Last week, Sprint became the first cell phone service provider to offer customers the option of watching TV programs on their cell phones.

MobiTV service, developed and operated by Idetic Inc., is geared for watching short programs, such as newscasts. Through an Internet connection on cell phones, it will allow customers to view about 12 TV channels, such as MSNBC, Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel (TLC).

The service will cost $9.99 per month in addition to a $15 monthly fee for the basic Internet connection, Sprint PCS sales representatives said. This feature is available to Sprint PCS Vision customers nationwide, starting with customers in California and it works with most Sprint PCS Vision-enabled color screen phones, such as the Sanyo 8100.

According to the MobiTV Web site, the service consists of a network that broadcasts TV programs and a JavaScript application that customers can download to their cell phones at www.mobitv.com or by calling 510-981-1303.

There may be some setbacks to this service. According to a CNN report, the picture may be a little choppy since the program will play at a rate of one to two frames per second, as compared to normal TV, which displays more than 20 frames per second.

"It's not going to be a fluid motion," said Thomas Houck, store manager of Immix Wireless, 134 W. College Ave. The program may be fuzzy if a person has bad cell phone reception, co-founder of Idetic Paul Scanlan told CNN. According to MobiTV's Web site, the service works best with unlimited data wireless service plans. However, the audio for the program will play normally.

Another setback of MobiTV is that it ties up the phone line while a person watches a program, Houck said. All incoming calls will be directed to a person's voicemail.

"It's not for most people," he said because it's "designed for a technologically-oriented market." He also said that he thinks Sprint instituted this service because it wants "to be able to lead up to live video conferencing" on cell phones.

Some students think that this gadget is just another toy that no one needs.

Mackenzie Tesner (sophomore-finance) said she thinks TV service on a cell phone is something that people are attracted to when it first comes out, but will eventually be mundane like camera phones. When she first got hers, she used it to take pictures, but now she's forgotten about the feature.

Lyndsey Eshelman (junior-animal sciences) said she does not think the feature is necessary, but some college students may want it because it's new.

Melissa Weida (junior-kinesiology) said, "I don't think college students really care [about MobiTV]."