Got cell phone envy?
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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: A new TV phone is about to hit the market just in time for the holiday shopping season, but don’t look for it in the stores. From the Marketplace Innovations Desk at North Carolina Public Radio, Janet Babin explains why.
JANET BABIN: Nokia’s TV phone has a 2.8-inch screen that folds up, kind of like a book. It makes mobile viewing easier.
The phone hits store shelves in Asia in a few weeks, for about $760, but it won’t be available here for the foreseeable future.
While there are some mobile TV options, the U.S. largely trails Asia in mobile TV phone readiness. Analyst Daniel Berninger is with Tier One Research.
DANIEL BERNINGER: In the U.S. the phone companies are very slow to deploy new services until they can figure out what the business model is. You know, there’s copyright issues and the content folks want their piece.
In Asia, Berninger says mobile competition is so tight, companies must innovate constantly or get hung up on by consumers.
I’m Janet Babin for Marketplace.
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