With NBC’s HEROES no longer available to tote around Sprint’s latest wares, it looks like the number 3 US carrier has turned to TNT’s THE CLOSER to pimp it’s latest handsets. Just last week, the EVO 4G made its TV debut in the hands of one Sgt. David Gabriel as he used it’s glorious 8MP camera to video some illegal heart surgery.
With the fall TV season approaching, I’d say we’re due for an onslaught of smartphone cameos on your favorite TV shows this fall. And thanks to an abundance of new phones hitting the market now and over the next few months, I think smartphone product placement will be more prominent than ever.
So which phones will be making their way into the hands of your favorite TV character? If I had to guess, I’d say these are the top 5 to keep an eye out for through the holiday season:
If I had to choose one carrier to push the limits on product placement, I’d have to go with Sprint, who has two phones on my list. With Samsung’s deep pockets for marketing and Sprint’s desire to showcase the latest smartphones that earn it an extra 10 bucks a month, I’d say you’ll see Samsung’s Galaxy S with Sprint’s branding more than any other.
Evo hit shelves earlier this spring, but that doesn’t mean it’s no longer making waves. It’s still got a massive screen, 4G capabilities, and an 8MP camera, and a pretty large fan following. Sprint would be crazy not to keep the EVO front and center.
It’s an Apple product, instantly recognizable, and sure to be used by every director that wants to their TV characters to look hip and up to date. I’m actually hoping it winds up as the butt of a joke on CHUCK… just picture a montage of Morgan trying to figure out why his call keeps getting dropped everytime he picks it up.
Sprint’s got their EVO, AT&T has the iPhone, and Verizon’s all about the Droid. With the Droid’s official successor, creatively named as “Droid 2,” fresh out of the gate, I expect Verizon’s marketing efforts to push past commercials and right into your primetime shows. Sure, you could easily make the case that the Droid X looks like a better phone, but for a cameo, the Droid 2 is more recognizable.
I had a few different directions I could have gone for number 5, but ultimately I had to pick the T-Mobile G2. Android’s hot, and the G1 has practically been the only hit phone they’ve had (despite landing the HD2) for a long time. The “MyTouch” moniker is lame and the Motorola Cliq isn’t worth touting, so if T-Mobile’s going to get some TV airtime, they’re going G2 all the way.
The Wildcards – Two companies with mobile ambitions that could make a big TV splash.
Dell Thunder – Dell has a history with product placements, which makes the upcoming Dell Thunder an interesting prospect for TV appearances. Dell isn’t being shy about their upcoming Google handset, but I fear it may launch too premature for the fall TV season.
Microsoft Windows Phone 7 – Microsoft’s preparing a huge revision of their Windows phones, and (to me anyway) Windows Phone 7 sure looks sexy.
They’ve been forthcoming about everything regarding their new platform, and given their recent placements with fake Windows laptops, I wouldn’t put some major placements past them. That said, they’re on the wildcard list because they’ve told us everything about Windows Phone 7 EXCEPT when we can all buy one. November is the rumor, which puts a TV push premature in my opinion, but maybe they’ll want to seriously drive some hype. Either way, expect to see these phones on TV in the spring.
What phones do you think you’ll see on TV this fall? What phone would you want your favorite TV character to use? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Satisfy your inner geek while fueling your TV addiction… TV Tech Fix is a column by Matt Whitlock, editor of the TechLore.com Consumer Electronics Community (plus several other gadget-focused community websites), and lover of both technology and TV. In this column, he’ll cover a wide variety of tech topics aimed squarely at the TV addicts of the world – from tips and tricks to help you better your TV experience, to gear recommendations, to the impact technology is having on the TV shows we love.
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