VH1 and Kyte Pair Up Again to Power Hip Hop Honors

Posted by: Jenna Quilalang    Under: Customers |

For the second year in a row, VH1 selects Kyte to power Blackberry and iPhone/iPod Touch mobile video apps for the 2010 Hip Hop Honors ceremony, a hugely successful annual tribute to hip hop music, culture and influence. The tribute this year will explore the rich hip-hop history of “The Dirty South” region through music, dance, and language.

Using the Kyte Mobile App Frameworks, VH1 was able to quickly update the 2009 applications for both Blackberry and iPhone/iPod Touch devices in time for tonight’s show, delivering the following content:

• Video highlights from the 2010 event - as well as clips from 2009 – including behind-the-scenes interviews with artists appearing on the show, music videos from many of the featured “Dirty South” Artists, and the ability to add user comments and ratings to each of the videos
• Hip Hop Honors blog via the Kyte RSS module
• Twitter feeds in real-time from artists featured at the event via the Kyte Twitter module
• Custom module featuring the VH1 Mobile web page and a chat room

The Hip Hop Honors airs tonight at 9:00 PM on VH1, and fans can download the mobile applications directly from the VH1 Hip Hop Honors site, BlackBerry App World, or the iPhone App Store.

Comments • Permalink

Kyte and iPhone 4

Posted by: Gannon Hall    Under: Product | Mobile |

As expected, the iPhone 4 was announced during Steve Job’s WWDC keynote. A ton of new features were announced – some we knew were coming and others were a complete surprise. Of course the features we’re most excited about are HD video capture and editing, and the super high-resolution display.

HD video capture and editing means publishers can now create, edit and publish true HD video (720p) using Kyte Mobile Producer for iPhone. Just think of what this means for real-time mobile video publishing and the creative possibilities it offers.

The astounding pixel density and screen resolution of the device means publishers can now deliver even higher quality video experiences using the Kyte iPhone Apps Framework and iPhone/iPad SDK.

As part of our ongoing commitment to helping publishers create and deliver high-quality muti-platform video experiences, we’re pleased to announce our continued support for Apple iOS devices and look forward to leveraging the ground breaking new video features introduced with iPhone 4. Thanks Steve!

Comments • Permalink

Kyte Powers Video for MTV News iPhone App

Posted by: Jenna Quilalang    Under: Customers | MTV and Kyte pair up once again, but this time, expanding the engagement to power the entire video experience for the MTV News iPhone App, including a dedicated section of videos for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards airing this Sunday, June 6th.

Using the Kyte Platform SDK, they easily incorporated customized Kyte-powered videos, including a wide range of clips from celebrities and movie trailers, as well as a live stream of the Movie Awards, into their existing MTV News iPhone application. This is an excellent example of a custom iPhone app that integrates Kyte video experiences.

You can download the MTV News iPhone App here for free to tune in to the action of the ceremony or to just simply watch an assorted range of other MTV related clips all on your iPhone.

Comments • Permalink

The 3 Cs of Mobile Engagement

Posted by: Shawn Smith    Under: Product | Tips |

Two years after Pinch Media released their App Store Secrets report, I still see this iconic curve on a regular basis:

It doesn't matter whether it's a game or a productivity app, free or paid, the typical mobile app is dumped like a cheerleader after prom night. Most are all but abandoned within a month or two, which means they're either ill-conceived, poorly designed, or both. It's especially sad when you consider how hard it is to get your app onto someone's phone in the first place. With a million apps in the iTunes store competing for the same real estate, it's tough to get yours discovered, much less downloaded.

Every developer wants to be one of the lucky few who break through, but they should also want to make their apps sticky. So what does it taken to buck the curve? To answer this, it's important to look at the ways mobile apps are used.

I organize mobile app usage scenarios into concepts I'm going to call the 3 Cs, and the more of them that factor in to an app, the stickier it is.

 

Continuity

These are apps that keep you connected to things you can't stand to be away from. The great grandfather in this category is mobile email, which is what made Blackberry into Crackberry. Newer, sexier examples are Facebook, Twitter and any other app for accessing time-sensitive content (NetNewsWire, Sportacular). The common thread is freshness - a steady stream of new content. Push alerts are key as well, since they tell users when there's something new to see.

 

Context

Mobile devices and ubiquitous 3G and GPS created whole categories of apps built around the here and now. Location and presence. If you find yourself wandering around a city block in search of a public restroom, you can check SitOrSquat. Hungry? fire up Yelp, or Foodspotting. These apps keep you coming back because of their contextual relevance and utility. Yelp's iPhone app has become my de facto Yellow Pages to the half-mile radius.

Capacity

Modern culture has killed our appetite for idleness. We're uncomfortable with silence. When we have some extra capacity - for lack of a better alliterative term - we fill it as quickly as we can. Mobile apps are ideal for this, especially almost any kind of game. As far as stickiness goes, though, this is the weakest of the 3 Cs. Most games lose their appeal after a month or two, and there are certainly a lot of games represented in the Pinch Media curve.

The stickiest apps are the ones that span more than one of these concepts. Foursquare, for example, covers all three. There's Continuity in the need to know where your friends are, Context in the location features, Capacity in the gamelike mechanics around acquiring status and collecting various rewards.

Mobile video apps make up another category that spans several of the Cs. People watch short-form videos during idle moments - while riding the bus to work or waiting in line for the ATM - which is another way of saying people use them when they have some extra Capacity. Kyte makes it easy to distribute video content to mobile devices, which enables publishers to keep it fresh, which in turn means Kyte-powered video apps check the box for Continuity. The Kyte Mobile App Frameworks take Continuity further with turnkey support for integrated Twitter updates and RSS feeds, giving brands and publishers a multi-dimensional engagement opportunity.

Comments • Permalink

It’s About Time for a Swatch and Kyte Collaboration

Posted by: Jenna Quilalang    Under: Customers |

Popular wristwatch maker and megabrand, Swatch, selected Kyte to power a highly creative and innovative lifestyle website, Swatch TV.

The site, designed and built by German digital agency deepblue networks AG, features high-quality sports, arts and fashion themed video content. Leveraging the Kyte Platform SDKs, deepblue created a unique interface showcasing a collage of image stills that, when clicked, leads the user to the corresponding lifestyle video, delivered through a fully customized player.

The videos are organized by playlist including Latest Video, Most Viewed, Best Rated, and Exclusive. The Exclusive video content is only available for visitors who create a Swatch TV account and log in.

To help Swatch build community around their brand, they also integrated signature Kyte functionality including rating and sharing across popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Swatch.tv is a beautiful implementation of the Kyte Platform, and a perfect example of how brands are delivering rich video experiences and original programming to engage consumers and create brand affinity.

Comments • Permalink