Ars Technica reports: For a number of reasons, RIM's BlackBerry devices are among the few that have achieved the elite status of "as addictive as illicit substances." Starting this evening, interactive web service Qik is adding another reason, as the company has brought its mobile video streaming client to a handful of BlackBerry handsets, including the Bold.

For those who have never experienced it, Qik allows users to stream video live from a broad selection of mobile phones. The video feed can be embedded in personal websites or blogs, and viewers can chat in real time with whoever is behind the cameraphone, which provides an exceptional dose of real-time interactivity.

Qik's free service works over EDGE, 3G, and WiFi connections, and it has been used to stream all sorts of events by people in over 150 countries worldwide, including Senator Barack Obama, Bono, The Pope, and notable tech figures such as Kevin Rose. Ars Technica spoke with Bhaskar Roy, Qik's co-founder, about this evening's BlackBerry announcement, the intricacies of Qik's service, and where the company is headed in 2009.

As of tonight's alpha release, Qik now works on RIM devices running BlackBerry OS 4.5 and above, including the Pearl 8120, Pearl 8130, and the recently released BlackBerry Bold. Qik clients for the BlackBerry Curve and Flip 8220 should be available soon. Update: Qik is now available for the Curve 8320 and 8330.

Roy told Ars that "we are really excited to bring Qik to such a popular phone." As of January 2008, the BlackBerry commanded a whopping 44.5 percent share of the US smartphone market, and an August survey of the overall market showed that RIM now has a foothold in 11 percent of all US cell phone users' pockets. Considering that Qik already runs on Nokia and Windows Mobile smartphones, as well as a myriad of regular phones, the BlackBerry client expands an already well-rounded list of supported devices.

With the current landscape of cell phone data services in flux, we asked Roy about how wireless carriers and handset manufacturers have responded to Qik's service and potential. After all, no one's really provided a service quite like Qik's before -- it has the potential to require quite a lot of bandwidth. Wireless carriers have reacted to video streaming services in a variety of ways, from an early version of AT&T's iPhone TOS that forbade streaming software like Qik, to Verizon's new open door policy for devices and apps.

Roy explained that, "we haven't run into any problems with the carriers. In fact, we're seeing a strong interest from them to create more of an offering around our product." Plus, the Qik software has alleviated many of the carriers' concerns thanks to its ability to adapt to network conditions. While Roy couldn't share hard bandwidth numbers for specific connection types, Qik clients can dynamically ramp between streaming 80Kbps and 500+Kbps, depending on EDGE, 3G, and WiFi connectivity.

Handset makers are hopping on board with Qik as well. One of Nokia's first Comes-With-Music-compatible handsets, the 5800 Xpress Music, comes with Qik out of the box. Roy shared a couple more details of Qik's business model off the record; you can probably expect to see public acknowledgment of these moves in the first half of next year.

Right now, though, owners of the aforementioned BlackBerry models can head over to Qik.com, sign up, and start streaming. We've tested Qik on one of our phones and found that the service provides a compelling solution for any number of needs, though it is limited by the quality of a cell phone's camera and the current network conditions. Still, the ability to stream live video of everything from family events to conferences, all while interacting with viewers in real-time, is certainly, well, something to be seen.

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