The two largest wireless service providers have announced that customers will be able to program their DVRs from their cell phones. AT&T (who recently purchased Cingular Wireless) said on Tuesday subscribers can already use their cell phones to record TV shows via Homezone, a video-on-demand service that AT&T offers with satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications. Meanwhile, #2 provider Verizon says as of next week, customers will be able to remotely program their TiVo boxes. Sprint is late to the party, and says their own service, provided with partners Time Warner and Comcast, will be availble later in the year.

The new feature is just another weapon in the arsenal of the cell phone wars, each provider trying to eke out just a slightly higher market share while building customer loyalty. Free phones, camera phones, and phones that play music files, all bundled with long and expensive service contracts, have saturated the market.  New ideas are springing forth to woo new customers and placate those who are finally seeing the bills.  A recent survey by Jupiter Research indicates only a small percentage of cell phone customers want this new feature; most users of the DVR services can easily program their systems months in advance or over a computer without paying for additional service.  For this feature to come into its own, the wireless providers will need to play up the easy accessibility and the "freedom to change your mind" angle if they don't want the venture to sink.