LG, Samsung bring live mobile TV to US
updated 03:50 pm EST, Mon January 8, 2007
LG VX9400 Mobile TV in US
LG and Samsung today said they would be the first cellphone makers to bring mobile digital broadcast TV to the US. As part of a deal with Verizon, the Korean companies plan to release phones with support for the MediaFLO live TV format developed last year. Subscribers to Verizon's V CAST Mobile TV service will have the choice of watching eight live mobile TV channels from CNN, ESPN, and NBC without the need for an Internet plan. While TV-like services have been available in North America in recent months, these plans have frequently involved pre-recorded, downloadable clips.
The handsets accompanying the launch are LG's VX9400 (pictured), a swivel phone whose display rotates horizontally to better for TV broadcasts, and Samsung's u620, a more conventional slider. Both phones will have 1.3-megapixel cameras, Bluetooth, and EVDO broadband access and will launch at the same time as Verizon's TV service in the first quarter of this year. Photos of both the LG and Samsung offerings can be found after the jump.
Samsung u620
