Watching TV on a phone when on the move was one of those things we were told for years would be just around the corner — but like personal helicopters and moon holidays, it hasn’t come true. While the mobile networks are unwilling to handle streaming video, wi-fi phones can now get telly — but you have to stay in a wi-fi hotspot to access it. The BBC’s iPlayer app — free for selected Nokias and Sony Ericssons — is as easy to use as the computer version, with thumbnails of shows on the home screen (though it is unable to download shows for later viewing).

Owners of the iPhone and iPod Touch could try Television (£1.79). It claims to stream 42 channels, mostly American, including the CBS and NBC networks and niche ones such as Comedy Central. In fact it’s a collection of video podcasts organised by source, with no live TV; on the upside it’s quick to load and the pictures, and much of the content, are pretty decent.

NetTV lite (free) does something similar, but badly — the sole working US news channel, for example, is Access Sarasota. Browsing the app feels like sitting with the TV remote in a cheap foreign hotel room.

Radio Times (£2.99 for iPhone and Touch) tells you what you’re missing. It updates listings up to a week ahead, links to clips on YouTube and shows on iPlayer, and even gives you the ability to tell your Twitter and Facebook buddies what you’re going to be watching later.

No British TV channel streams live to a phone. Officially. But beebPlayer (free for Android) carries eight BBC channels. A pop-up reminds you to buy a TV licence, putting the onus on you to satisfy the law.

The best service isn’t an app but a website for Apple devices: iphone.tvcatchup.com. BBC1 and 2 are among 11 UK channels being streamed with around a 20-second lag. The quality (over wi-fi) is remarkable, and the disclaimer again passes the buck to you. If you have a TV licence, watch with peace of mind; if not, you’re watching illegally — though what the Beeb can do about it is unclear.

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