| With mobile phone technology nearly ubiquitous, | | | | will be able to receive special over he air digital TV |
| mobile phone service providers have been hunting for | | | | signals that are broadcast exclusively for viewing on |
| ways to gain an advantage in the market. This | | | | mobile devices. Right now the plan is for local TV |
| means adding services that are attractive enough to | | | | stations to broadcast the digital TV signals for mobile |
| consumers to make them willing to go with one | | | | devices (including phones) along side a separate |
| company over another, and hopefully pay a little bit | | | | transmission for full sized TV's. It's not clear at this |
| extra for a novel and new service. This has already | | | | point whether there's some technical reason for a |
| happened with a lot of other developments as | | | | separate transmission, or if it's a purely commercial |
| evidenced by the fact that the majority of mobile | | | | decision so that advertising or other content can be |
| phones can take still pictures (even some video), | | | | customized to mobile users. In any case, it could be a |
| receive and send emails, and take advantage of text | | | | relatively low cost, as well as commercially and |
| messaging in addition to normal spoken | | | | technically viable way to enjoy TV on mobile devices. |
| communications. The next frontier for mobile phone | | | | Another way in which the mobile phone industry is |
| technology is video and a lot of different companies | | | | trying to revive itself is with the phones themselves. |
| are trying a variety of technologies to bring it to | | | | Apple Inc, a newcomer to the mobile phone market, |
| mobile phones. Actually, people have been able to | | | | is actually instigating a fair amount of change in the |
| watch streaming video on their mobile phones in | | | | market with the introduction of its new iPhone. The |
| some areas for several years now, but this service | | | | iPhone pretty much combines all of the functions of a |
| has some drawbacks. For example, just like | | | | smart phone- ie. digital camera, text messaging, email, |
| streaming video on the Internet, streaming video on | | | | web browsing, and voice communication- with the |
| mobile phones can be choppy and therefore | | | | multimedia entertainment capabilities of its video iPod |
| frustrating to watch. Another problem comes from | | | | and the productivity features of a palm top |
| bandwidth. Either video will have to take up | | | | computer. The result is a device that allows people to |
| bandwidth on mobile networks, or parallel networks | | | | have access to a ton of different entertainment, |
| will have to be built just to feed wireless video to | | | | communication, and productivity options right in the |
| the phones. Some companies are already doing this. | | | | palms of their hands. |
| The latest solution to the problem of getting video | | | | Clearly regardless of what the mobile phone industry |
| onto mobile phones has come from Samsung. | | | | does, two thing are sure. First, other mobile devices |
| Samsung is producing a special chip which can be | | | | will be pushed forward by the imperative of keeping |
| installed in a variety of devices including portable | | | | up with the iPhone. And second, consumers will |
| video players, lap top computers, and of course | | | | ultimately have to determine whether or not mobile |
| mobile phones. A device with this special chip set in it | | | | TV really adds value to mobile phone service. |