PhoneTalk

New at CES

Coming Soon: TV on Verizon Wireless phones

By Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter | Sunday, January 07, 2007 (permalink)
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In the next couple of months, Verizon Wireless will debut two cell phones (Samsung SCH-U620, A.K.A. Samsung Mobi and the LG 9400) that you can use to watch TV. Yes, TV. This is different than the video you see on VCast video service now. It's actually TV. The details we all want are still forthcoming such as how much the new phones and service subscriptions will cost. But basically at launch you will be able to see and do the following:

Live TV broadcasts - Think: news and sporting events.
Delayed broadcasts of shows from the previous evening - Think: viewing an episode of a favorite show (such as 24) the next morning or later that evening depending on the line-up the network will be providing.
Video-on-Demand service where you can see videos available on VCast Video.
Channel surfing.
Set parental controls.

There will be shows available from NBC News and Entertainment, CBS General, Fox, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV.

If you're curious about battery life, it shouldn't take much more of a toll than talk time does now. So if you can talk on the phone for 2 hours before needing to recharge, you can probably watch close to 2 hours of TV on the cell phone before needing more juice.

Let me be crystal clear: It's not data. It's not VCast Video. It's TV. You will need a different plan, just as you would for your home TV service.