There are nine new channels in total, ranging from the two we’ve already mentioned to Sky News, MTV’s The Hills and a couple of ABC stations.

Finding pricing for the service on Optus’ website was a bit like tracking down a British backpacker who’s been bushwalking in the Blue Mountains for 10 days, but eventually I found some numbers that actually sounded pretty decent – $1 for a day pass or $3 for a monthly subscription. What’s not clear is whether that price is per channel or for a collection of channels.

Something else I discovered during the search for a price is that Optus iPhone customers can only get a handful of clips from the iZoo site, rather than full episodes or daily passes.

In fact, the biggest lesson from this adventure is that Optus really needs to spend some time making their website more user friendly. Let’s get the important information (like what you get for what cost) right up front, rather than having us waste our time trying to find some pretty simple information, eh Optus?

New channels on OptusZOO Mobile TV
Optus has refreshed its OptusZOO Mobile TV offerings, launching nine new channels including:

• MTV’s The Hills
• Sky News live
• South Park
• Comedy Central – The Daily Show
• Cartoon Network – Powerpuff Girls
• ABC Comedy – Summer Heights High
• ABC Kids – The Wiggles, Bob The Builder
• Aardman Animations – Wallace & Grommit
• Rage

The channels are launched along with new features on the Mobile TV site to improve the ZOO experience with less clicks for customers to watch their content, personalised ‘My TV Channels’ list, a new design and free channel previews.

Mark Mulder, General Manager, Optus Content and Portals said, “The growth in people watching Mobile TV and video is in line with the significant increase in 3G handsets and Smartphones in the market.

“We are excited to bring a range of new Mobile TV channels and a fresh new look to Optus customers to ensure they can access the biggest TV brands on their mobiles, both live and on demand.

“We will also be offering customers the unique opportunity to enjoy Mobile TV for free for two weeks during August, a fantastic way to demonstrate our commitment to delivering the best content to customers,” Mr Mulder said.

To access Mobile TV, customers should visit Optus ZOO on their mobile and click the ‘Mobile TV’ icon. Customers who subscribe to any Mobile TV monthly pack before 31 August receive their first two weeks free*.

* Customers must unsubscribe before the end of the two week free access period to avoid the monthly subscription fee. Optus PrePaid Mobile customers still pay a 22¢ flagfall per Optus Zoo data session. Offer open only to eligible customers with compatible handset

[Optus]

I can’t tell what’s worse: the sleazy app developers’ blithe comparison of one of history’s great civil rights heroes to a stupid novelty app, or his apparent pride in leading the way in the transformation of the App Store from a great resource into a gurgling software cesspool. I mean, the first one, obviously, but I’m a little peeved that the Daily Show has managed to sum up the App Store better than a thousand app roundups ever could. [via AllThingsD]

Each episode costs $2.99, which is, of course, a complete ripoff. However, iTunes is offering a $10 multipass, which gets you 16 episodes of the show – or four weeks worth of episodes. Considering that the Comedy Channel, as part of the My Escape package on Foxtel – which is the only way to get the shows on Australian TV – costs $16 a month, the iTunes offer isn’t too bad a deal, especially if you have an Apple TV. It’s even better when you consider that you can no longer stream full episodes from the Comedy Central website (if you’re outside the US), and when compared to local TV shows like The Chaser’s War on Everything, which costs $29 for a season pass.

This is the kind of pricing we’ve been waiting for when it comes to buying TV online. Hopefully it’s a huge success and more people start offering the same value, be it through iTunes or other VOD sites…

[The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (iTunes links)]

The Daily Show asks a very good question about the Large Hadron Collider: “Why the f*** would you want to recreate the Big Bang?”

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M – Th 11p / 10c
Large Hadron Collider
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

I know I’m scared. [The Daily Show]

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M – Th 11p / 10c
Full Metal Budget
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Jon also gives a little look into some of the other insane projects the military has finally decided to stop funding, and unfortunately, they all look awesome. Check out Wyatt Cenac’s segment on military gadgets below. [Comedy Central]

* Don’t you dare ask about that again.