Handmark Releases TV Guide Mobile

Posted By: Ryan Monday, December 5, 2005 10:16:05 AM

Gemstar-TV Guide and Handmark today announced the immediate availability of TV Guide Mobile, a dynamic new television listings and content service designed for Palm OS handhelds and smartphones. Through a yearly or monthly subscription, TV Guide Mobile provides consumers with the content and personalized tools they need to get the most out of the world of television.

Treo 650 with TV Guide MobileTV Guide Mobile features include:

  • Instant access to TV Guide daily local TV listings;
  • Ability to search TVGuide.com’s comprehensive “Big Movie Guide” database, which contains 40,000 movie reviews, and its “Show Guide” database, which includes episode synopses and other information on 600+ TV series, past and present;
  • Searches organized by title, genre or celebrity;
  • Customization allowing users to receive information only about their favorite channels, shows or celebrities, through features such as “My Watch List,” that keeps users favorite programs in one place;
  • The latest Hollywood news, gossip and commentary from www.tvguide.com, including: Ask Ausiello; Insider; The Biz; Ask Matt; Roush Review; Ask The Televisionary; Watercooler; and Soap News.

“We’re excited to make TV Guide Mobile available for these smartphone platforms through Handmark, a premier innovator in mobile media,” said Richard Cusick, senior vice president and general manager of Digital Media at Gemstar-TV Guide. “This is one of several initiatives in the mobile space that Gemstar-TV Guide is pursuing. Mobile is a key area for the company and one that we are prioritizing across all of our products, services and partnerships.”

“Whatever you’re interested in from the world of television, TV Guide Mobile has it,” said Douglas Edwards, Handmark cofounder and executive vice-president. “The greatest benefit is that users can customize TV Guide Mobile to deliver the exact content they want -- favorite channels, updated schedules, ‘My Watch List.’ It’s an incredibly personalized experience.”

TV Guide Mobile costs $29.99 per year. There is a two week free trial available. You can get it here.

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$30 a year?

adamsmark @ 12/5/2005 3:12:54 PM # Q
You know, if you add enough services, you'll end up spending a pretty penny. Thirty bucks is too much.

RE: $30 a year?
joad @ 12/5/2005 5:03:07 PM # Q
Gotta agree with you there. But most of Handmark's other programs are pricey-pricey too - the license holders must be getting a sizable chunk of the proceeds.

I'd love to have a product like this, but there's no way I'm addicted to TV enough to pay that much, especially with several freeware programs available to do the job. Rupert ought to drop his licensing fees to nothing (he gets the advertising of TVG name) and maybe Handmark can offer this for about $10 bucks a year - a price that would be worth the money and RAM.

I'd rather have 10000 sales at $10 than 100 sales at $30. When the prices are so high, you usually don't bother even looking at the rest of a company's catalog.

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Pocket TV Browser similar, but free.

AdamaDBrown @ 12/5/2005 6:46:18 PM # Q
Pocket TV Browser from DoubleBit software does much the same thing, but with a lot more flexibility when you run on the XMLTV data. Plus it's entirely free to get and use.

You don't get the full movie database or episode guides, just the information on movies and shows which are actually airing, but you can find the rest online, or you can download the TomeRaider version of the Internet Movie Database.

http://doublebit.com/ptvb/

A word of disclosure--I have no connection whatsoever to DoubleBit that I'm aware of other than the fact that I've been using PTVB off and on since the days of my Palm m505.

RE: Pocket TV Browser similar, but free.
joad @ 12/8/2005 8:36:26 PM # Q
Not bad... I remember this one from a few years ago and it seems the suggested xmltv data provider (tvcompass) hasn't improved their site much.

The interface is basic and clean, data (after the trial from another provider) is $10 bucks. No option to save direct to card :(

Reasonable price. Pretty involved for the average user and the loss of another 500K or so of RAM for the data is too much for me...

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