Dell Thunder smartphone to feature Hulu video app

Streaming video website Hulu appears poised to finally make its official entry into the mobile segment--Engadget reports Dell's forthcoming Android-powered Thunder smartphone will include an "integrated web video Hulu app." Leaked documents note the Thunder will feature Adobe Flash 10.1 support for web content, complete with a 4.1-inch WVGA OLED touchscreen; the device will also incorporate Dell's custom Stage user interface as well as Facebook and Twitter integration. AT&T is slated to introduce the Thunder in Q4.

A year ago, reports indicated Hulu (an advertiser-supported video site owned by media giants News Corp., NBC Universal and the Walt Disney Co.) was at work on a mobile application optimized for Apple's iPhone, but it has yet to materialize. Sister publication FierceOnlineVideo notes Hulu will begin testing an online subscription model in late May, offering viewers a more comprehensive catalog for $9.95 per month--The Wall Street Journal adds Hulu is also mulling a subscription service developed for Apple's iPad tablet, although Disney-owned ABC has already introduced a popular free iPad application featuring primetime hits like Lost and Grey's Anatomy. The Journal reports Hulu CEO Jason Kilar tried desperately to convince ABC not to launch the free app for fear it would devalue a premium service.

Kilar first indicated his interest in expanding Hulu to mobile in April 2008, stating mobile devices are "ripe for the Hulu experience" during a keynote speech at the annual National Association of Broadcasters event. Kilar declined to discuss specifics, but said the user experience will be paramount. "My mother has to be able to figure out the service in 15 seconds or less," he said. "Media is not like oxygen, food or shelter--you don't need it. This is an impulse business. You need to make it easy."

For more on the Thunder's Hulu app:
- read this Engadget article

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