The weirdest factoid to emerge in all the hoo-ha about Vodafone's new 3G voice services are the 60-second-long programmes promised from the makers of 24, the TV series in which Keifer Sutherland plays tough US government agent Jack Bauer. As fans of the series will know, Bauer is only marginally less indestructible than Captain Scarlet: a deep, penetrating knife-wound to Bauer's thigh, for example, will bleed for about ten seconds, cause minor hobbling for around ten minutes, and then be healed enough to allow vigorous jumping, sprinting, kick-boxing and playing the spoons within an hour or so. With only 24 of the 60-second "mobisodes" to play with, Sneak predicts that the new 3G-compatible Bauer will have to spring back into action with even less delay. Presumably he will be capable of re-growing an arm or sprouting a new head faster than you can say "crap".

12 Nov 2004