

Mofoyo is a good overall community website to watch and share video, view and share images and meet people. Additionally, similar to other mobile websites Mofoyo has no quantity maximums and users are given many options in which to share their videos, images and profiles.*

(*The author of this article is part of the development team behind www.mofoyo.com, however has extensive experience with all of the mobile websites listed throughout this article.)

3. My Waves

Introduction

Mywaves of Sunnyvale, California and backed by Menlo Ventures is a free form mobile video service. The company recently announced that they had reached one million users in just six months.

Review

Mywaves begins on the website where you create a profile and subscribe to the channels that you would like to see. You can preview the channels right there on the website. Currently I believe there are over 100,000 channels. You can additionally use the autochannels search feature and Mywaves will find content based on your interests. Mywaves also allows you to share your channels and keep them private.

You can select from Web videos, RSS video podcast feeds, popular viral clips, personal videos and media from more conventional outlets like CNN, Comedy Central, and MTV. When new content arrives, Mywaves sends you a text with the URL to view the content.

MyWaves is a free service that is carrier agnostic, meaning it can be viewed on most phones regardless of the carrier. We tested it on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Sprint and AT&T were very successful and showed clearly. Verizon was extremely limited and did not work on almost all of the Verizon phones. Mywaves has a great mobile website or wap site which can be accessed directly from your mobile phone.

Negatives

The Mywaves website worked very smoothly, however there were minor problems including a few usability glitches. Also, Mywaves lacks many of the community features found in many successful websites. Additionally, the channels can be overwhelming and the user features are not very clear. Lastly, the video service did not work on most Verizon phones.

In Summary

Mywaves is a good all around website to access video on your phone. It's diverse line of channels and overall usability create a very good user experience.

4. Cellfish

Introduction

Cellfish is a social network and destination portal centered on users sharing videos, music, and art between their computers and mobile phones.

Review

Cellfish overall is a simple online tool, that enables PC users with an area to store information in a special online locker, then retrieve the information later on their phone. Cellfish is carrier agnostic, however has fees for certain functions. Cellfish also offers unlimited storage and enables users to send videos and photos from mobile devices using your special Cellfish email address. Cellfish also has an embed code to place the videos and images on your social networking websites. Cellfish works on most phones but is also very limited on Verizon phones.

Negative

Cellfish has a cost to acquire some of its content whereas similar content can be found on other websites and mobile websites for free. Usability and functionality are good and presentation is good. Lastly, the video service does not work on most Verizon phones.

In Summary

Cellfish is a great place to purchase and store content that can then be viewed on your phone. It is easy to use and offers a good mix of quality content that presents clearly on many video enabled phones.

5. 3Guppies

Introduction

3Guppies offers content to be viewed on users mobile phones. 3Guppies was formerly focused on mobile music as Mixxer and is backed by VC backer VantagePoint Venture Partners, who also backed Myspace. 3Guppies has so far received $20 million in a series A round. The company has stated that it will be looking for more money later this year.

Review

3Guppies is also carrier agnostic and free. The company does all of its reformatting and delivery enabling it to be viewed on over 1,200 phones. 3Guppies offers its services for free because it is building an audience however plans to institute some type of payment fees. 3Guppies has developed a new software widget that can be emedded on Myspace pages allowing the user to send a photo or video to the cellphones of their friends. The company is also working on a widget for Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Negatives

3Guppies seems fairly straightforward, however its user interface is fairly difficult. Also, 3Guppies lacks the community feel of a successful website. Though it offers a quality service and a great myspace.com widget, 3Guppies needs a better tour and user features. Lastly, the video service does not work on most Verizon phones.

In Summary

3Guppies is an overall good platform to upload content and then share it on your phone and the phones of your friends. As every website in this genre, 3Guppies needs a further buildout and more user feedback.

Conclusion

The mobile video space is a burgeoning market that will continue to expand especially as phone resolution increases and technology improves. I highly recommend experiencing each of the websites listed in this article on your computer and your phone and determine which one works best for you. Each has great options and allows you to do more with your media than ever before.