Mobile video

Abstract

Watching a video, or moving image, on a mobile phone became technically possible in Finland during the latter part of 2002. Our study looks for ideas about the kinds of situations in which such mobile video possibility can be of use. We gave a mobile phone with video capability to users who then watched mobile videos in different situations. They wrote down their evaluations about the meaningfulness of these situations in a diary. It appears that there are at least two kinds of situations in which the use of a mobile video phone seems natural. Firstly, users can entertain themselves in boring situations such as during a bus trip or queuing in a store. Secondly, a mobile video offers the opportunity to share experiences, for instance, watching a karaoke video or children's animated cartoons.