Mobile TV Wherever You Go

Now television content is offered on a variety of portable mobile devices, from cell phones to iPads. Some of this is available through downloading or streaming web video; other content is transmitted just like TV, via one signal to many devices simultaneously.

That’s where Qualcomm’s FLO Personal Television comes in, which aims to offer “real” TV on the go.

FLO TV’s service, which transmits mobile feeds of broadcast content, has been offered on mobile phone partners since 2007. Now, the company has launched its own pocket-sized TV device, the FLO PTV 350.

The device itself costs $199 and comes with a basic four-channel package that includes the major networks: CBS Mobile, ABC Mobile, Fox Mobile, and NBC2Go. An extra $15 a month – or $150 for a year – will get you 16 channels including the four major networks, as well as cable channels like MTV, CNN and Comedy Central.

The PTV 350 is not as sleek as an iPhone; it has the square look of a portable navigation device. At 3 by 4 inches, it’s solid but lightweight, and it fit easily in my bag. You hold it upright to view the 3.5-inch touch screen. (The PTV does not come with a case; you can purchase one from outside retailers like Amazon.com for $15 to $40.)

The PTV has power, volume, and channel buttons on the top and side of the device. It comes with an external headphone jack for when you don’t want to annoy other people with the audio. There were scan lines as I swiped through channels on the touchscreen, but once I selected a channel, the picture was clear.

Despite the small screen, the FLO PTV compared favorably to watching videos via the Web on the iPad. Although the iPad is a larger, slicker device, the videos I watched paused frequently to buffer, and when I was watching videos on the iPad in direct sunlight, it powered off after about 15 minutes due to the high temperature outside. I didn’t have that problem with the PTV, whose battery lasted six hours and never shut off while I was watching.

On the other hand, the FLO PTV’s signal wasn’t as robust as some cell phone signals. I got good reception in the city, but lost service completely in a remote part of the suburbs.

Also, the channels offered on FLO TV are special mobile versions of networks, so the program lineups aren’t exactly the same as what’s on regular TV.

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