Qualcomm’s FLO TV and mophie have announced they are teaming up to create a series of products that will bring live mobile TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms.
The products, which are expected to begin shipping in the first half of this year, will bring the FLO TV mobile TV service to the mophie juice pack combing a battery with a built-in mobile TV receiver. FLO TV is a subscription based service which sells bouquets of up to 20 channels for between $9.00 (€6.26) to $15.00 a month.
“We are uniting our vision of advancing mobile TV across a range of devices and platforms with mophie’s unrivaled expertise in designing intelligent cases for Apple users,” said Bill Stone, president of FLO TV, in a statement. “Together, our solution will be a true live mobile TV product available to iPhone and iPod touch users.”
“mophie’s juice pack line has delivered superior rechargeable external battery life to Apple users,” said Shawn Dougherty,VP of mophie, designer of the world’s thinnest Apple-certified external battery/protective case and other Apple-certified accessories. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to elevate our intelligent case design through this creative product collaboration and deliver the ultimate mobile television experience for iPhone users.”
Tivit, a product from Valups, a small company from South Korea, is showing another solution to bring mobile TV to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones – or indeed any PC or laptop. A small box containing a receiver using the US Mobile DTV standard and a low power Wi-Fi transmitter. The Tivit is used to pick up the signal, which can then be received via a wireless connection by any iPhone or other portable device nearby. Redtal price is expected to be around $120.
In a related development, Samsung is showing at the CES in Las Vegas a handset that incorporates a mobile digital TV tuner. This allows free to air reception of local broadcasters who simulcast the signal with their regular over-the-air TV broadcasts.
