The reason I was in Budapest for the summer was to work on a new iPhone app, Broadcast for Friends, which we announced last night in an awesome launch party at Ustream.  Check out some of the awesome press we got.

Broadcast for Friends (or BFF for short) is a brand new app that allows anyone with an iPhone to broadcast live video direct to their friends on Facebook. It’s so dead simple and easy to use, yet this is the first time our live streaming technology has been used like this, and as far as we know, no one else has done it like this, either.

Here’s how it works. Anyone can download Broadcast for Friends from the app store. Once you load the app, you can connect directly to your Facebook account in order to start broadcasting. You don’t need a Ustream account to broadcast, and best of all, it’s absolutely free!

   

BFF not only has a high quality camera, we also have 10 Hollywood-inspired filters to make your video pop.  Favorites around the office are Maltese (film noir style) and Vendetta (graphic novel style).  We also have a “Curiosity” filter inspired by the recent expedition to Mars.

You can change filters by swiping or by selecting a filter on the bottom.  You can also choose your camera.  When you are ready to broadcast, it’s fast and easy.  We ask you how you want to share your broadcast first.  We have three options right now: Public, Friends, or Only Me.  Then you can go live.

   

Here’s the coolest thing about BFF:  As soon as you are live, you are live right on Facebook.  That means your friends will see your video in their news feeds, and you can find your videos right on your Facebook timeline.

As you know, Ustream has always been at the forefront of live video streaming technology, and BFF is no exception.  There’s a ton of engineering power behind this simple app that allows us to get live video streaming on 3G and WiFi to our servers and back to Facebook instantaneously.  The result is an experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else.  That’s right, we’re the only app that allows you to send live video right to your Facebook Timeline.

Here’s the best part:  When you are done broadcasting, your video is saved automatically on your Timeline so it can be viewed by any of your friends even if they missed the event.  Your videos can also be viewed from the app itself.

Here’s a cool video showing how the app works.