Half a dozen ways to watch TV on your mobile

Here are five current options and another that's coming soon to a screen near you—one that might already be in your pocket.

Flo TV: Sold under different names by Verizon and AT&T, this broadcast service delivers 10 channels of television to selected cellphones. The signal arrives from a TV tower and not over the cellular network. The quality is good, with a TV-like experience—no buffering, no waiting, and it comes with a programming guide. Maintaining reception can mean walking around or swaying the handset, much like jiggling a TV's rabbit ears. The service is available in more than 50 metro markets and offers channels from CBS News, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, and MTV. Verizon offers four channels for $13 a month, and both carriers offer all 10 for $15 a month.

SlingPlayer Mobile: If you have a smartphone and a SlingBox at home, this software lets you, er, sling whatever's playing in your living room to your handset. The video stream arrives over a wireless Internet connection, so it can be smooth and it can hiccup. Much as with the PC SlingPlayer, you can control a TV, a cable box, or even a TiVo using a sometimes balky software remote. It works on many phones that run Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian, and Palm systems—and soon the BlackBerry. The software costs $30, and a SlingBox starts at about $130, with no monthly fees.

MobiTV: Network and cablelike channels arrive on handsets offered by Sprint, Alltel, and AT&T. Similar services are available from Verizon and other carriers. Quality can be good, but the video starts after a bit of a lag over cell networks, meaning it can also stutter or die as can voice calls. (Can you hear me now?) MobiTV includes live streams from the Weather Channel, ESPN Sports, and ABC News. Or download movies and full-length TV shows at your convenience. MobiTV, whose many parent subscribers are entertaining the kids, recently added the Disney Channel and Hannah Montana episodes. There's a monthly charge of about $10 in addition to fees for data plans.

Sirius Backseat TV: Satellite radio is no longer just about radio. Sirius sells a kit at electronics stores that adds a three-channel video feed to car LCD screens. New-car buyers can also get the system preinstalled on some Chrysler vehicles. They include minivans, not surprisingly, as the service aims at half pints with channels from Disney, Nickelodeon, and the Cartoon Network. It isn't high-def TV but looks good on small LCD screens. The kit costs $300 plus installation, and the service adds $7 to the $13 monthly charge for Sirius radio.

Sat-Go: When you can't tear yourself away from your satellite TV, take it with you. You have to aim the briefcase's lid at the southern sky, meaning you can't be on the move while watching. And it weighs 27 pounds, so you're not going to walk around with it. But while on a tailgate, you can enjoy all the sports, movies, and sitcoms that DirecTV offers. Sat-Go comes with a 17-inch LCD screen for watching. Lining up the antenna can be tricky, especially if there are tall obstacles nearby. And don't venture far, as the battery can die out in an hour. Cost: $1,000 plus monthly subscription fee. Or if you want 185 channels while on the go, consider the $3,000 (plus subscription fees) TracVision A7.

Mobile Broadcast: By next year, this new standard could be delivering broadcasts from local TV stations to hand-held devices. Stations are expected to simulcast local broadcasts and offer extra, cablelike channels. Some will be supported by advertising; some will carry monthly fees. The first devices could appear in 2009 as hand-held media players but can be built into navigation devices, laptops, and cellphones. The experience should be similar to MediaFlo, which uses similar technology, with TV-like viewing and reception issues, depending on a handset's position.