Sprint announced today that customers can watch streaming movies on their cell phones.

I just don’t see this happening. For $4-$6, depending on the movie, you can watch it stream on to your tiny screen and listen on tinny speaker(s). I own the Samsung A900 that they’re using in the press for the movie service and I don’t think I get 2 hours of talk time on a full charge. Using the Internet connection (required for movie streaming) seems to drain the battery even faster.

I have watched TV and video clips (streamed from my Orb server) on the phone and it works quite nicely. I also occasionally call up movie trailers if I’m out and want to find out more about a movie. But I don’t think I’ve ever watched for longer than 5 minutes.

One thing not mentioned in the press materials is that you can’t receive calls while you’re watching a movie – your calls will go straight to voicemail.

2 responses

  1. […] Just as I’m unlikely to watch a full movie on my cellphone, I am unlikely to read a full page article on my cellphone. […]

  2. […] Unlike the movies that Sprint is trying to shove down the pipe, mobile YouTube makes a lot of sense.  Watching a few YouTube clips is a fun, easy way to kill a few minutes. […]