Review: Virgin Mobile Lobster 700TV phone

The latest mobile phone from Virgin is designed so you can watch TV on the move. Vodafone already produces phones that let you tune in to Sky's broadcasts, but what's different here is that the handset is receiving the digital signal over the air, just like a DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) radio, instead of downloading the images over the mobile phone network.

This means no data charges are racking up as you watch TV or listen to the radio. For a daily commute on a bus or train, this may be a great way to make the journey go quickly and it's ideal if you're going to be home too late to catch Corrie.

Let's start with the radio; the headphones supplied with the Virgin Lobster are mandatory, they act as the radio's DAB antenna, though if they're plugged in you can use the phone's loudspeakers to listen as well.

There are up to 50 DAB stations available and sound quality is crystal-clear, beating phones with FM radio tuners for signal quality and range of digital-only stations.

As for TV, the Lobster 700TV includes four stations - BBC1, ITV1, E4 and Channel 4. The first three are simulcasts, showing exactly what the respective TV transmissions receive. Channel 4, though, for now shows short made-for-mobile TV clips with the main channel expected to follow later.

Video quality was excellent when staying in one place, but occasionally the signal dropped or was out of sync, though the radio signal was more robust.

Of course, you'll also want to use the phone for other things such as, you know, making calls, and the Lobster 700TV is perfectly good at this, too. It's a smartphone, using Windows Mobile as its operating system, so it can also handle cut-down versions of Outlook among other programs. There's a camera on board, but this is unexceptional at 1.3 megapixels.

If you have a monthly contract, the phone and the TV service are both free, but if you choose Virgin's pay-as-you-go option then you'll have three months of free TV.

Also consider
T-Mobile MDA Vario II HSDPA
Overall: No TV or DAB radio but if you're fed up of waiting for downloads while you're out and about, then HSDPA in your hand with the T-Mobile MDA Vario II is a godsend.
Rating: 4
Price: Free (depending on contract)

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