Vimeo Expands Mobile Apps; Supports Android, Windows, Kindle Fire
A year ago, video sharing site Vimeo offered its first mobile app, for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Today, it’s expanding into new platforms with apps for the Android and Windows Phone operating systems, as well as the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Unlike the original iPhone app, which offers video editing, these apps are purely for video viewing. Each offers an interface that blends with its operating system, so that they’ll be easier to learn. The Windows app, for example, uses the Metro UI.
Toward the end of the month, Vimeo will upgrade the current iPhone/iPod Touch app with a Universal iOS app, supporting the iPad for the first time. This app will offer video editing, so that users can shoot and share a polished video in minutes. Reconfigured controls on the iPad’s larger screen make editing easier.
The releases are a nod to the increased viewership Vimeo is seeing from mobile. When the iPhone app was first released, it accounted for 7 percent of the site’s traffic. Today, that’s grown to 15 percent.
The iPhone and iPad editing controls will integrate with the Vimeo Music Store, which debuted in September, 2011, so that editors can access free or low-cost soundtracks for their work. The apps feature a watch later queue, for making a list of videos for later viewing. Vimeo members can log in to comment on videos and access their inbox. The new apps allow video uploading, as well as editing titles, descriptions, tags, privacy settings, and credits of uploaded videos.
According to sources at Vimeo, a video editor for the Android app is in the works. The company wants to wait until they have an editor just right before releasing it, they said. The Kindle Fire version won’t get an editor, since the device lacks a video camera.
“With mobile devices making up approximately 15 percent of our site traffic, we recognize the importance of expanding our platforms to allow people to access Vimeo from as many devices as possible,” says Joe Schmitt, lead mobile developer at Vimeo.
The Android, Kindle, and Windows apps are available as free downloads from the Android Market, Amazon App Store for Android, and Windows Phone Marketplace. The Android apps require Android version 2.3 or better, while the Windows app requires Windows Phone 7.5 or better.
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