In the loop: Twitter launches video-sharing app called Vine

From the company that changed the world in 140 characters, a new service that may do the same with up to six seconds of video at a time

Twitter users can now share looped video clips of six seconds' length using the comapny's standalone iPhone app, Vine

Twitter users can now share looped video clips of six seconds' length using the company's standalone iPhone app, Vine.

Vine is a start-up which was bought by Twitter in October 2012, which was developing the app at the time and Michael Sippey, Twitter's VP of Product, said the app, which is free from Apple's App Store, will be extended to other platforms.

Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann said: "Posts on Vine are about abbreviation - the shortened form of something larger. They're little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life. They're quirky, and we think that's part of what makes them so special."

News of the app's release leaked yesterday when Twitter CEO Dick Costolo posted a Vine video of someone preparing a steak tartare.

Vine clips automatically play when embedded in tweets, with sound available but muted as default, and the app draws on Foursquare's places database to allow locations to be added.