TVSquad

The Apple iPhone looks like the coolest damn thing since...well, the last thing Apple introduced. But did you know there were mobile/cell phones before it? It's true! I looked it up on Wikipedia.

After the jump is a TV commercial for the Centel, a mobile phone from 1989 (the company was bought by Sprint in the early 90s). Sure, the phone is the size of a two liter bottle of Pepsi, but it's still pretty cool. Notice that there isn't one word of dialogue in the commercial, which is rather remarkable, considering the ad is for something you communicate with. If they made the commercial now, there would be lots of talking and texting and rap music in the background.

UK-based mobile phone company Orange is working on a mobile electronic program guide that will allow subscribers to access their home personal video recorders from their mobile phones. The service will work with Orange's broadband TV service, and should be available during the second half of 2007.

Users will be able to browse listing and schedule recordings, as well as perform keyword searches. Orange customers will also be able to stream television content directly to their phones.

In related news, US-based Gist Communications has ended a beta test of their UGuide software allowing users to control a Windows Media Center system from their mobile phones. A message on the UGuide web site says now that the beta has been concluded, service will be suspended until commercial deployment of the service.

Have you heard of Twitter? All the techies are doing it. It's a cell phone or IM tool that allows you to update your friends on what you are doing. It's basically text messaging a whole bunch of people at the same time. The idea is to send out a line or two about what you're up to.

One of the writers on My Name is Earl is a friend of the Twitter creators and so he's incorporating the technology into tonight's show. During the west coast feed (woo! West Coast!), writer Mike Pennie will send 'extras' to accompany the show. Think of it as real simple DVD extras but in real-time on your cell phone. That means you're going to have to watch Earl live tonight from beginning to end if you want the messages to make any sense.

To get messages from Mike Pennie during Earl, join his network here. (By the way, his latest message says they're working on an upcoming script for Norm MacDonald to appear on Earl)

When a cellphone-created video of Saddam Hussein's execution started rocketing around the Internet, news directors were torn as to whether to show it or not, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the video, which we showed here, we not only see images of the hanging itself but also a contentiousness between Hussein and the people in the chamber, audio of which was conveniently left out of the Iraqi government's official video of the event.

Most networks decided to show the yelling between Saddam and the executioners and witnesses, judging that the audio gave additional context to the event, but they decided not to show his body actually falling through the gallows, deciding to stop at the point where the noose gets put around his neck. However, CNN.com showed a little bit more, stopping right before the hanging itself, and FoxNews.com showed the entire thing. Only MSNBC stayed consistent between its network and web site, just showing the first few seconds.

I'm pretty much a technophobe, meaning I'm not only completely inept and ignorant when it comes to any kind of electronic or mechanical gadget, but I actually collapse to the kitchen floor sobbing whenever I make toast. Being who I am, I never would have figured out what our sister site PVR Wire discovered via the Tivo blog, which is that you can use your Tivo (or any DVR with a USB port, I suppose) to charge your iPod or mobile phone. Just plug the USB cord into the USB port on your Tivo, connect your handheld device to the other end, and there you go. I haven't actually tried this yet, but apparently it works. If you folks have any other fancy uses for the Tivo, let me know in the comments.

HBO just inked a deal with Cingular to make episodes of Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm available to for viewing on cell phones. This is the first time cell phone content comes in the form of an entire episode, rather than just video shorts. Although, the deal also includes a series of Entourage original video shorts starring Kevin Dillon.

I'm not so sure that I could handle squinting at my tiny cell phone screen for 30 minutes to watch an entire show. It's hard enough to do on a video iPod. Any takers?

Lost is the latest show to spin-off 'mobisodes', special short episodes for mobile phones. Starting this fall, Verizon will make the 2-3 minute segments available to its customers. The little spin-off episodes will actually feature the Lost stars, such as Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly, etc. Producer Carlton Cuse told SciFi Wire that the Lost producers insisted the stars of the show be part of the mobisodes. He said, "We don't want to do the 24 version, where you're dealing with characters you've never seen and have no relation to the central characters." Ouch.

[Via Pop Candy]

Seth Cohen's graphic novel is jumping off the small screen and onto an even smaller one. Seth's character on The O.C. created a graphic novel based on his family and friends, called Atomic County. That comic has been turned into a cartoon and will be available to Verizon wireless customers. The premise of the 14-episode series is that someone stole Seth's drawings and then the drawings come to life. The animated shorts will last three minutes. In addition, subscribers will get behind-the-scenes video and bloopers of The O.C.

Because of recent allegations that she beat someone who works for her, Naomi Campbell had to pull out of her appearance on Celebrity Cooking Showdown. She was supposed to appear in the very first episode and cook against Patti Labelle, but that all changed after her housekeeper accused her of beating her with a jewel-encrusted Blackberry (mmmmmm...jewel-encrusted Blackberry...I think that was going to be the first meal she made on the show).

This is really too bad. I was really looking forward to Campbell BEATING eggs or WHIPPING cake batter.

Are you kidding me? Cingular is charging customers $1.99 for Big Love wallpaper for cell phones. You know what I'm talking about, right? Teeny, tiny, little cell phone wallpaper pictures. For $1.99. For Big Love? It's a brand new show, on late at night, on premium cable. If HBO wants to promote Big Love, it should be giving away those wallpaper photos for free. Puh-lease.

Cingular also has Muppets wallpaper. Ok, I might consider paying for that one. If I didn't already know how to make my own.

In 1998, science fiction author Thomas M. Disch wrote a book called The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of which chronicled how science fiction books and movies predicted a lot of the technological advancements we have today.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Science fiction, as opposed to science fantasy, has to be grounded in science, at least to a certain degree. What made all those space age weapons and doodads so intriguing was that they could possibly exist, perhaps not at the moment, but eventually.

Tivo and Verizon Wireless are announcing Tivo Mobile, a new technology that will allow people to use their mobile phones to program their Tivos from anywhere. Currently, users can program their Tivos through Yahoo and the Tivo Web site. This is yet another way the company hopes to set itself apart from other DVR manufacturers and compete in the market place. I have Tivo, but I don't have a mobile phone so this news doesn't affect me too much. What about those of you who could take advantage of this new offer? Is this something you would use?

[via Lost Remote]