Motorola Bows Live-TV Phone for Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless will begin selling Motorola’s MotoRizr Z6tv phone on Oct. 5, the first phone from Motorola to support the operator’s live V CAST Mobile TV service.

V Cast Mobile TV, provided through a network operated by Qualcomm subsidiary MediaFLO USA, offer eight live channels -- CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2GO, NBC News2GO and Nickelodeon.

Motorola’s Z6tv features a 2.0-inch display with 240-by-320 resolution and support for 65,000 colors. The 3.7-ounce phone also provides a digital audio player and built-in 2.0-megapixel camera for video capture and playback.

Verizon Wireless will sell the MotoRizr Z6tv for $229.99, offering a $50 mail-in rebate for new customers who sign a two-year agreement. The wireless operator currently offers phones from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics for use with the V Cast Mobile TV.

Verizon Wireless launched V Cast Mobile TV in March 2007 and currently offers the service in more than 30 markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, parts of New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Earlier this week, Verizon Wireless began offering V Cast Mobile TV in Long Island’s Nassau County. The company expects to make the service available in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, Md., beginning Oct. 1.

V CAST Mobile TV is $13 to $25 per month, depending on programming package, in addition to regular phone charges.