Those looking to travel long distance with the entire family on tow should expect some bumpy ride along the way. Maybe you can gear up with gadgets and entertainment devices to ease the ride and keep everyone sane.

Felix says the Game Boy is one device her children never leave home without.

Entertainment on the go
By Chandra Devi

Long-distance travel with children is not always a trouble-free experience. The long hours of restricted movements and activities can bring out the worst in sibling relationship – unless perhaps you have a portable DVD player, Game Boy, music phone, MP3 player or Portable PlayStation (PSP) on board.

Such entertainment devices have made travel more pleasant for Catherine Felix, husband Selves and three kids. The family, who lives in Kerteh, Terengganu, travels quite frequently on holidays and to visit family members in the West Coast. During such travels, the portable DVD player has been a good companion in keeping the kids entertained.

“When my kids were much younger, long roadtrips were stressful. I ran out of ideas to keep my three children occupied. About three years ago, seeing how they love watching TV and video, my husband decided that it would be a good move to carry a portable DVD player during our travels,” Felix says.

Besides playing movies, the portable DVD player is able to play audio CDs, store photos and MP3 music files and connect to a game console, and these capabilities have made the device a good solution for keeping the backseat passengers entertained while travelling, she explains.

The portable DVD player, she elaborates, is a lightweight model with a reasonably sized liquid crystal display for clear viewing. Since it comes with an AC adapter, which allows the player to be powered up through the car’s power outlet, the family does not need to worry about battery life during long travels.

The player also has two headphone jacks, which means two people can watch a movie at the same time without disturbing the others who might want to sleep.

“This is one device we never leave home without!” Felix says.

Nowadays, the family’s travel pack also includes a notebook computer, Game Boy, MP3 player, music phone and PSP.

While not suggesting that this method of keeping children occupied during long travels is healthy, Felix says it has helped the family have stress-free travelling.

Fun companions

Pritika is only seven years old, but she already knows what she needs for long travels. Along with her favourite soft toy, Mr Poodle, she will only get on board her dad’s car if the Game Boy and Philips GoGear MP3 player join in the ride.

“I easily get bored (during long travels). So, to occupy myself and not disturb my brother and sister, I play some video games on my handheld game console or watch movies on the MP3 player,” she says.

Even when she has to take a flight, Pritika never forgets her mobile entertainment gadgets.

She says older brother, Dhiresh, and sister, Tyana, also have their favourite entertainment gadgets when travelling.

“My brother never leaves home without his MP3 player and handphone. As for my sister, she normally will make sure the portable DVD player comes on board the car.”

Does Pritika have any problems using the entertainment gadgets?

“Not really. My Game Boy and MP3 player are rather simple gadgets. My brother and sister taught me how to use them and I learnt very fast. I know how to operate these gadgets and charge them when the battery goes flat,” she says.

Since she has not learnt to download movies and music onto her MP3 player from the PC, she gets her 13-year-old brother to help out.

“Just before travel, we will select the movies we want and download them onto my MP3 player. My player can store almost five hours of video,” she says.

Changing lifestyle to boost mobile TV uptake
By Izwan Ismail

ENTERTAINMENT on the go through mobile gadgets is still quite new in Malaysia, but the prospects look promising. Local telecommunications service providers are now battling it out to offer mobile entertainment content through mobile TV as a value-added service to entice customers.

Celcom’s chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly foresees a growing number of mobile TV subscribers in the country, citing the integration of mobile video technology into people’s lives as a key driver.

“The multi-functional features of today’s mobile devices already have a strong influence on everyone’s social life. As network technology and affordability improve, we are seeing what began as supplementary cellular services such as SMS, MMS and streaming video has become an even more influential part of people’s lives. Mobile TV is poised to do the same,” Shazalli says.

Another factor that will drive mobile TV usage is the need for people to manage solitude.

“Work and other commitments make it increasingly difficult for people who are constantly on the go to squeeze in some time for indulging in things like reading or watching TV. With mobile TV, it is a lot easier now to catch up on those activities,” Shazalli says.

“And as the demands of 21st-century living require juggling personal and professional commitments, people’s continued interest in TV viewing may mean shifting viewing habits to environments where there are fewer distractions to compete with the attention required.

Mobile TV is unprecedented in giving that versatility.” At present, Celcom has a mobile entertainment portal called Channel X – available at www.channelx.com.my or wap.

channelx.com.my, or just dial *118# from a mobile phone – which provides content and entertainment downloads such as video clips, ringtones, voice chat, contests, art and graphics, audio and music, games and news.

Shazalli says the company is aggressively updating its content and services. Offerings in the pipeline include an agreement with RokTV, a United Kingdom-based mobile entertainment specialist, to offer mobile TV services through both general packet radio service (GPRS) and third-generation (3G).

Once this service is made available later this year, Celcom subscribers will be able to view various shows on their mobile phone, from breaking news and sports, to cartoon series and entertainment news.

Among the channels are ABC News Now, Al-Jazeera, ITN, SNTV, Xtreme TV and Mixcast.

Celcom also will tie up with Bernama TV News, a dedicated news channel on Astro Channel 502.

To make it easy for users to view mobile TV content, Celcom is using the Independent Voter-verifiable Records platform, which only needs customers to make a quick video call to *8882 at 10 sen per call.