Yesterday, a decision was made by the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) that could change the mobile world as we know it. This ratification of the A/153 ATSC Mobile DTV Standard “defines the technical specifications necessary for broadcasters to provide new services to mobile and handheld devices using their digital television transmissions”.

Does this mean that every mobile could be capable of playing digital TV? Maybe. Truth be told, I do most of my television watching on Hulu or other Internet TV places. Still, the idea of being anywhere with a mobile phone and channel surfing appeals to me, I guess.

Source

Tags: ATSC, Mobile News, mobile television, mobile tv, television

In what has to be one of the most expensive advertising campaign known, T-Mobile officially released the latest promotional mediums for the myTouch Android. This included ads on television, online, cinema, print and search advertising campaigns. And heading the stars that will come out are the celebrities who are actually using the phone are Whoopi Goldberg, Jessie James and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson.

Here is the actual video ad campaign:

(Source) Techcrunch

Tags: ad campaign, advertising campaign, advertising campaigns, campaign source, celebrities, Cell Phones, cinema, coach phil jackson, head coach, jessie james, los angeles lakers, mediums, search advertising, T-Mobile, T-Mobile, television, whoopi goldberg

If you are an avid follower of MSNBC via the television, well, you can now access breaking news, videos and photos via your iPhone now that MSNBC.com and Zumobi launch an app compatible with the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The app is now available for free at the Apple App Store.

With the msnbc.com app, millions of “news explorers” can now immerse themselves in the video and news stories that inform, excite and ignite the imagination - right from their iPhone or iPod touch. The radial interface allows for easy navigation by offering consumers a full view of the colorful menu so they can select what they want to explore.

The settings allow users to easily scan and scroll through content, play and pause video, or select and read news stories. The Twitter integration enables consumers to easily share articles as well as track Twitter feeds from their favorite NBC News and MSNBC Cable anchors.

(Source) Press

Tags: anchors, Apple, Apple, breaking news, colorful menu, consumers, explorers, follower, imagination, iPhone, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mobile Software, msnbc, msnbc cable, nbc news, news stories, photos, share articles, television, twitter

Microsoft has been known for some colorful TV advertisements, especially those garnered towards Vista, but I think they are really onto something with the above Bing ad.

Recently released to, obviously, market their revamped and re-engineered search engine, Bing’s first TV ad focuses on taking all of the fuss and confusion (I didn’t know there way any?) out of using an online search engine.

They are obviously targeting Google with their whole “no more search overload” slogan so let’s see how this ad has an impact on which search engine users decide to use.

Tags: advertisement, Bing, competition, competitor, Google, microsoft, microsoft, online, search engine, television

To most of us, the Family Guy is a TV series that will always be fun to watch. With the green jokes and the out of this world laughs it provides, who would ever think it would make its way into the mobile phone world with the new Family Guy: Uncensored java app?

Well the new app is sure to gain some raves, particularly the ones who follow it religiously via television. The game launches at the heels of the upcoming 8th season, something that should keep Family Guy fans busy while the new season draws near.

Features

• Action-packed – multiple levels of entertainment with fast and furious gameplay
• Five Playable Characters – extended amusement with options to play as either Stewie, Peter, Brian, Chris or Quagmire
• Cameo Appearances – additional familiar Quahog characters appear throughout the game
• Mini-games – continue in the fun with seven mini-games featuring Robo Stewie, Rocket Brian, Peter vs. Chicken and more
• Familiar Locations – find yourself in Quahog visiting locations including Spooner Street, Goldman’s Pharmacy, The Drunken Clam and City Hall

Family Guy: Uncensored, the mobile game, is now available on all major carriers worldwide.

(Source) Press

Tags: cameo appearances, Cell Phones, city hall, family guy, game, goldman, green jokes, guy fans, java app, mini games, mobile phone, Mobile Software, pharmacy, playable characters, quagmire, quahog, spooner street, stewie, television, tv series, worldwide source

Guess what application is available for the iPhone? Well if you love watching online game shows then Jeopardy should be something familiar to you. Yep the popular favorite quiz game show can now be played on your iPhone thanks to Sony Pictures Television.

Put your knowledge to the test in this exciting new game created for the iPhone and iPod touch! Pick a category and dollar amount and answer clues written by Jeopardy writers. Buzz in quickly and answer correctly to watch your earnings rise, then hum along with the classic Final Jeopardy theme music while you respond to the final clue.

Features:

• Use the touchscreen to write your name on the podium, just like a real contestant on Jeopardy
• Play in Landscape mode so that you see the contestants and the categories on the same screen
• Includes real sounds from the game, including the class Final Jeopardy Music
• Listen to the famous voiceover “This…is…Jeopardy!” from the famous Johnny Gilber when the game starts
• Create your own custom contestant
• Packed with over 1500 clues, enjoy hours of entertainment

Tags: Apple, final jeopardy, game show, gilber, iPhone, iPhone, jeopardy music, jeopardy theme music, landscape mode, Mobile Software, quiz game, real sounds, Sony, sony pictures, television, touchscreen, voiceover

The boycott of everything Cuban has been going on for a very, very long time. Well, now that Fidel Castro has been replaced and Barack Obama has assumed the position of President, the times are changing.

It was recently announced that Barack Obama is now allowing United States telecom, television, and radio companies can now apply for licenses to be allowed to operate in Cuba.

Hopefully with this new market opened up the United States economy will slowly start to get better. Let’s just hope that Cuban Cigars are allowed Stateside sometime soon.

Read (BloomBerg)

Tags: At&T, Barack Obama, Cell Phones, cuba, Mobile News, radio, telecom, television, united states, Verizon

Next in line with touch-screen mobile devices is Motorola. Its latest Mobile TV device, the DH02, is a personalized TV/multimedia entertainment center featuring a touch-screen interface along with navigation capabilities. The DH02 features a click, drag and scroll icon-based menus. With support for HSDPA/GPRS support, operators can deliver rich services to their customers.

The phone supports DVB-H TV with PVR capabilities, including live pause and frame grabbing, as well as GPS and Tele Atlas map views. The hi-res WQVGA display lets you enjoy video at 25 frames-per-second. The DH02 supports microSD memory cards for storing user-generated content.

Obviously, it has Bluetooth capabilities as well. No word on the pricing yet, but you can catch the DH02 in action at CTIA Wireless 2008.

Motorola
via press

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Tags: bluetooth, Cell Phones, dh02, dvb-h, mobile tv, Motorola, Motorola, television, tuner, wqvga

Check out this interesting mobile phone design called the Infobar 2. Capable of receiving single wave-band television, the phone does away with an ugly antenna. The Infobar 2 features a 2.6 inch, power-saving OLED (Organic LED) screen. For memory expansion, it comes with a microSD memory card slot. There’s also 3D speakers to boot. The manufacturers claim a talk time of 290 minutes.

Available in four colors, the Infobar 2 measures 138mm x 47mm x 15.5mm and weighs in at 104 grams. Hard to believe.

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Tags: candybar, Cell Phones, microsd, single wave-band, Slim, streamlined design, television, TV

Someone took Tetris a wee bit too seriously and came up with a new version of the game featuring controllers that are shaped like - what else? - tetris pieces. The controller can be connected to a TV via composite cable, and adding a second controller lets you play against a friend.

Made by Epoch of Japan, you don’t need a separate game console to play it - it’s actually as simple as plug and play. An interesting addition to any Tetris fan I’m sure. Since the inputs are composite cables, the controller should fit virtually any TV made in the last few years.

Each controller is priced at ¥4,494 (about US $38).

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Tags: controller, funky, games, Portable Devices, television, tetris

The Insignia 37” Flat-Panel LCD HDTV is probably popular when it comes to its price. This television set is priced at only $799.99 but features some cool functions such as a built-in HDTV tuner, native resolution of 1366 x 768, brightness display of 500 cd/m2 and contrast ratio of 1000:1. Today, we have the opportunity of including a review done by I4U that includes practically both positive and negative aspects of this HDTV set.

The NSLCD37 is equipped with connectivity options such as two HDMI inputs, a VGA for PC, one S-Video, two component inputs, one composite input and a headphone jack. This enables users to have several setups for this TV. There is also a built-in speaker, but it falls a but flat with only 10 watts of power. If you need that oomph from your audio, then its best to get a separate sound system.

What’s good about this set is that virtually, everything is just plug and play. The picture display is quite good although transitions from black to grey in dark, shadowed scenes were a bit pixilated. But you probably won’t know the difference, but still, it could have been more.

Tags: HDTV, insignia, Off The Topic, television