Mobile deals force juggling act

MOBILE phones are for making telephone calls and sending and receiving text messages on the move, right? Well, actually, they're also for checking email, listening to music, accessing the internet, taking and sharing photos and even watching television and video clips.

More and more handsets are coming with high-res multimedia displays that make watching telly on the small screen at least bearable, and occasionally compelling.

You can fill idle time by checking the television news or weather, chortling over The Chasers or made-for-mobile sitcoms, catching a few overs of the cricket or a lap or two of the V8 Supercars, running through a few movie trailers or downloading maps and directions.

But here's the rub: Australia's mobile networks such as Telstra, Hutchison and Vodafone, are stifling innovation by restricting access to multimedia content.

Doubleclick agrees. Take sport, for instance. If you want to watch the rugby, you need to sign up with Vodafone. If it's Test cricket you want to see, you need a Hutchison 3 handset and subscription. source:http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22744845-39525,00.html