FUDBusters: New Chip Puts TV in Your Cell Phone

FUDBust: We thought it couldn't happen, but TI says the Hollywood chip will let cell phones receive a live TV broadcast at 24 to 30 frames per second, acting as a combined TV tuner, signal demodulator and channel decoder. The chip will be made available to electronics makers in 2006, and the first user devices will probably be available in 2007.

As if the Internet weren't distracting enough, office workers now will have the ability to surreptitiously watch ball games, "Oprah" or their favorite soap opera while pretending to check messages. Honestly, isn't it bad enough that we have to sit and listen to our fellow airplane passengers' conversations about Aunt Susie's gallbladder? Now we have to listen to entire episodes of "Matlock," too? Unless you work for NBC, this is one feature to avoid when buying new phones for employees.