Has it really been almost a year since we first heard Sling Media would support the BlackBerry platform? It sure has and maybe the wait was worth it. After all, we’ve seen RIM snap up some serious market share over the past year and they’ve brought more capable media functions to their handsets. Perhaps the time is ripe for a beta of their SlingPlayer Mobile on Blackberry handsets. Starting on December 30th, Sling kicks off a public beta in the U.S., U.K., and Canada with official support for:
- BlackBerry Bold
- BlackBerry Curve 8320, 8900
- BlackBerry 8820
- BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220
- BlackBerry Pearl 8120
No luck for the new BlackBerry Storm at the moment, but the press release says that Sling Media is working with RIM to bring support to additional handset models.
For the beta, you’ll need your own SlingBox of course and your handset firmware must be version 4.5 or greater. Sling Media says that you can try the beta client on “EDGE-Berries” like the 8100, 8110, 8300, 8310, 8800, and 8810, but these models won’t be officially supported. Having used SlingPlayer Mobile over EDGE, I can vouch for the experience to be far less than optimal, although setting the software to audio-only mode wasn’t bad for listening in on television programming like the local news.
I asked about client status for the iPhone and Android platform and a company representative told me that SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone and iPod Touch remain in development. As far as Android? Sling Media is doing what many other companies likely are as well: monitoring the platform and its adoption.
[...] Vid-Biz: Sling, Macrovision, Move Sling to Launch Blackberry Application; SlingPlayer Mobile for Blackberry, which lets you control your home TV and DVR while on the go, will be available as a public beta starting on Dec. 30. (jkOnTheRun) [...]
[...] phone. iPhone support is under development. Google’s Android? Not so much. Yet. (Hat Tip: jk On the Run) Bookmark and Share These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
[...] Those using the Slingbox to access cable remotely (like, say, a certain brother of mine) will be happy to know that SlingPlayer Mobile for the Blackberry will be available as a public beta starting December 30. The player will let you access your home or office cable box and transmit the signal to your phone. iPhone support is under development. Google’s Android? Not so much. Yet. (Hat Tip: jk On the Run) [...]
SlingBox great and I will use the BB Beta, BUT many free alternatives now exist that do so much more for mobile users. To most smartphones and notebooks, I stream my personal videos, TV, pictures, and music. ORB and AMD Live! on Demand (Orb-based) have this functionality. Quite amazing on my wife’s iPhone and my Touch.
http://corp.orb.com/goliveonyourtelevision/
[...] gave you a heads up that the Slingplayer Mobile would be available for a number of Blackberry models on December 30 and [...]