On Super Bowl Sunday, about 116 million viewers watched commercials touting Budweiser, Doritos and Coke — as well as spots promoting Flo TV, a service that promises to let you watch TV wherever you are.

It was a high-profile promotion for mobile TV, which despite years of innovation has failed to catch on outside of a few niches.

A mobile TV service from Qualcomm, Flo offers channels such as ESPN, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central for a monthly fee. You can watch Flo on your cellphone, in your car or on a dedicated device known as a personal television.

“Flo is a prepackaged entertainment experience,” says Alice Kim, senior vice president of strategy & corporate development for Flo TV. “It’s about portability,  it [is] about live video and it is complementary to your home experience.”

Mobile TV, which bring television news and shows to handheld devices, could be the next big thing for consumers who want to watch a game while on the subway, or catch up on their favorite TV show while waiting at the DMV. For instance, with Flo TV, you can get Jon Stewart on The Daily Show or live NBA games with a few clicks. The 3-inch screen is small, but it’s more convenient than a netbook.

But it’s a difficult sell. U.S. consumers so far have failed to jump on the mobile TV idea, even though it’s been around for years. Just about 1 percent of mobile users in the U.S. watch mobile TV. And even there, Flo faces some stiff competition. Rivals MobiTV and Sling Media also offer TV content to go. Last month, AT&T allowed iPhone users to access live and streaming TV on the Sling player over 3G. Meanwhile, a coalition of local broadcasters has formed a group called theOpen Mobile Video Coalition that attempts to bring free TV content to mobile devices.

“The idea is to be an alternative to the DVR,” says Ross Rubin, an analyst with research firm The NPD Group. “Prime time can be when you say it is or you can always tune in to live programming.”

Flo TV is alluring to some — especially when you have restless kids on your hands. Just ask Tyren Patterson, a Michigan-based Flo TV user who has been paying $25 a month for the service since 2006 on his LG Voyager. “When we go out and run errands or shopping and the kids get to start to antsy it’s good to be able to turn on Nickelodeon,” he says.

Patterson, a Verizon Wireless customer, has been a subscriber to Verizon’s V Cast service, which is powered by Flo TV.

“I use it everyday,” he says. “When you turn it on and start flipping the channels and see basketball games there’s the wow factor. The cost doesn’t matter then.”

Customers like Patterson may be few today (Qualcomm won’t disclose how many Flo TV users there are currently) but there are 200 million cellphone users who could become potential users, says the company. Flo rival MobiTV claims to have more than 7 million subscribers.

Where Flo TV says it hopes to distinguish itself is by offering the kind of shows and channels that most consumers would really want to watch, by offering high-quality video, and by time-shifting so you can watch shows when it’s convenient to you.

Flo — which stands for Forward Link Only — takes standard video signals and re-formats them for the mobile platform. Flo’s network operations center transcodes and compresses broadcast content into a single package that is sent to transmitters using satellite, microwave or optical fiber. The transmitters then send it to receiving devices over the 700-MHz spectrum.

“Flo TV’s network is explicitly designed for this and does a very good job of it,” says Rubin.

And because it’s a push technology with one-way data transmission, from the tower to the device, it doesn’t overload the network. Video through Flo TV is smooth and doesn’t stutter, says Kim. But to run Flo TV, devices need to have a special chip made by Qualcomm.

To popularize Flo TV, Qualcomm hopes to bring down the price of the service and offer it on a variety of devices. A personal TV that runs Flo costs $200 today, down from $250 just months before, Kim says. Meanwhile, AT&T has reduced subscription fees for the device to $10 a month from $15 earlier.

And on the road map are new devices such as a personal DVD player from Audiovox that will come with Flo TV, and a shot at the iPhone and iPod Touch market through a collaboration with battery and accessories maker Mophie.

“We are not trying to make a choice for the consumer, we are trying to give them choices,” says Kim.

See Also:

• Review: AT&T Mobile TV — Media Flows Like Greased Lightning
  
• Mobile TV, Video Market Will Be $15 Billion Worth of Huge
  
• Web/Mobile Video Will Overtake TV By 2013: Research Group
  
• Americans Don’t Care About Mobile TV

You know that Kindle you’re so in love with? Man, that’s so 2009. Mirasol showed up at CES with a display technology that’s been in the works for around a decade, and it has finally reached the point where ODMs and OEMs are talking shop about integrating said panel into all manners of future devices. In the past, the company has stuck to making screens for relatively minuscule devices, but its latest display is a 5.7-inch XGA color screen that would fit just perfectly within your next e-reader. We spoke at length with executives, and they’re currently predicting an ebook reader running Mirasol in Fall of this year. What we’ve heard “around” is that the device will actually be new Kindle running a Mirasol display — we can’t confirm it, but it sounds logical. What’s interesting, though, is that this panel is not only color, but it can play back video when used with the right processor. In other words, a powerful enough Mirasol reader could double as a small tablet, and we imagine you could actually browse the web with some level of enjoyment. The demo we were shown was nothing short of stunning, and we were told that it could scale up to fit within 9 to 10-inch slate / tablet PCs. It requires no backlighting whatsoever, and instead relies on ambient light to show its stuff. We were told that future devices would be priced competitively, even to LCD / e-ink rivals, and we can safely say we’ll be bummed if we hear the word “delay” when autumn rolls around. Don’t make us frown, Mirasol.

Continue reading Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle

Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As if the last round of specs weren’t enough to get you excited, now it’s looking like that 8 MP camera and massive touchscreen will be powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Don’t worry, even though this unit is running Android 1.6, 2.0 should be included by the time the X3 is released.

Whether or not it will be underclocked like the Liquid is still up in the air. Even if it is, it could another Android phone running Snapdragon. That’s a good thing. [P4DA via GSM Arena via Electronista via Ubergizmo]

Finally materializing after months of agonizingly vague promises of Androidery, The Liquid A1 is a capacitive-screen WVGA touch phone, set to run Android 1.6 Donut—the first build of the OS to support nonstandard (read: G1) resolutions, among other things—as well as a custom social-networking-centric interface, a la HTC’s Sense.

The software details are annoyingly sparing, as are the hardware specs, which for now include expected HSDPA connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera and GPS, but we really know pretty much all we need to at this point: the 1GHz processor and accompanying 3D chipset will make this the first truly fast Android phone, almost regardless of what software Acer shoulders it with to slow it down. In other words, your Android will do what you want it to, when your finger tells it to, and it will be glorious. Whenever and wherever this thing drops, that is. [Acer via Slashgear]

The Future has arrived with Acer Liquid

Acer introduces its new smartphone “Liquid” series: the world’s first Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor based and world’s first Android™ 1.6 high definition smartphone, combining cutting-edge technologies, software innovation and an ultra-fluid user interface to create an all-new mobile experience. It is the ideal solution for users demanding the best from their devices, and in particular outstanding multimedia, web browsing, social media integration and video streaming. It also brings smartphone product design forward with its unique and modern style.

Finally something different
Acer Liquid is the first Wide-VGA smartphone in the market benefiting from the latest release of the Android™ 1.6 Operating System (aka Donut) and the first Android™ smartphone in the market equipped with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor.

This platform brings to market unique benefits for the end users and paves the way for a new wave of innovations from the developer community:

* With its High Definition capacitive touch screen (Wide VGA), Acer Liquid offers today an unparalleled experience when watching pictures or videos. But it also holds a promise for the future: the promise of an abundance of new applications on Android™ Smart Handhelds – games, professional applications and web applets that will enrich the end user experience. Now developers can be assured that their investment will build upon a standard resolution for the years to come;
* Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, Acer Liquid provides instant access to web pages, smooth streaming of videos or music , and instant response from popular mail, maps and search applications. The high-speed processing capability and high-speed internet access (HSPA) of Snapdragon™ brings to life the Android™ experience: no idle-time, almost instant uploads of web pages and downloads of rich multimedia contents. The developer community can now take full advantage of these capabilities to bring to market innovative applications that demand raw computing power and superior handling of 3D graphics.

Unique software enhancements
Acer Liquid also bolsters a set of unique features developed by Acer and its partners:

* Improved power management to help achieve longer battery autonomy for intense users;
* A new user interface with easy access to entertainment and web bookmarks;
* An optimized camera with geo-tagging, ISO, self-timer options and accelerated auto-focus performance;
* Exclusive Spinlets™ application providing free streaming of worldwide music and video, that can be shared with friends and family through web-posting or e-mail;
* Smart integration of Facebook™, Twitter™, Youtube™, Picasa™ and Flickr™ in the address book, with realtime notification of status or content updates.

A refreshing alternative to square shapes
With ellipse curves, a choice of red, white and black colors, and a slim body shape, Liquid will please style-seeking consumers. Designed for ergonomy, Liquid fits well in the hand, and displays a smooth finish. The fluidity of its curves gives the Acer Liquid its unique character and unconventional style.

The video was shot by IntoMobile. As they describe it, the tech sounds like a massive DLP chip—that is, a panel covered with tiny reflective mirrors. Each mirror can change color but it’s a passive screen, with no backlight (like most LCDs) and no self-illumination (a la OLED). They get lit up by whatever light is in the room. Saving energy is the key here—anytime you eliminate a light source, you cut way down on the juice. No word on when this will appear on devices, but it’s Qualcomm, so you can bet there will at least be some experimental products before too long.

Speaking of experimental products, Time’s Josh Quittner points out, on his blog, that several of Qualcomm’s components could go together to make a formidable ebook device. Besides this screen, they’ve got the multi-network mobile chipset (Gobi), a respectable mobile CPU (Snapdragon), and a powerful media delivery system (MediaFLO). Forget the Kindle—who needs Amazon? Oh right, books. [IntoMobile via Netly]

After a few years of marketing FLO TV through Verizon and AT&T, Qualcomm has struck out on its own to sell a standalone FLO TV, this here FLO TV Personal Television. It seems like a bit of an odd choice in the current media consumption climate, and the price is certainly steep at $250, along with the $9+ monthly subscription fee, but Qualcomm naturally has its reasons. Basically, if people want a second screen to watch FLO TV on, or already have a non-FLO phone that they’re happy with, this gives them the option, and then there’s the all-important family car ride where you might hand this device to your kid, but wouldn’t be so likely to toss them your own phone. Unfortunately, the lack of a hefty carrier subsidy means the $250 pricetag doesn’t seem too in line with the quality of this device — particularly the screen, which pales in comparison to those found on the similarly priced Zune and iPod touch (at least on the prototype device we played with). The touchscreen interface is pretty simple and reasonably quick, though touch detection isn’t exactly first-tier, but basically this whole device is as straightforward and no-frills as it looks. Check out a quick hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading FLO TV Personal Television hands-on (video)

FLO TV Personal Television hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I used the LG Vu for a bit, and I have to say that instant-on portable TV was kind of fun to have, even though I’m not much of a TV watcher. Its selection was much more limited than the Flo TV’s, though. Qualcomm lists CNBC, Comedy Central, MSNBC, MTV, NBC, NBC 2Go, NBC News, NBC Sports and Nickelodeon as channels. You can check out the lineup here, and the program guide here.

Battery is rated at 5 hours of TV and 300 hours of standby. It remains to be seen how the picture is, of course, and how well the signal holds, but you leave that to us.

The device itself costs $250, and the minimum subscription is $9. That’s not bad (less than a Peek), but of course, like regular TV you’ll have to pay for the good stuff. More info, as always, at their website.

Flash 10 already supports HD video on the desktop, but 10.1 — announced this week at Adobe’s MAX conference in Los Angeles — is being billed the first to really reap the full benefits of the Open Screen Project by unifying feature sets across a wide variety of platforms on the desktop, the laptop, and the pocket. As usual, Windows, Mac, and Linux will all get hooked up with the latest release, but public betas of 10.1 for Windows Mobile and webOS will be hitting before the end of the year as well followed by Android and Symbian in “early” 2010. RIM’s also gotten official with its rumored membership in the Open Screen Project, though the lack of a timeline for 10.1 support in BlackBerry OS is a stark reminder of the long technical road that lies ahead for Waterloo as it tries to match the smartphone competition tit-for-tat in the multimedia space. At the end of the day, mobile Flash means nothing without the horsepower to properly drive it, so let’s hope that Tegra, Snapdragon, and next-generation architectures like OMAP4 start to come on board en masse just as these builds come out of beta.

Speaking of fast chipsets, the other big news out of the show is that Flash 10.1 will take advantage of GPU acceleration on a number of key mobile platforms, including both nVidia’s Tegra and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon alongside ION for smooth (well, theoretically smooth) 720p and 1080p video on the latest generation of netbooks and smartbooks.

Update: Added video of the Palm Pre running three instances of Flash in parallel after the break.

Read – Flash 10.1 announcement
Read – RIM joins the OSP

Continue reading Flash 10.1 announced for just about anything with a screen, webOS and WinMo betas this year (update: Pre video!)

Filed under: Software

Flash 10.1 announced for just about anything with a screen, webOS and WinMo betas this year (update: Pre video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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