By BRENDAN HALL
With the introduction of the Flo TV, modern advancements in technology have once again provided an opportunity for people to be lazy on-the-go. No longer do people have the time or patience to just sit down and watch television, and no longer do they have to.
The Flo TV comes in at an unappealing $249, an extremely high price for such a small appliance, with a $14.99/month fee after the six-month trial ends. The screen is 320×240 pixels, about 3.5 inches. The touch screen is convenient and helps satisfy the withdrawals the users may be experiencing from not fumbling around with their iTouch.
The screen appears to be too small, but it is actually just right and there are no problems with visibility. Sound, however, is a different story. The portable television offers a headphone jack, which is strongly recommended as the speaker’s sound tends to come off a bit digitalized.
The television offers 10 channels, including Adult Swim, CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, MTV, NBC 2Go, Nickelodeon and a FLO TV Preview channel. What is astonishing is that smart phone users could obtain significantly more channels on their cell phones with programs such as Pocket Live TV which broadcasts over 100 channels for the same monthly price of $14.99.
The Flo TV, however, does have somewhat of an upside. It is simple and easy to navigate, and would thus make a great gadget to entertain children with on small road trips, provided that it is within the 100 metropolitan cities Flo services. Also, the battery life is surprisingly long as the product claims to allow over five hours of television on a full battery.
Overall, the Flo portable television just didn’t flow right; the combination of the absurdly high price with the lackluster display performance gives it a highly negative reception. Rather than burn $250, it would be smarter to simply invest in a smart phone with television capability.