FLO TV On iPhone With New Mophie Juice Pack

We've been more than a little dismissive of Qualcomm's FLO TV Personal Television, with SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg summing up most of our doubts when he asked why you'd want to carry a separate, dedicated device.  Now, thanks to a deal with mophie, the FLO TV prospect has just got a whole lot more interesting: iPod touch and iPhone juice pack sleeves that add not only a backup battery but FLO TV live television receiving on the Apple handhelds.

While several cellphones in the US are capable of receiving FLO TV broadcasts – which are transmitted live in their own chunk of spectrum, rather than delivered over the 3G networks – the iPhone is not one of them.  This new mophie adapter opens up FLO TV to a huge, dare we say accessory-voracious market of Apple fans.

There'll be a subscription fee involved, obviously, which right now neither company are coming clean on; we're guessing it'll be around $8.99 per month based on a two-year contract, just like the standalone viewer.  Expect the FLO TV mophie juice pack to arrive in the US in the first half of 2010, price to be confirmed.

Press Release:

FLO TV and mophie™ to Bring Live Mobile TV to the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod touch™

— Unique Products to Deliver True Live Mobile TV to iPhone and iPod touch Users; Products Combine Live FLO TV™ Service with mophie's Intelligent Case Design —

LAS VEGAS — January 6, 2010 — FLO TV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), and mophie today announced they are teaming to create a series of products that will bring live mobile TV to the iPhone and iPod touch platforms.

The products, which are expected to begin shipping in the first half of this year, will bring the award-winning FLO TV mobile TV service to the cutting-edge mophie juice pack, letting consumers view their favorite live entertainment, sports and news from the world's top entertainment brands on their iPhone and iPod touch.

"We are uniting our vision of advancing mobile TV across a range of devices and platforms with mophie's unrivaled expertise in designing intelligent cases for Apple users," said Bill Stone, president of FLO TV. "Together, our solution will be a true live mobile TV product available to iPhone and iPod touch users."

"mophie's juice pack line has delivered superior rechargeable external battery life to Apple users," said Shawn Dougherty, vice president of mophie, designer of the world's thinnest Apple-certified external battery/protective case and other Apple-certified accessories. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to elevate our intelligent case design through this creative product collaboration and deliver the ultimate mobile television experience for iPhone users."

The agreement between mophie and FLO TV reflects the growing demand for mobile television and FLO TV's commitment to bring its award-winning service to any small screen. The new products integrate mophie's intelligent case design with a built-in FLO TV receiver that allows iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to watch live television at the flip of a switch. Consumers can also utilize the device as back-up battery power in between charges.

Service not available everywhere. Programming subject to change / blackout restrictions. Service subscription required. "Live mobile television" means the FLO TV service transmits channels in real time; no downloading, sideloading or buffering.