Could Qik.com Become the 'e' in Emergency Services?

Do you use Qik.com?  If you don't, you are probably not aware that you can get an app for your phone that allows you to 'beam' or 'stream' live video from your Smartphone to anyone, anywhere, who is similarly equipped, with either a smartphone or computer connected to the Internet.  It works over 3G, 4G, Wifi and allows users to send video direct to their Facebook wall as it's being filmed, as well as uploading it to Qik's own site.

The basic version is free and is pretty good.  I've used it several times and it is a really handy thing to have on your Smartphone if like me, any part of your job might involve surveys that other people might have an interest in. 

If you want, you could have other people - already on site - to carry out the survey itself, under your direction.  You are in front of a PC and your virtual assistant is doing the leg-work at the other end.  For my own part, I've had my iPhone under floorboards with a flashlight, filming the route of a water leak, viewing it seconds later on my laptop. 

So, you get the idea that this Qik thing could be useful for a lot of things.

Being Qik to Respond

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I witnessed what looked like a road-rage incident and called the Police.  In the time that it took me to dial 999, be put through to the operator and then connected to the police, lots of action was taking place on the ground, as it were.  Lots of evidence of a crime was unfolding but I was only able to process snippets of it in my mind, trying to make sense of what was going on so that I could relay it back to the police operator.

In the evening, I gave a statement to police officers, which was all carefully written down in notebook form for me to sign.  All well and good.

And then I thought about Qik.com

Supposing one of the app buttons on your phone connected you directly to the emergency services and sent them live pictures of what the problem was, at the same time recording it for evidentiary purposes.  Allied to GPS information, authorities would be in a much better position to respond to situations as they unfold - and would have a 'starter for ten' when it comes to investigating major incidents later on.

Why You Might Need Both an iPhone and a Google Nexus S.

On the face of it, it sounds extravagant, if not a little ridiculous, to be carrying two quality Smartphones around at the same time, when one would do.  But that's just it;  one won't do...

Here's the dilemma.  As Cloud-NFC lives and breathes NFC (Near Field Communication), it needs to be able to demonstrate the capabilities of this 'Touch and Go' technology to win new clients and further the general awareness of NFC. 

Google Nexus S - Great for NFC but no AV output

At the moment, the best choice is probably the Google (Samsung) Nexus S with its silky-smooth transitions and super clear AMOLED screen technology.  Running on Google's 2.3 version of Gingerbread, it has NFC functionality, although this is primarily for reading tags, as opposed to writing  to them.  (If you search YouTube, you'll find lots of people offering tips and hacks on how to write to tags from the Nexus).  So, the NFC on the phone is great but what isn't great is the fact that the Nexus has no AV output, other than a 3.5mm earphone jack.  (This drawback will become relevant a few paragraphs on from here!)

My phone of choice is the iconic iPhone 4 (not ready for an update), which preserved my sanity during a two-week stay in hospital last year and has never failed me.  As an aside, it has an ergonomic advantage over the Nexus in that you always know where the home key is as it's an indent on the surface of the phone itself.  On the Nexus, there is no such locator and this can be real nightmare in bright sunlight, just to see the opening menu.  But that's a niggle, not a drawback.

i-Phone 4 with the really useful home key

The iPhone doesn't have NFC, although there are always rumours that iPhone 5 will have it; only time will tell.  Now, you can get a clip-on device called iCarte from Canadian company, Wireless Dynamics, that allows you to get NFC functionality on the iPhone.  It's not widely available just yet and will add considerably to the cost of your iPhone so, if you haven't already bought the phone, you have to wonder if you shouldn't just get a Nexus.

The iCarte Clip On NFC Device (for iPhones) from Wireless Dynamics

Well, let's go back to what I said earlier - lack of an AV output is a major drawback on the Nexus when it comes to doing presentations. 

You see, another clever range of devices has been doing the rounds and Cloud-NFC have been putting a couple through their paces.  They're called pico projectors and, as the name suggests, they are tiny.  Tiny but very effective in the right conditions.  They vary in price from around £150 to £500 and can be connected to certain Smartphones, Laptops and other media players to project video and still images up to a diagonal size of 50" to 120".

Aiptek Pico Projector - Similar in Length to the i-Phone and about as thick as your thumb!

i-Phone AV Connector and Cables

So the iPhone, which doesn't have NFC, does have an optional cable that outputs from the iPhone composite AV to RCA cable.  It's simple and effective, although the battery on the projector only has a lifespan sufficient to watch a standard feature film, but not much more.  The Nexus, on the other hand, does have NFC but has no AV output. 

What we want to do for a number of our clients is to access information held on Cloud databases that we've created, with the simple 'touch' of the NFC phone, retrieve the content and project it onto any suitable surface. 

Consequently, this little task can only be achieved with ease if either a)Apple decides to provide NFC as standard in its phones or b) Google\Samsung offer an AV ouptut on its Nexus phone.  Personally, I feel that the Nexus should have shipped with the AV output facility as it's a high-end phone and you do feel a bit cheated when you discover that it doesn't have it.  NFC is a genuine enhancement - AV output is just sensible.