Free Video Downloads for My Cell Phone

Finding free video downloads for my cell phone has become just as much a usual part of my mobile phone-using day as taking pictures with the integrated camera or listening to music using the built-in MP3 player. Mobile phones have come a long way since the days that they were only used for making voice calls, so the next time you want to choose a new cell phone, one of the features you might want to consider is video playback.

As a general rule of thumb, if you have a music-capable cell phone, chances are it will also be able to play video files. This guideline is far from being hard and fast -- certain Motorola cell phones, for example, can play MP3s but cannot play videos -- so it is best to check with your local retailer or directly with the manufacturer. The movie-playing feature is also typically listed and/or described in the provided instruction manual.

Most mobile phones that can play video downloads are capable of accepting the 3GP format (files with the extension .3gp). More advanced models can also play MP4 or MPEG-4 type videos. When you get into the much more powerful smartphone and PDA phone market, the possibilities become even greater, with the chance of tackling MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, Real Media, and countless other formats, especially if you have a smartphone that runs on Windows Mobile. Again, check with your manufacturer or local retailer for more information about your specific model and its capabilities.

Getting video downloads onto your cell phone is much the same as uploading music on your mobile phone. There are four main ways to do this:

• Direct connection with your computer via a standard USB cable
• "Beaming" over a wireless Bluetooth connection from the source
• Loading the content onto a compatible memory card and then inserting the microSD card, for example, into your phone
• Downloading from the Internet or your service provider using a cellular connection

This last option, realistically, is only viable if you have at least a 2.5G (or a high-speed 3G) connection. Using regular CDMA or GSM technology, the data transfer would not only take a long time, but it would also be fairly expensive. For CDMA providers like Verizon, you'll want to access EV-DO, for example. For GSM, you'll appreciate EDGE, HSDPA or HSUPA. Check out the discussion on 3G mobile phone technology for a further information on these cellular standards.

Many mobile operators offer video downloads as part of their service portfolio. Verizon has V CAST and Telus Mobility has SPARK, for instance. These are not free, but oftentimes, you can find reasonably priced plans that allow for unlimited monthly downloads. This works out cheaper than downloading from the Internet on your phone. Other providers sometimes have streaming video as well.

Troubleshooting is, well, troubling. There are far too many individual differences to discuss every problem that may arise when you try to play free video downloads for your cell phone. The most common problem is one with file format. Not all phones, as described above, are compatible with all file formats. You'll also need to check the aspect ratio of these video files, as the size of your mobile phone screen is vastly different from that of a television or movie screen.

Worse comes to worst, call your cell phone service provider or manufacturer and they will gladly walk you through the entire process.

• Timeline of Mobile Phone
• Cell Phone Picture Gallery

• Free Blackberry Curve Applications Downloads
• Retrieve Text Messages Online
• Free BlackBerry Pearl Downloads
• Track a Cell Phone Using GPS
• Free Java for Windows Mobile 5

• Free Downloadable Polyphonic Ringtones
• Main Page
• Category:Cell Phone Accessories
• Cell Phone Charms
• Free BlackBerry Pearl Downloads