Verizon Wireless has launched its V Cast Mobile TV, for better or worse, according to the Mercury News on Wednesday.

"The picture quality on the cell screen, though not perfect, hums along well enough that voices match up with their talking heads on most TV shows and newscasts," Bruce Meyerson said. "But sports, and any other action footage, is still shaky."

The issue right now is the horsepower in the cell phone to display video. The carriers are solving the delivery problem by separating the video broadcast from the voice system. However, even the latest cell phones have problems displaying the video. "Samsung’s BlackJack, for example, downloads video clips in a flash from AT&T Inc.’s Cingular Wireless high-speed network, but often sputters through playback, Mr. Meyerson reported.

Another problem is all the tasks that modern cell phones are required to do: music, photos, e-mail, and now video. Finally, it’s problematic whether U.S. customers will see the added value or, instead, be reluctant to add another fee to their bill.

"It’s easy to dismiss the notion of watching TV on a tiny cell screen," the author noted, "and yet the wireless industry has pursued this technology as manifest mobile destiny....we’ll see if the industry knows more about us than we’d care to think."

In fact, some industry executives already believe that Apple may be the company that, with the iPhone, knows more about the customer than even the customer knows.