For those people who could not be part of the historic presidential inauguration Tuesday in the nation’s capital — or could not be near a television set to watch it live — Ustream had another suggestion: Use your iPhone and its Ustream Viewing Application.
Ustream made its application available for the inauguration of President Barack Obama just in time, according to the company.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company’s application, which was pending approval but is available now on Apple’s App Store, allowed people to use their Wi-Fi connection to watch a live feed of Obama’s inauguration on their iPhone.
“The new Ustream iPhone viewing application allows anyone with an iPhone or a second-generation iPod touch to watch Ustream live streams while on the go,” said John Ham, Ustream’s founder and chief executive officer.
The application includes a slew of live and recorded broadcast streams and allows users to connect with others viewing the same feed. The application works only with Wi-Fi connections, so no 3G or streaming at the edge is currently available.
Brad Hunstable, Ustream’s cofounder and president, said the iPhone application brings the full power of the Internet to mobile phones, and people can now use the app to stream everything from music concerts to out-of-town high-school football games live.
Patriotic Roots
While more than a million people were in the nation’s capital to participate in the inaugural events, others relied on iPhones and iPod touch devices to watch Obama sworn in as president.
“We were thrilled to join the App Store and develop a great application, which enabled millions of people around the world to watch and chat live during the inauguration,” Ham said. “Now anyone can be part of the global community around shared live experiences.”
By streaming the inauguration, Ustream’s founding team is sticking to its reason for forming the company. In…