What Is Mobile Video?

A lot is being written about what is being called Mobile Video and we have two different concepts of what Mobile Video is now making the rounds in the press and blogosphere.

Late last week, AT&T announced their version of Mobile Video which will let users see one another on their mobile handsets and engage in a video call. My sources tell me it's an in house, home grown AT&T solution, not the same as what Nokia has on their Nseries phones which I've personally used with astonishingly good quality when I was in Sweden with iotum's COO Dr. Howard Thaw, as we made a point of having the same carrier to try it out last Spring at VON Europe.

Today you have this story in PC Magazine about Mobile Video and it’s expected growth here in the USA. It's encouraging to see how many big names like FOX are viewing the mobile market with open eyes. Now it's up to the carriers to make it easier for the audience, and also cheaper for them too.

So which is Mobile Video? Do we need a different name for Mobile Video Communications versus the concept of watching video on your mobile from the other screen’s content sources?

Wouldn’t it be better if the two way Dick Tracy like capabilities we have in Europe today on Nokia Nseries phones, that the AT&T home grown solution seems to mirror for the USA had a different name?

For both technologies to take off there cannot be ambiguity in how they are branded as all that will happen is both concepts will be confusing to the market, rather than easy to understand, digest and consumed.

Data plans are also expensive and not every device is ready. The carriers will need to do a lot of education here with consumers, as the selling of data has not been really pushed the right way here in the USA, and it's the data side that makes content delivery happen.

In my mind the mobile content guys have gotten on base first and the two way video communications folks have to play catch-up.

Comments

[The Hoff]

I think the terms commonly used are "video phone" for the AT&T version of Mobile Video, and "mobile video" for viewing video content on mobile.

The Hoff

www.zannel.com