Who are the rivals to this baby? Well, without DVB-H networks commercially available in the UK as yet, we might as well focus on handsets that allow us to watch streamed TV and video on demand. I’m thinking big, high quality screens.
The most obvious choice for me is the HTC HD2. I love this device, with its enormous 4.3 inch screen on the diagonal, captive touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 800 WVGA. You’ve got up to eight hours of video playback time – enough to get you from Helsinki to the St Petersburg on a bus – and it supports the following video formats: .wmv, .asf, .mp4, .3gp, .3g2, .m4v, .avi. It also has a 3.5mm stereo jack, so you can use any earphones you fancy.
Outclassed by the HTC HD2 in all but reputation is my second choice for TV viewing, Apple’s iPhone, out now on O2 and Orange and coming to us any minute now on Vodafone. This baby has a healthy 3.5 inch screen on the diagonal, widescreen multi touch, with 480 by 320 pixel resolution. It supports H.264 video, plus MPEG-4 and has video playback of up to 10 hours.
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