Cisco was to have shown Flip with livestreaming pre-exit
updated 04:40 pm EDT, Thu April 14, 2011
FlipLive was imminent before Cisco backed off
Cisco was to have unveiled a first-of-its-kind livestreaming pocket camcorder before it killed the Flip brand, a new post-mortem scoop uncovered. Named the FlipLive, it would have not just connected to Wi-Fi but would have shared video in real-time. A product manager had briefed the New York Times that the new Flip would have allowed sharing a link through e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter that would take users directly to the streaming page.
The cancellation caught Cisco's Flip team so off-guard that it was to have started shipping the FlipLive on April 13, just a day after Cisco CEO John Chambers shuttered the camera business.
Internet access had been one of the few liabilities of the generally category-leading camcorder. It was the first to have an extremely simple layout with a USB plug built-in but always depended on that physical connection to upload videos. Smartphones and Wi-Fi aware MP3 players haven't had that limitation and have grown in popularity.
The restructuring also hinted at a trimming of the Linksys home router line and saw layoffs of 550.
