Qik just announced a new version of their live video recording software for Windows Mobile phones, Qik 0.2.44, which adds a lot of new features. Top on the list is the addition of a feature that lets you send and receive video messages using the Contacts application on your phone. All you have to do is go to Contacts, press Menu, and select “Send Qik video message.” The message, once recorded, is sent as a SMS link.

Another new feature involves sharing your videos. Now you can share your recordings directly from the phone by going to “Options > Share.” You’ll then see a variety of sharing options, including sharing via SMS, email, or even upload to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more.

The new version of Qik also allows you to upload video you had previously recorded on your device into Qik’s video-sharing service. So even if you’ve never used Qik before, you don’t have to wait to start using the service – you can just share video you already have available. Videos can be uploaded to qik.com and shared as described above.

Other improvement to this application include support for more languages (French, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese were added) and a number of quality improvements like the ability to stream at higher frame rates even in low light.

That’s a lot of great features for a free software application! You can get the new version of Qik by visiting d.qik.com on your phone or, if already installed, just launch the app and wait for the upgrade prompt.