We can definitely understand all the fuss and bother over the new Twitter live video streaming apps, Meerkat and Periscope. Yes, they were horribly over hyped at first (especially Meerkat), but actually they’re very interesting apps in their own right. The idea of live streaming brief glimpses of time from across the world can be incredibly addictive, especially when you throw in the chat interaction.

However up till now the apps have only been available on iPhone devices, which leaves a huge chunk of the world out of the party. But now Meerkat has come to Android, and things are going to get interesting. Periscope is owned by Twitter itself, so it can’t be far behind, but even so, this is a chance for Meerkat to grab some serious attention.

First impressions? It’s got lots to like. For example the layout is pretty intuitive, the chat is instantly a hook, and the little heart for liking something is a perfect mobile way to engage with the video content being streamed without getting too involved. Not to like? Well it’s the same old Meerkat downsides. No archive of previous streams, no way to browse a whole range of streams to see what you like, and the Leaderboard is a pretty poor example of how to entice people to subscribe to potential streamers.

Still, it shows the massive Android universe what all the fuss is about, and will without doubt whet their appetite for the eventual arrival of Periscope, which should provide all the addiction with none of the drawbacks. But now, you’ll have to excuse us, we’re off to watch a live stream of a guy driving a massive seeding machine in Eastern Canada.