Cross-platform mobile and desktop video service Six3, not to be confused with intelligence solutions provider Six3 Systems, recently announced the end of its beta phase and the launch of its full service, alongside a number of new features.

Six3 allows users to create and send short private video messages between smartphones and computers. Currently, video creation is limited to iPhones, Windows desktops and Macs while other video-capable smartphones and feature phones are limited to only viewing videos for now — Six3 does have plans to eventually release full support for Android (News - Alert), Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices.

What's unique about Six3 is that it optimizes messages so that they'll transfer quickly over 3G and even 2.5G connections as well as a cloud-based approach which makes messages and contact lists accessible from and compatible computer or device. The app also supports group conversations.

Two new main features were released alongside Six3's full launch, both of which were highly demanded by beta users, the first being integration with Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert). This will allow users to share videos with friends and followers by way of these two popular social media networks. The second new feature included at launch is video filters, allowing users to enhance videos on the fly in order to correct inopportune lighting, for example.

Six3 was founded in July of last year and the service was built and released in its earliest forms within six months. The co-founders of the company are Chief Technology Officer Simon Frost, who previously worked as Technical Architect for BBC iPlayer, and Chief Executive Officer Tim Grimsditch, the former global head of entertainment product marketing at Nokia (News - Alert).

The two thought that Six3 could fill a gap in the market due to Skype calls often having issues over mobile devices and the fact that they need to be pre-arranged; sending video via email with a mobile device is easy, it's not quite as simple to respond with video from a desktop; and MMS will only work on a device packing a SIM card, which is expensive.