Most of us are dependent on YouTube for watching videos on the go. Of course, YouTube is the largest video sharing network. However, there are quite a few other video services as well. If you are looking for a mobile video service with greater inclination towards the Indian audience,Vuclip for Android is worth considering.
Vuclip is available for Android 2.3 and up, which means it is compatible with most of the Android smartphones. On launching, Vuclip shows you a tutorial how to use the app – You can pinch to view channels and swipe to scroll both up and down or slide to side browse more videos. Some of the highlights of the app include Vuclip NOW, which shows the live channels the latest videos and movies. With 'Shake to Surprise', you can explore more videos. We will elaborate these features later in this article.
Vuclip for Android is one easy to use app. As you open the app, the landing screen shows you a list videos across genres such as news and entertainment. The first row features the recommended videos. Judicious use of white space gives a neater look to the thumbnails of the videos.
Navigation and browsing
The top bar has a lot of white space too. While the centre has a search box, the Vuclip NOW button is placed on its right hand side. Clicking on the search box, the Vuclip tag shrinks to the logo, giving you more space to type out the tags for videos you are looking for. On the extreme right, there's a drop down menu, featuring video categories such as Kids, Hollywood Trailers, Fashion World and My Videos.
At the bottom of the drop down menu, you have Feedback and Settings. Tapping the feedback, you are directed to a message box, where you can share your thoughts about the app. Settings shows you the option to switch on display of adult content and allowing notifications, and tutorials, FAQ, privacy and About Vuclip.
Simplistic interface makes the Vuclip app easy to use. However, at times thumbnails load slower than the expected. Though it does not happen regularly, but it can be a bit of turn off while browsing videos.
Video player
Unlike the YouTube Player, Vuclip does not allow you change the quality of videos. However, it does not affect the experience much. Tap on the left top button to switch to the full screen. On the left, there's a button, which shows thumbnails (directs to videos).
Features
As said above, Vuclip has several interesting features. One of the most important features of the app is the “Shake to surprise”, which allows users to shuffle videos by just shaking the smartphone. The feature works smoothly. Live streaming is another important feature of the Vuclip app for Android. The 24 x 7 live streaming channel is programmed with a combination of short and long form content.
With in-play video discovery feature, users can see recommendations while viewing a video. This is quite an interesting feature, considering in other video services either you have to minimise the video player to see recommendations or wait till the video ends.
Vuclip supports offline viewing as well – which users can do so by downloading videos in high quality and watch later without a network connection. Vuclip has good social integration as well. The app allows you share video social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and even via SMS.
Content
For services such as Vuclip, content plays a big role in adoption. And, Vuclip does deliver a wide range of content, with a special emphasis on being very India-centric. Content ranges from politics, entertainment to sports. In addition to these, Vuclip also focusses on vernacular content, as it features sections such as Best of Bengali Films, Best of Tamil, Best of Malayalam and so on. There's also a devotional section.
Concluding,
As said above, Vuclip app is worth considering if you love watching video on the go. It may not be at par with YouTube, but it's India-centric content and features such as Shake to shuffle videos makes it unique and interesting.
You can download Vuclip for Android here.