If you feel like you missed out on the beginnings of the MP3 revolution, here's your chance to be an early adopter for the coming MP4 one (and I do mean early adopter).

PoGo Products Flipster

"We've been waiting for a device that does for portable video what the MP3 player did for portable audio, especially now that so many video files are being traded online. Watching reruns on the bus would be great, and the PoGo Products Flipster is one of the first devices we've seen that is dedicated to such a pursuit....

While its main selling point is the ability to play video files, the Flipster, which features a 206MHz 32-bit RISC processor and Windows CE at its core, also makes a great MP3 player (AAC and WMA audio files also supported). After all, what other MP3 player has a full-color onscreen spectral analysis? And forget about carrying photos around in your wallet, because the Flipster also displays most standard image formats, even if they do sometimes appear a bit distorted after being condensed to fit its 160 x134-pixel display. Another plus: You can record WAV memos that can be uploaded to your computer, then played back or e-mailed. And in the future, PoGo Products says that it will offer such accessories as a digital-camera module, a TV tuner, and wireless connectivity....

In the end, while the Flipster is a groundbreaking product of sorts and is clearly a work in progress, it doesn't have quite enough merits to justify its fairly lofty price tag ($400 for this 64MB model or $450 for the 128MB version). We liked its design and strong MP3-playback skills, but its video capabilities are undercut by the lack of available content. That said, it's unclear why someone would purchase this device instead of a Pocket PC, which not only offers similar features but adds additional functionality. Panasonic also sells a similar device, the SV-AV10, that also adds recording capability. We hope that PoGo Products figures out a way to make this device more compelling, but as it stands, we're not quite ready to give it our blessing." [Electronics.cnet.com]

There are other problems with the device, too, but I thought I'd highlight it to show that yes indeedy, companies are thinking about portable video devices. Visit PoGo's web site and read other reviews from EdgeReview and TechTV for more information. I wonder if the next generation of this device will include a video camera, which would make "taping" movies in theaters that much easier.

Counting down to the MPAA lawsuit - 5... 4... 3...

World Cup Sets Stage for Mobile Phone Showdown

"The soccer teams of World Cup co-hosts South Korea and Japan may never meet on the playing field, but the one-month tournament will be a golden opportunity to showcase their prowess in advanced mobile technology.

The race to create a mobile World Cup has hotted up between mobile operators in South Korea and Japan, with both countries offering an array of services to allow visitors keep in touch with home.

Visitors coming to Korea for soccer's premier event can be contacted by the GSMmobile phone numbers they use at home by inserting removable thumbnail-sized plastic SIM card into a roaming phone, which can be rented at the airport for just $1.00 per day.

'We have signed a roaming service agreement with 53 mobile carriers in 32 countries using the GSM mobile service system,' said Chang Sung-soo, an official of the international roaming team at Korea's top mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co.

KTF Co, Korea's second largest mobile carrier, has signed a roaming service pact with 37 GSM carriers in 30 countries, including China's biggest cellular firm China Mobile....

The weakest link is a lack of full roaming services between Japan and Korea -- ironic for countries so close that their coastal regions receive each other's television broadcasts....

The high level of travel between Japan and South Korea, to be boosted further by the World Cup, was expected to provide an ideal testing ground for international 3G roaming, the cutting edge of CDMA technology....

'For seamless roaming, Japanese carriers need to upgrade their networks, which is costly and takes more than a year,'' said Chang.

SK Telecom subscribers who enjoy automatic roaming service in all of the world's CDMA service regions, including the U.S. and China, need special dual-band roaming handsets in Japan due to the difference in the frequency bands between Korea and Japan.

Japan's DoCoMo subscribers can rent mobile phones that allow automatic roaming services at airports before leaving for Korea and then use them in Korea as if they were in Japan....

KTF is involved in negotiations to get a FIFA license to provide breaking World Cup news and video images over mobile phones, said Ha Tae-sook, head of KTF's World Cup communications team.

'Soccer fans who don't have the ticket will be able to watch vivid video clips of winning goals on their mobile phones with color screens,'' he said.

KTF, an official 2002 World Cup sponsor, plans to replay streaming videos of World Cup highlights on mobile phones using third generation (3G) technology that promises data speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second (Mbps).

'When you watch a movie, a run of 30 frames per second makes you feel a movement is natural. Our 3G technology is more than enough to support a data transmission speed equivalent to that of 10 frames per second, which I think is not that bad,'' said Ha." [NY Times: Technology]

Is "hotted up" really a valid conjugation? Maybe they're making up new ones to match all of the hype surrounding 3G in Asia. I'd l-o-v-e to get 3G videos during March Madness, although I'd rather get them on my PDA, which has a larger screen. Of course, someday I'll see them through my eyeglasses.