QuickPlay will soon be launching an app called Pocket Cinema which lets you browse movies, rent them, download them over Wi-Fi onto local storage, and watch ’em on the BlackBerry Torch 9800. The only downside right now is that Pocket Cinema is only available in the UK, but the developers are aiming to open up the app to more geographic regions with more titles on more devices soon. As a part of the app launch, UK retailer Phones4U is including a voucher for a free download if you buy a BlackBerry 9800 from them. The movies so far are from Sony Pictures, so there are likely a few titles you’ll recognize: The Da Vinci Code, The Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch, Salt, Easy A, Ghost Rider…. A couple of hundred options all told.
Pricing range on rentals hasn’t been nailed down just yet, but one screenshot shows £4.15, or about $US 7 for a movie released last summer, Grown Ups. That seems a little steep for a two-day rental, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m jaded by Netflix. I’m also worried about the practicality of staring at a 3.2-inch screen for over an hour and a half. Although a tablet or even a netbook is probably easier on the eyes, it’s hard to argue with the portability of cramming the experience onto a phone.
Pocket Cinema should be going live in the BlackBerry App World soon for those Brits that want to watch movies on the go.
