Is it just what they're showing us? A Flo TV app, that requires some kind of accessory to tune into broadcasts? That's possible, but given how well the iPhone can stream video over 3G, it'd be a hard sell, even with Flo TV's cable-like channel selection. It would also help if said accessory wasn't larger than the actual iPhone.

Or is it to foster excitement over the idea of native Flo TV hardware support in the iPhone, like in the HTC Imagio? Because that will never, ever happen. So again, why? [Electric Pig]

Keep in mind we're not talking about VCast, Sprint TV or whatever other service your carrier offers. This is the real deal. Live streaming TV straight from the networks to mobile devices. That could mean live sports, live sitcoms, live whatever-you-can-think-of TV on your phone.

Hopefully the mobile DVR apps will follow. [Press Release via Crunchgear]

The hardware, made by HTC, is pretty run-of-the-mill. The 4.4 x 3.0 x 5.0 inch, 5 ounce device didn't feel too heavy in my hand. And I quite liked channel surfing with a finger on the capacitive touchscreen. My favorite part of the device? It has a kickstand on its back so you can prop it up on a table (none of this having to hang it with a case stuff).

The television service on the Qualcomm FLO TV Personal Television runs smoothly (it is the same thing as Verizon's VCAST, etc). And you get a ton of channels, including ESPN, Comedy Central, MTV, NBC, and Nickelodeon. What you cannot do with the PTV is watch live programming on a plane or subway. You also cannot record any of your shows, even though it does have 4GB of on board storage for your music or movies. So yeah, it is a bit of a dead gadget when there is no service around. And while it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, there is no video out. Balls! No chance of hooking this baby up to your monitor or HDTV.

The device itself has a suggested retail price of $250, but the buck doesn't stop there. You also have to pay the monthly $9 subscription fee for the television service. I guess I see it being worthwhile for those that watch so much FLO TV on smaller screened cell phones. But it seems like quite a load of money to drop on a device that just does TV, especially when you can snag a phone for the same price or lower (like the new HTC Imagio which actually has the FLO TV service). Though, I do see it being useful for keeping the kids quiet during a meal and, oddly, for watching TV on the John (or job). [FLO TV]

The Gadget

Verizon's HTC Imagio is a touchscreen Windows Mobile 6.5 handset, or "Windows Phone," with a healthy, if expected, spec set, iiiiinnncluding!: a 3.6-inch WVGA screen, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD storage expansion (but sadly, no included card). It's also the first smartphone with V CAST Mobile TV, which is a Flo TV-based live streaming TV service that looks and feels a bit like digital cable, phone-ified. Accordingly, it has an adorable kickstand.

The Price

$200 on contract with Verizon, after a $100 rebate

The Hardware

HTC is the Taco Bell of the handset world—they've only got a few ingredients that they put into their long menu of products, but the results are consistently pretty good, if not spectacular. Of the bulging ranks of 528MHz-Qualcomm-based touchscreen handsets, this is one of my favorite permutations. For its size, the Imagio is respectably thin—about as thick as an iPhone, but with a noticeably larger screen—and pleasantly rounded in the rear, with a subdued two-tone backplate accented with a shiny camera bezel and a chrome kickstand.

The front of the device is framed by a perforated grille, which looks and feels pleasantly knobbly, giving the handset a little friction, and a secure feeling in your hand. The bottom row of buttons—call, V CAST, Windows Start Menu, back and end call—are placed a little low to be comfortable to press, but anyone who's used to HTC handset designs won't have any trouble getting around this piece.

Performance is adequate, but since this is the same Qualcomm processor we've been complaining about for months now, and the 256MB of RAM isn't overly generous, it's nothing better than what we've already seen in the likes of the HTC Touch Pro2. HTC's done plenty of work to make TouchFLO run nice'n'smooth, sure, but it really wouldn't hurt to not just make a handset with speedier hardware, but to actually release it in the US.

The Software

I was pretty hard on Windows Mobile 6.5 in my review, but guess what? HTC likes it even less. TouchFLO 3D reaches deeper into the operating system than ever before, to the point that during casual use you can't even tell you're using a Windows Mobile phone.

The Titanium homescreen? Replaced. The new, larger contextual menus? How about prettier HTC versions instead? Mobile Internet Explorer 6? Replaced with Opera Mobile. Virtually every other piece of software that HTC had time to revamp or cover up? Out of sight, out of mind. And for one final kick in the nuts, the new Start Menu, which Microsoft even went so far as to require 6.5 phones to have a dedicated button for? Replaced with a slightly better HTC variant. That, right there, is a better review of Windows Mobile 6.5 than anyone could ever write.

V CAST TV

Based on Flo TV, which probably doesn't mean much to most people, V CAST is a categorically impressive technology. The best way to describe it is that it's like having a digital cable box, complete with live broadcasts of familiar basic cable stations (Comedy Central, CNN, the like), and a familiar program guide interface. Video quality is fair, but definitely watchable, and the experience of flipping through live channels is pretty novel.

As interesting as the underlying technology is, there are a few serious problems. Watching TV is neat and all, but on a mobile device, video on demand would be infinitely more useful. And at $12 or $15 a month, I don't think people will be satisfied with the somewhat anemic channel selection (full listings here).

Moreover, I don't really understand how Verizon expects people to use this. You can't use it on a plane or a subway, so what, trains? During your lunch break at work? There center part in the Venn diagram of times where you might want to watch video content but don't have a computer or TV and times when you can realistically use V CAST is small, as far as I can tell. But if live, basic-cable-esque TV on your phone is something you can see yourself using, this implementation is actually pretty good.

The (Mild) Tragedy

This has been the story for a few years now, and it doesn't look like it's going to change with Windows Mobile 6.5: Handset manufacturers will continue to make the OS bearable to use, and carrier will occasionally grant handsets interesting—if not always useful—services to keep customers' attention. That's exactly what the Imagio does, bonding pleasant hardware design with a heroic salvaging of the phone's interface. At $200 after rebate, it's not a best value by a long shot, but in Verizon's sickly smartphone line, it's not a horrible choice.

I would've liked to end this review on that happy note, but while I was writing it Verizon sabotaged my plan, those scoundrels: Two Android phones will be announced for the network "within weeks," which means that unless you're bound to Windows Mobile either by software, your employer, or, er, extreme loyalty, you'd be best advised to wait a little while. [Verizon]

It's got an appealing design, large screen and minimal branding

Kickstand! Ha!

HTC's done a hell of a job sprucing up Windows Mobile, as always

V CAST TV is technologically interesting, but it's expensive and I'm not really sure how people will use it

Windows Mobile 6.5, y'all

Specs could use a bump; namely the aging 528MHz processor and included storage

$200 isn't a great bargain, and Verizon' got some Android handsets coming down the pike.

The box, like the leaked device shots, don't reveal anything about the predicted capacitive multitouch screen or 4GB of on board storage. Either way, it looks like you will be able to get FLO TV service on more than a bunch of multimedia cellphones from AT&T and Verizon soon with the nicely packaged PTV. Left off the box is a price tag, but let us hope it isn't as painful as whatever is under the anonymous box handler's Band-Aid. [FLO TV]

FLO TV, which broadcasts live terrestrial digital TV, has become a staple on a bunch of multimedia cellphones from AT&T and Verizon, including LG's Vu and Samsung Access, but with this FLO TV Personal Television (PTV) you'll get a standalone viewing gadget.

The device will have a capacitive touchscreen supporting swipes and gestures, 4GB of memory for storing other media, a built in speaker, and apparently a battery that allows for 5 hours of TV viewing. I'd love to see an HDMI or video out option on this thing.

Not sure people are interested in a device solely for watching mobile TV especially when you will probably have a monthly subscription fee, but throw some Wi-Fi and a browser in there and maybe. No idea of when the PTV will drop, though Gdgt says CES or earlier could be likely. [GDGT]

Laserdiscs

When Laserdisc player production finally spun down a month or so ago, it wasn't much of an occasion. I mean, aside from inspiring a little grade-school nostalgia and upsetting a hobbyist or three, the event wasn't materially notable. For us, that is. It turns out that Laserdiscs were much more popular in Japan than America during their heyday—about 500% more popular.

Why? The Japanese success of the Laserdisc (or Videodisc, as they were marketed there) comes down to the two things: money and anime. From launch, Laserdisc prices were lower in Japan than in most other markets, which accelerated adoption. Anime fans appreciated the format's improved fidelity, which drove sales at the time and eventually led to the still-active secondhand LD market. Laserdisc players, though no longer produced, are still available in the shops of Akihabara and elsewhere. At a Best Buy in Akron? Not so much.

Nokia Phones

When Nokia does something interesting, we take notice. Otherwise, in the US the company exists in an awkward netherworld of ultra-high name recognition and almost infinitesimal relevance. To most Americans, Nokia looks like a budget-phone maker. To most of the rest of the world, they're the undisputed king of cellphonery, and not just in name—they're by far the largest manufacturer of handsets on the planet. They literally dwarf their competition, selling double the volume of their nearest competitor, Samsung.

By the numbers: Nokia moved 113 million mobile devices in the last quarter alone, their entry-level 1100 handset has sold over 200m units, and at one point the N95, a precocious, clunky do-it-all handset topped the mobile phone sales charts in the UK. Where does the US stand in all of this? Of those 113 million mobile devices sold last quarter, just five million found their way to North America. Even the iPhone matched those numbers while RIM's BlackBerry nearly doubled them. Nokia is the gadget equivalent of the BBC—most Americans know about it, but the rest of the world depends on it.

Mobile TV

I'm not talking about expensive, pixelated video-over-3G services here. No, I mean full-fledged digital TV streamed straight to your handset, PC or PMP. Brazil has it, South Korea has it, and of course, so does Japan. The tech used in Japan and Brazil is known as 1seg, and it broadcasts over UHF alongside regular HD content. In Japan, more than two thirds of new mobile phones support the standard, which is a part of daily life for many people. Here, it's basically unheard of.

DMB is a alternative standard, targeted at a much wider audience. Developed in South Korea, the satellite and terrestrial version of the tech (S-DMB and T-DMB, respectively) are already in widespread use there and T-DMB is being deployed across much of Western Europe—trials appear to be going fairly well. Unfortunately for us, the VHF and UHF bands used by the T-DMB standard have already been claimed by preexisting TV programming and the military, so don't expect to see terrestrial TV on AT&T or Verizon phones anytime soon, though yours might be capable of the pay-for-play MediaFlo service that nobody uses.

Osaifu-Keitai, or, Your Phone Is Your Wallet

In much of the world, including the US of A, mobile payment systems have been ignored or abandoned after fitful starts. Not in Japan (if you're noticing a trend here, good job!). Osaifu-Keitai, the e-wallet standard adopted by Japanese telecom heavyweights NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank and au, essentially renders wallets obsolete. Phones equipped with Osaifu-Keitai can be charged with money, download tickets for anything from a sporting event to a plane trip, serve as official identification or link to a credit card.

Due to uncertainties about demand for such a service and loads of red tape , no comparable standard has emerged stateside, and it's a shame: If you can come to terms with the nebulous privacy issues associated with carrying so much private information on a losable device, it does seem like the plain, obvious and fundamentally good type of technological progress that is probably, with or without our assent, inevitable. Oh well.

Next-Gen Instant Messaging

AOL (emphasis on the A), burdened with decades-old stereotypes about its tech-tarded users and a persistent association with both geriatrics and late-'90s Meg Ryan movies, doesn't have the best public image. But they do still run the nation's most popular messaging platform! AIM, despite being a vestige of a service that its parent company doesn't really care much about anymore, is the de facto standard for messaging in the US (and Israel, strangely). As we saw earlier though, that doesn't always mean much.

Worldwide AIM/ICQ/iChat numbers are massively outclassed by MSN, or Windows Live as it's been called for the last few years. In China, the largest IM market, most people don't bother with either, opting for the Tencent QQ service. Both were born a solid five years after AIM, but their extra features—mostly messaging add-ons meant to appeal to a younger set—are questionably useful. It's not so much that sticking with AIM has left Americans on an inferior service, it's that it has isolated us, in a small way, from the rest of the messaging world.

MiniDisc

The story of the MiniDisc epitomizes tech regionalism: A solid, capable contender for recordable audio format dominance, the MD was met with enthusiasm in Japan. It was extremely advanced for its time, rolling fantastic, CD-like audio quality with the recording abilities of a cassette, all in a package that was more portable than either. Despite being introduced in the early '90s, the format held up well against the first generation of MP3 players, which, with their limited capacities, slim feature sets and high prices, didn't really provide a perceptible advantage over the venerable MD units. Sony had a solid product—and even a bit of a hit—on its hands.

At least, that's how the story went in Tokyo. Despite Sony's best efforts—and what seemed like an endless string of product revamps—the MiniDisc was never more than a marginal player in the US. Sure, it earned plaudits from audiophiles and musicians (check out the recording information for the thousands of concerts on Archive.org if you don't believe me), but the format never took off, either as a recording medium or, due to risk-averse record companies and the high cost of the actual media, as a competitor for the CD. When MP3 players came of age, the MD's door to America finally latched shut for good. Sony, of course, took a while to get the message, and Steve Jobs was laughing the whole time.

The Price: $199 w/ 2-year contract.

The Verdict: Underneath the shiny mobile TV veneer with its crystal clear, mondo-size-for-a-candybar screen, it's actually a fairly basic phone. (Which wouldn't be a problem, except for the price—you're essentially paying for the privilege of watching mobile TV.) The UI is better than average (other than the generous slathering of orange), but you'll get nothing truly deep here. It has the same gimpy built-in email client as LG's Vu (no Gmail or custom IMAP or POP support) but the non-QWERTY keyboard means you wouldn't be doing any heavy lifting anyway. Also the browser's not very robust—expected for this kind of phone, but at the same time, I feel like the phone's slick aesthetics promised me more (a la N95).

Let's talk about what this phone is supposed to do well, though: Mobile TV. It does succeed there. The screen is pretty exceptional, if a bit smaller than what I'd want to watch mobile TV on. But I can definitely get through Colbert or 30 Rock on it, and pretty much everything good (and bad) about the service comes through here: Resolution, clarity, content (yay CNN), etc. Yet, if you're really buying this phone because you're dying mobile TV, you should stick with the Vu (if you're paying $15-$30 a month for TV, I'm guessing the price difference is non-consequential for you).

The Vu has a bigger screen, enough said there—even though the Access is taller and wider, making it a tighter pocket fit (this won't fit in a hipster's jean pocket). (They both have lame proprietary headphone jacks though, grrr.) Also, the mobile TV signal is better with the Vu (tested by descending into the bowels of my apartment building), courtesy of the mondo antenna you can whip out to look like you're visiting from the 80s. And the Vu's only $100 more, plus is simply an overall richer phone. [AT&T]

Price: $299.99 w/ two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate.

The Verdict: It's glossy black, so it will attract fingerprints as bad as Heidi Klum does MILF comments. The screen is bright and clear, with a good resolution—necessary, since it's the phone headlining the mobile TV launch.

The edges of the touchscreen are less responsive than the rest of it—when you flip to the QWERTY layout for text messaging, for instance, you might have to tap the space button more than once, or at least aim for the top of it (in the gallery there's a picture of me mashing the center of the key HARD but it's still not registering). The problem grew from sort of annoying to genuinely frustrating after cranking through a couple of IMs and text messages telling my posse where to meet up for Iron Man tonight.

You get a somewhat smaller, more cramped keyboard when you go into email. (Which doesn't have support for custom domains (that's the "other" services screen), including Gmail, WTF.) It also drops haptic feedback for some reason, which I thought was unnecessary at first, but I kind of missed it with the email keyboard. Still, overall I'd give the typing experience a B-.

The other big feature of the phone, mobile TV, is as good as mobile TV gets, at least in the states (which might not be saying much). Startup is quick; changing channels is snappy enough; and the resolution is decent most of the time (it can get 1996-RealPlayer bad though) though it won't rival locally stored video on your iPod or iPhone by any means. Content-wise, it has more or less what you'd wanna see in mobile TV, with the CNN exclusivity being the real clinch over Verizon's V Cast. Sony PIX is a nice idea, but five minutes of dark, moody scenes in Memento gave me a headache, so I couldn't imagine a whole movie.

Bottom line, the phone is good, but falls short of very good/greatness, for a couple of reasons: The browser could use some work (it renders Giz better than mobile IE, since it tries to replicate desktop browsing, but rendering times are awful, even on 3G, and zooming is extremely laggy). Also, built-in email is only for a few set services. The music syncing feature isn't compatible with Macs, according to the manual. That said, it is a solid multimedia touchscreen phone that does most of what it does well (mobile TV, touchscreen, XM radio) for people specifically looking for an iPhone alternative. If it was $199, it'd be a worthy value—$299 is pushing it. [AT&T]

AT&T MOBILE TV PREMIERES SUNDAY, MAY 4

AT&T to Deliver MediaFLO USA's FLO TV Service in 58 Markets on New AT&T-Exclusive Handsets Designed for Mobile TV Viewing; AT&T Introduces CNN Mobile Live, PIX and CNCRT, a Special Concert Channel

SAN ANTONIO, May 1, 2008 — We interrupt your scheduled programming with an important news bulletin: AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and MediaFLO USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), announced today the May 4 availability of the AT&T Mobile TV with FLO™ service. This powerful new mobile television service will provide around-the-clock access to some of today's most popular television programs — live and in color on the mobile phone.

To ensure an unmatched mobile television experience for consumers, AT&T is introducing two new exclusive handsets: the Vu from LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. (LG) and the Access from Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung).

* LG Vu: A sleek and stunning device, the Vu gives you a clear view of TV, Web, pictures or videos on its large interactive touch screen. It also lets you get the utmost in mobile entertainment with a music player, 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth® capabilities. The LG Vu is available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
* Samsung Access: This stylish handset features a large landscape display, ideal for delivering a rich viewing experience and an internal antenna for exceptional reception. It's a great device for customers who are looking for advanced multimedia capabilities such as a camera, external stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, AT&T Music, CV, of course, AT&T Mobile TV. The Samsung Access is available for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.1

"AT&T Mobile TV is more than a new entertainment service — it is an experience that will significantly change and enhance our customers' mobile lifestyles," said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T's wireless unit. "With this in mind, it was imperative that we launch this revolutionary service on devices that were optimal for the best mobile viewing experience imaginable. We worked closely with LG and Samsung to deliver these two iconic handsets, which are designed with the specific needs of what will soon become our Mobile TV viewing audience."

AT&T Mobile TV proves that big things come in small packages. The service will offer unmatched TV-quality programming from leading news and entertainment brands: CBS Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, NBC 2Go, NBC News 2Go, MTV Networks' COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as PIX and CNN Mobile Live, which are both AT&T-exclusive channels on MediaFLO USA's FLO TV™ service.

PIX, from Sony Pictures Television, offers a variety of contemporary films, including comedies, cult classics, action films and family favorites from the studio's vast library.

CNN Mobile Live provides users with access to 24 hours of breaking news with live streaming anchored coverage from CNN.com Live as well as CNN's most popular programs, including "American Morning," "Lou Dobbs Tonight," "CNN Election Center," "Larry King Live," "Anderson Cooper 360º," and "CNN International."

"Our research revealed that news and movies were the two most popular program categories consumers wanted to watch on their mobile phones. We have exceeded their expectations with AT&T Mobile TV," said Collins. "Together with MediaFLO USA, we are changing the picture of television-viewing by giving our customers an innovative way to stay connected to breaking news from CNN Mobile Live, an arsenal of movie favorites with PIX and a formidable lineup of other quality programming while on the go."

Additionally, for the next 60 days, the AT&T Mobile TV service will feature CNCRT, a special concert channel delivered by Control Room, a leading producer and distributor of world-class entertainment. Every day, for 24 hours, the CNCRT channel will air one of approximately 30 recently recorded concerts from major recording artists, such as Avril Lavigne, Chris Brown, Fall Out Boy, Jay Z, Sheryl Crow, Akon, Daughtry, Lenny Kravitz, Rage Against the Machine and more.

"With the authority of CNN, the cinematic variety of PIX and the star power of CNCRT, AT&T Mobile TV adds an exciting dimension to the FLO TV service," said Gina Lombardi, president of MediaFLO USA. "We are thrilled to be working with AT&T to provide consumers with such a powerful new mobile entertainment experience."

MediaFLO USA's award-winning FLO TV service features premium full-length, high-quality programming delivered to mobile phones over MediaFLO USA's own dedicated multicast network. Using an intuitive program guide, AT&T customers will be able to easily flip from one channel to the next on their mobile FLO-enabled phones to experience the best-quality mobile TV.

There are more than 150 simulcast and/or time-shifted programs, as well as live sports events, currently available for viewing. Below are examples of some of the entertaining TV programs and events that are scheduled to air the week of May 4:

* CBS Mobile: New episodes of "CSI," "CSI:NY" and "How I Met Your Mother"
* CNN Mobile Live: Live breaking news coverage, including real-time results from the Democratic and Republican primaries in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6.
* Comedy Central: New episodes of "The Daily Show with John Stewart" and "The Colbert Report"
* ESPN Mobile TV: Live game coverage as well as ESPN Mobile TV shows such as "ScoreCenter," "ReSET" and more
* FOX Mobile: New episodes of "Bones," "Back to You," and LIVE Big 12 College Baseball
* MTV: New episodes of "The Hills," "Real World: Hollywood" and "The Paper"
* NBC 2Go: LIVE NHL Stanley Cup Playoff and Final games and finale episode of NBC's "30 Rock" (Thurs., May 8)
* NBC News 2Go: LIVE coverage of the Indiana and North Carolina Democratic Primaries
* Nickelodeon: Episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "iCarly"
* PIX: "Memento," "In The Line of Fire," "Groundhog Day," "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Resident Evil"

AT&T Mobile TV will launch in 58 markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The service is a perfect complement to the wireless carrier's already impressive portfolio of wireless video offerings, including CV, which gives subscribers mobile access to thousands of on-demand video clips — including news, sports, entertainment, music and movie previews. With the addition of Mobile TV, AT&T customers now have even more choices in how they experience and enjoy video content from their phone. As with CV, AT&T Mobile TV will have the Parental Controls feature, which provides content filtering and purchase blocking on your phone so that you can restrict access to content that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Monthly access packages for AT&T Mobile TV begin at $15 a month for the Basic package, which includes unlimited access to Mobile TV, as well as access to the exclusive CNCRT channel for a limited time. AT&T also offers a Mobile TV Plus package for $30 a month, which includes unlimited Mobile TV, unlimited mobile Web browsing on MEdiaTM Net and unlimited CV mobile video. Customers can also subscribe to a limited basic package for $13 a month, which gives them access to four channels: CBS Mobile, FOX Mobile, NBC 2Go and NBC News 2Go. Because AT&T Mobile TV operates on MediaFLO USA's own dedicated multicast network, AT&T customers do not incur data or voice charges. Additionally, programming is subject to change, and sports programming is subject to blackout restrictions.

To learn more about AT&T Mobile TV, including service, programming and handset details, visit www.att.com/mobiletv beginning May 4.

SEOUL, KOREA - April 30, 2008 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile phone and No. 1 TV maker, announced today P960, the world's first slider type Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld (DVB-H) mobile TV phone P960. As a pioneer of slider mobile phones and TV, it was only a matter of course for Samsung to develop a device that contains both of its strongest strengths in one. P960 is also the world's first DVB-H mobile TV phone that supports both of European mobile TV standards, Digital Video Broadcast - Convergence of Broadcast and Mobile Service (DVB-CBMS) and Open Mobile Alliance Mobile Broadcast Service Enabler Suite (OMA-BCAST). DVB-CBMS is DVB Forum initiated DVB-H standard based on DVB-T standard, currently available in Italy through H3G, TI and Voda. It will soon become available in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia. OMA-BCAST is OMA initiated DVB-H standard known as the next generation DVB-H solution. It will first become available in Netherland and will continue to be adopted in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. P960 offers an optimized television-on-the-go experience with a large 2.6" QVGA TFT screen with vivid 262K color image-enhancing DNIe. TV watching experience is enriched by numerous innovative DVB-H features such as Electronic Service Guide (ESG) that provides an on-screen TV guide and Picture in Picture (PIP) that allows users to view two channels at once, and Time-Shifting feature that shifts TV program schedule when a show is interrupted by incoming calls. P960 also proudly features Bang & Olufsen ICEPower® technology for a professional quality audio experience. The battery life of 1200mAh ensures up to 5 hours of TV watching time. In addition to DVB-H technologies, P960 also offers satisfying entertainment features to meet even end-users needs. A 3 megapixel camera with power LED, a music player with Music Library feature and codec support, a FM radio with RDS for around the clock news and music, are all included in P960 to provide the users convenience and enhancement in both audio and visual entertainment life. As Samsung mobile's well-known reputation, P960 does not compromise an outstanding design with technologies. The device features all the up-to-date technologies within a slim 16.7mm thin metal body, softly brushed with hairline pattern. Geesung Choi, President of Samsung's Telecom Business said P960 is a milestone for mobile TV technology, as the launch of the device will signify the beginning of DVB-H phone era in Europe. "Samsung has already achieved a stable No. 1 leader position in Korea as the mobile TV phone provider. There is no doubt Samsung will continue the success in Europe with P960."

Expect a 30GB version of the 605 Wi-Fi with the GPS receiver in May for $400. If you currently own a 605 WiFi, you can pick up the navigation add-on separately for $130. The Web TV and radio plugin will also be available next month for the 605, 705 and ARCHOS TV+models as a $19.99 download. Speaking of the TV+ device, it will get a separate TVportation upgrade that will let users watch their home TV anywhere—similar to the Slingbox. TVportation will be available for $49.99 (or free if the device is registered to the Archos website). Right now, it'll work with laptops and Archos 605 and 705s, with Windows Mobile support launching soon, and Symbian shortly thereafter. As for the Flash 9 and WMV9 capability, you can enjoy that free of charge when the firmware update is released.

Finally, Archos has struck up a deal with Paramount to pre-load movies on its TV+ devices. The box still be stocked with about 50 flicks, but you've still gotta purchase them—the idea is instant VOD, not giving you free shit. They've got a total catalog of about 250 in the pipe, and they're working on deals with other content providers. Oh, and it's still all in standard def.

From the press release:

ARCHOS Introduces GPS, Mobile TV, and Flash Video for Portable Players

ARCHOS announced today several new ways to move your media from the home, to the road, in the car and beyond, with services that are unseen in any other portable media player.

Announced today at media events in New York and Paris, new ARCHOS products let you watch live TV on smartphones, laptops and ARCHOS portable devices wherever you go; stream favorite TV and radio shows from the Web for free; and help you get to where you're going with GPS navigation, and then entertain you once you arrive.

Turn Your ARCHOS Portable Media Player Into a Mobile TV
The new TVportation feature lets consumers watch their home live TV wherever they go using the ARCHOS TV+ as a streaming media server. Consumers can now watch their favorite shows live on their ARCHOS 605 and 705 WiFi portable players, smartphones, and laptops, giving them the freedom to watch TV anywhere.

Need Some Direction? ARCHOS Introduces GPS
The new ARCHOS GPS In-Car Holder turns the award-winning ARCHOS 605 WiFi portable player into a full-fledged navigation system. With more than 50 times the hard drive size, twice the screen resolution, and similar pricing as stand-alone GPS navigation products, the ARCHOS 605 GPS is the ultimate navigation and entertainment device.

Want YouTube and Web TV Shows on the Go? No problem.
For the first time, TV fans can catch up on full-length TV episodes, music videos, sporting events, news, Web TV shows, and even favorite radio stations for free on their handheld ARCHOS players. ARCHOS portable media players are the first to support Adobe Flash 9, letting consumers enjoy the millions of online video and Flash games available on the Web — from YouTube, Google Video, TV network Web sites, and more.

Paramount Opens its Movie Vault
A global relationship with Paramount Pictures brings more than 300 Paramount movies to ARCHOS portable players. Covering North America and Europe, ARCHOS will provide select Paramount movies for its handheld devices and ARCHOS TV+ WiFi digital video recorder, with Paramount movies pre-loaded for immediate playback on the TV — no download required.

•Limited Four channels: Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, and NBC News
•Basic Nine channels: Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, NBC News, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CNN Mobile and ESPN
•Plus Same nine channels, plus Sony Pictures

Unless there's some other sweetness to Plus we haven't heard about, that means the Sony channel costs you 15 bucks a month. Verizon's $25 top tier V Pack also throws in unlimited airtime, browsing and email—hopefully that's a part of AT&T's Plus package. [BGR]

Yep, the Open Mobile Video Coalition wants the Advanced Television Systems Committee to explore three technologies we've maybe only talked in passing before:
• LG/Harris' MPH (Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld)
• Samsung/Rohde & Schwarz's A-VSB
• Thomson/Micronas' variant of the European standard DVB-Handheld

So yes, if the plan is implemented, it means we will someday catch up to where Korea and Europe already are. Since big CE players are already involved in these technologies elsewhere, it wouldn't be costly for them to add the functionality to US product lines—a premium of around $10 per device.

For broadcasters already dealing with the digital switchover, adding $100K in hardware to their terrestrial broadcasting stations wouldn't be such a big deal, especially since it would help them tap into potentially $2 billion in ad revenue. (Unlike cable, local broadcasters are dealing with big revenue falls every quarter, including a 17% dip at the end of 2007.)

The question is, would you watch the stuff even if it were free? Qualcomm's MediaFLO is already an option with Verizon and AT&T, but I don't know many (any?) people who sign up for it. Also, who relies on local TV anymore? Gone are the days when Ron Burgundy and the KVWN Channel Four News Team reigned supreme. [AP]