Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Mobile Movies
I remember the time a few years back (around the time of the 3G auction madness in Europe) when everyone was getting ready to watch full-length movies on 3G handsets. This, in turn, was going to drive usage and windfall revenues for the operators. Of course none of this materialised, to the great amusement of skeptics like Andrew and me, and 3G is still enduring birth pangs and will in all likelihood be bypassed by technologies like WiMAX.
Seems like mobile movies might be enjoying a second lease of life. Kinda. Sorta. Not the much touted 3G phones of Europe though, but rather from EDGE-enabled handsets provided by Bharti/Airtel in India. Apparently, Airtel is airing the world's first full-length feature mobile on a phone. And not just any movie, but all 3 hours of a Bollywood movie called “Rok Sako To Rok Lo.”
Besides the obvious novelty value, I really dont see how people can be convinced to watch 3 hour movies (or a shorter Hollywood film) on a tiny mobile phone screen and pay money for the service. Needless to say, I'd also love to see a handset whose batteries can last through the length of a Bollywood movie.
Seems like mobile movies might be enjoying a second lease of life. Kinda. Sorta. Not the much touted 3G phones of Europe though, but rather from EDGE-enabled handsets provided by Bharti/Airtel in India. Apparently, Airtel is airing the world's first full-length feature mobile on a phone. And not just any movie, but all 3 hours of a Bollywood movie called “Rok Sako To Rok Lo.”
Besides the obvious novelty value, I really dont see how people can be convinced to watch 3 hour movies (or a shorter Hollywood film) on a tiny mobile phone screen and pay money for the service. Needless to say, I'd also love to see a handset whose batteries can last through the length of a Bollywood movie.
