The folks who gave us the uber-popular app Kik are at it again but this time, they’re trying to create a simple platform which will let your smartphone interact with any screen that has a browser. The Clik app is available now for iOS and Android and it allows you to control multiple screens with your handset.
Once you launch the app, you then go to Clikthis.com and scan the QR code. Once it’s synced up, you can use the app to play YouTube videos on the display. In the video below, I’m doing this on a computer screen but this could work on televisions that have a browser through Google TV or any other means. The syncing occurs over mobile data networks and because the content is coming from cloud-based sources, you don’t have to worry about it putting a damper on your data limits. The neat thing about the Clik app is that multiple people can join in on one session, so you can start a fun little DJ party with others.
While the Clik app itself is neat, the interesting thing is that it’s more of a proof of concept for the underlying smart tv platform that powers it. Clik plans to open this up to developers soon and it says that creating apps will be as relatively simple. Think about how powerful this could be with things like gaming or music and videos.
More than anything, the first time you use the Clik app, there’s a “wow factor” to it. Don’t take my word for it, as Fred Wilson, managing partner at Union Square Ventures had this to say about it:
“The ability for highly personal mobile devices, like phones, to easily take control of computers, TVs, cars, and other expensive and complex devices is one of the most important megatrends in technology right now. Clik’s approach to this problem is novel and slick, bordering on magic. You have to see it to believe it. It’s a game changer.”
The company knows it may be facing competition from native apps in televisions, particularly if/when Apple delivers its own TV with apps as a main feature. Still, the Clik folk believe that having the screen remain relatively dumb will be the solution that wins in the long run because many people don’t want to update their televisions as often as they do other devices. It’s an interesting and innovative approach, so you can be sure we’ll keep an eye on Clik as it rolls along.