Skype gets Qik

Skype has entered an agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve moments on video from anywhere. Through this acquisition, Skype will also be able to leverage the engineering expertise that is behind Qik’s Smart Streaming technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks.

Skype has announced it has entered an agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve moments on video from anywhere. Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia. The transaction is expected to close in during January 2011. Qik was founded in 2006 and offers innovative and flexible solutions to capture and share video with anyone across mobile devices, the web, and desktop platforms. Videos can be shared in real time or stored so moments can be viewed later, allowing for video messaging, sharing and archiving. The Qik service is available on over 200 mobile phones across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, and comes pre-loaded on a wide variety of mobile handsets through partnerships with leading handset manufacturers and carriers. Both Skype and Qik have a common purpose of enriching communications and sharing with video, across any device. Skype says that the acquisition of Qik helps accelerate its leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype’s product portfolio.