In a move to spur usage of its 4G network, Verizon Wireless on Friday officially launched viewdini, its mobile video portal that provides access to movies, TV shows and other content from Comcast, Netflix and other providers on users LTE-enabled tablets and smartphones.
Verizon Wireless announced viewdini last week at the 2012 Cable Show.
The mobile site, powered by CBS Interactive's TV.com, currently provides access to Comcast Xfinity, Hulu Plus, mSpot, Netflix and Verizon Video. The wireless carrier said it expects more content providers to be added soon, including Verizon FiOS TV.
To use viewdini, customers must have a Verizon Wireless data plan. The carrier's 4G plans range from $30 per month for 2 Gigabytes of monthly data usage to $80 per month for 10 GB. According to Verizon Wireless, streaming 30 minutes of high-quality video daily would use 30 GB of data per month.
The viewdini app may also be used over Wi-Fi, depending on the content provider's rights, in which case usage would not be counted toward the 4G LTE caps. A Verizon Wireless spokesman said users currently have to start playing a video when connected to Wi-Fi to determine whether it's available over a Wi-Fi network.
"We continue to expand and enhance our content with our audience in mind, working with reputable content providers in order to bring a rich mobile entertainment experience to our customers," Verizon Wireless executive director of marketing Kristi Crum said in a statement.
The viewdini site lets users search by title, topic or an actor's name, returning results showing which services have mobile video for streaming and whether it is available at no additional charge, by subscription, to rent or for purchase.
Viewdini is available to Verizon Wireless customers with 4G LTE-enabled Android devices, with support for Apple's iOS in development. The free Android app can be downloaded from Verizon Apps and Google Play.
A video promo of viewdini is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlA-vB-cNXo.
