Gadget Watch

Which TV mobile is right for you?

If you like your gadgets then the chances are you'll know all about the TV phone craze that's about to sweep the nation.

But with all the main players claiming their product is the best, how can you tell which is the best mobile for you?

Here are six guides to TV on your mobile that may help you make up your mind.

3

Customers: Over 3.2 million

Video services: The United Kingdom's largest 3G operator offers previews and highlights of every primetime show.

What you can watch: Partners include MTV, GMTV, CNN, Extreme Sports, ITN, Cartoon Network and Bravo. Has also signed a deal with ITV, offering live TV and clips from I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, etc.
It's made-for-mobile content includes Premiership highlights.

Cost: Channels are £5 each a month. A 20-minute TV clip costs £1.

Usage: Last year 3's customers downloaded 15m music vids and 1m Champions League clips.

Vodafone

Customers: 16.3m

Video services: Sky Mobile, TV, a joint venture with BskyB, offers 20 TV channels. Vodafone live! did 24-hour streaming for last year's Big Brother.

What you can watch: Sky News, Sky One, Channel 4, Bravo, MTV, Discovery. Premium content includes full-length episodes of Sex Feet Under and Sex And The City.

Cost: £5 a month for Sky Mobile TV. Other content ranges from 50p to £1 a day.

Usage: Six million hits in first 10 weeks.

T-mobile

Customers: 17.2m (that includes Virgin Mobile)

Video services: Mostly 30-sec video clips at the moment. It is also looking into DVB-H (digital video broadcast-handheld).

What you can watch: Its new mobile service will include two MTV channels, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy. T-Mobile has also acquired the mobile broadcast rights for all 64 matches of this year's World Cup.

Cost: Video services are pay per event, from 50p to £2.80 for adult video downloads. TV service is likely to be subscription.

USAGE: Most popular services are music, sport, comedy and adult videos.

02

Customers: 16m.

Video services: Only a limited service at the moment but Virgin is planning to launch BT's live TV this year and a 3G service.

What you can watch: BT trial partners include Sky News, Sky Sports News, Channel 4, E4, ITV2 and Cartoon Network.

Cost: Pay per download.

Usage: Virgin/BT trial saw more than three-quarters of users tune in.

Orange

Customers: More than 14.9m, of which 300,000 are 3G subscribers.

Video services: Orange TV has 17 channels, with live and made-for-mobile content. Also offers downloads and streaming for shows like Big Brother.

What you can watch: Include ITN, CNN, Cartoon Network, Bravo, Extreme Sports Mobile and Endemol's Reality Channel. A deal with BBC Worldwide means it also offers clips from The Office, Little Britain and Doctor Who.

Cost: Orange TV users pay £10 a month. Downloads on a pay-per-item basis. BBC clips cost between 75p and £1.

Usage: Orange TV has delivered over 1m streams.

Source: The Daily Star