Andre Yoskowitz
12 Sep 2009 16:16
Qualcomm has announced that their MediaFLO wireless broadcast network will be headed to portable media players such as MP3 players soon, as well as into car systems.
The network uses former analog TV channels and sends digital TV signals to select mobile handsets from carriers AT&T and Verizon. The service costs $15 USD a month and users get 12 or 13 stations.
Qualcomm COO Len Lauer says however that he is not satisfied with consumer adoption of the product so far, and wants to expand into media devices and cars. "We need to be on a lot more devices," Lauer added.
For in-car entertainment, Qualcomm has signed a deal with Audiovox to bring the FLO TV channels to LCDs in cars. Lauer says there are currently 25 million vehicles in the US with LCD video screens in their cars.
Lauer does not stop there however: "You'll see us come out with an MP3-like device fairly soon that also has a full FLO TV capability," Lauer noted, via Yahoo Tech. Accessories are being created to make connectivity easier for existing phones and devices.
MediaFLO will have a network that reaches about 200 million Americans by the end of the year, says the company.