Wednesday, November 24, 2010

EXCLUSIVE. Where does the name come from? Where is it made? All you want to know about DStv Mobile's new Drifta decoder.


You're reading it here first.

I'm first with all the exclusive have-to-know details about DStv Mobile's great new gadget - the Drifta decoder - to enable mobile television broadcasts on your other devices from iPads and iPods to your laptop, Apple Mac and PC.

(For more on the Drifta decoder and the basics of what it is, read my earlier story HERE.)

Here is what I can tell you first about about DStv Mobile's new Drifta decoder that will go on sale from December after I reached out to DStv Mobile for some answers to specific questions late last night.

First off theThe Drifta is manufactured in Korea. DStv Mobile doesn't want to give me a specific product order but says ''initially the order will be limited as we want to test the market and gauge interest. As the interest and demand grows, so will the number of devices that we bring into the country.''

I asked where the name of the Drifta decoder comes from  and who thought of it. DStv Mobile tells me the naming of the device was done ''by our creative team''. ''Mobility was the strong motivator. It plays into the concept of 'wherever you are whatever you are doing'. The product does not only allow the user to 'drift' across content genres, it also allows them to 'drift between devices. The name had to be both a noun and a verb to allow people to describe what they are doing,'' says DStv Mobile.

But why did DStv Mobile decide to launch the Drifta as well in conjunction with starting DVB-H broadcasting on cellphones? Why a separate gadget? ''Initially the number of DVB-H enabled cellphones in the market will be limited as it will take time for manufactures to bring more enabled phones into the market,'' says DStv Mobile. ''The motivation for introducing the Drifta decoder is to make DStv Mobile accessible to a wider audience and to give consumers a choice on how to access the service.''

ALSO READ: Exclusive first look at DStv Mobile's great new gadget - the Drifta decoder!
ALSO READ: All the basics about DStv Mobile's new Drifta decoder for mobile television broadcasts on other devices.