SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone coming shortly: $29.99, no 3G support
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 12th 2009 12:36PM
posted May 12th 2009 12:36PM
We've had a chance to play with the app, and it certainly gets the job done -- we just wish it worked a little better. Even on WiFi, control feels laggy, and there's no native guide (though there's an icon to quickly pull up your set-top box's guide). When you're in letterbox mode, you've got black bars around all four sides of the image, meaning that the app isn't taking full advantage of the phone's display; we're hopeful this'll be fixed in a future release, though. Happily, we think Sling really nailed the app's UI -- the on-screen translucent controls are pretty cool and generally work well without obscuring the view. Look to grab your own copy some time between 12:01AM and 6:01AM EDT tomorrow morning, and in the meantime, check out our gallery.
Update: The app's now available, so get ready to part with $30 (and to not part with your 3G bandwidth -- you certainly won't need it here). Thanks, everyone!
Time for Jail Break!
Uhh, what's jailbreaking going to do?
maybe would work with 3GoverWiFi... doubtful
jailbreak + voipover3g = slingplayer mobile on 3g networks
the app essentially tricks the iphone into thinking its on wifi
but that doesn't always work... i tried that with the ncaa march madness on demand, and it would not recognize the network (confirmed it worked with joost and a couple other apps)
jb also means getting the app for free :)
voipover3g only works for a couple of apps by default. i believe these are the app store, the itunes music store and skype (after a recent software update following skype's release). in order to get the program to work on other apps, you need to ssh into your phone and update a text string or two.
im told there are other options to voipover3g, but i am not familiar with any of them
@yode
dont be a douchebag. you make the jailbreaking community look bad. if you want the app's functionality, pay for it.
I read 'SingStar Mobile for iPhone' FAIL!
I was all set to pay $30 this app the moment I saw it, but no 3G means no money from me!
I'm guessing it's not slings fault, so I'm sorry to them...but flat out, I will jailbreak my phone and steal this app. Then enable the 3g funcionality as it was intended. You can count on the hackers out there to fix this problem for us.
If 3G gets implemented in the future, I will happily pay full price.
FUCK APPLE AND FUCK AT&T!!!
Wow, no access over 3G... Fuck you AT&T. I can't wait for my contract to expire. My phone is already jailbroken and unlocked -- I'm going to take my money somewhere else -- ANYWHERE ELSE! Jagoffs.
@munir
People pirate music all the time, whats the difference?
yay apple/at&t, disable the features that people pay for.......wow
They stole that idea from Verizon!!!
http://www.slingmedia.com/go/spm-features
Click "Internet Connection" and it says:
SlingPlayer Mobile supports any type of high-speed Internet connection on your mobile device, including 3G or above cellular services such as EV-DO or HSDPA, WiFi, or USB/Bluetooth-based connections.
Maybe the approval process took a month because they needed SlingMedia to rebrand it as SlingPlayer | WiFi.
Why do you anti-Apple nerdtards always lump Apple and AT&T together. Get over it losers, we all know you don't like Apple.
@mystic
If apple didnt have complete control over what its owners can and cant install on the phone then sling wouldnt have had this issue. Im sure it was pressed by att but its still lays at the feet of apple
Wait, does Verizon own AT&T now? Crippling phones left and right
LOL! @Jay
Yea this is a Verizon style gimping!
Oh, question: Someone tell me why this wont work on iPhone
http://www.sling.com/
Over 3G and for FREE to boot!
Who even wants this without 3G support? If I have to use WiFi, I may as well pull out my laptop. And for $29.99?? Ouch.
Go ahead and bash Verizon, but I can use any app on my Touch Pro over their 3G network. Nothing is restricted, unlike AT&T's highest profile phone.
@mystic
"anti-apple nerdtards"? The people complaining are iPhone users (translation: NOT anti-apple) who were looking for to buying this app and using it un-crippled.
@Frankenstein Black:
It's because there us still no fuching Java support.
does anyone know if the Pre's classic emulator will be able to handle SPM for Palm OS?
I sense a mutiny coming on...
IF you get Slingmobile (for ANY handset) guard that activation key with your life. They will NOT help you retrieve it if you have to reinstall, change your handset, etc. Terrible customer service and no it won't show up on my sling.com account nor sling store.
$29.99? Not nearly expensive enough for Apple product users to feel trendy and special. Needs to be $50+.
lol that gave me a good chuckle :]
$30 and no 3G support? What's the point?
agreed... if I have wifi... I would much rather use SlingPlayer on my laptop then my small screen iPhone... what is so mobile about this?
Thats what I am thinking. I get this for free already on my computer.
The $30. For them.
ditto.
I concur. I am SO glad I didn't upgrade from my trusty old Sling Classic now! I will not be buying this app :(
Me, too. I was almost stupid enough to use their $50 "discount" on the SlingMedia site. I could stomach a $29 price tag - after all, LogMeIn Remote remains to be well worth the purchase. However, the omission of 3G support when it clearly works on the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices on all of the carriers is a dealbreaker.
More of the reason there shouldn't be any further AT&T exclusivity for the iPhone. You wanted it so bad, you got your customers, you shouldn't have squandered your time and network capabilities. I'm loyal to the iPhone, not so much to AT&T. If T-Mobile or Verizon gets a hold of the next generation iPhone, whenever that comes out, the switch is on.
I believe the WinMo version was about $30 - totally worth it. Works great on Sprint's EVDO - Excellent for catching some baseball while the wife is shoe shoppin.
AT&T needs to pick up their game.
and that right there is the reason gsm phones needs wifi, when youve got a stupid ass carrier that doesnt want its bandwith used.
i dont care what people say, thank god im on verizon and i dont NEED fucking wifi
Oh well..... Guess I'll use that $$$ towards something else since no 3G support. Good thing I didn't buy a Slingbox yet, and now I have no plans on buying one either!
Man, the gimped the hell out of this. I've been waiting for this since they announced it. I don't have a slingbox but I would totally buy one and pay the 29.99 if they enabled streaming over 3g. Streaming over wifi makes this thing useless.
Take THAT, Palm Pre.
Public apps downloaded for the iPhone: 1 000 000 000+
Public apps downloaded for the Pre: 0
You're an idiot.
The Palm Pre hasn't even been released yet, and the iPhone has been on the market for almost 2 years.
well technically the iPhone has been on the market for ALMOST 2 years, and the app store open for a little UNDER 1 year.
Take what? Did you design and create the iPhone?
I swear, there are too many people so desperate to have the best and greatest toy that they would rather see all new development and innovation stop than risk their bragging rights.
I have lots of gadgets that I love and use daily but you'll never see me talking shit on something new coming out that is better. I *want* to see better devices come out and dethrone the ones I currently use. That way when it's time for me to upgrade there is a nice cheap reason to do so.
So what exactly is it about the Palm Pre that makes you need to put it in its place? Did it rape your dad? Did it steal your lunch money?
Or are you just blindly talking shit about anything that isn't your preferred device?
Also for what it's worth, I've been streaming my cable to my WM phones via 3G for free over the past 2 years. Orb will take any local media or anything from your cable tuner and stream it over whatever connection you have to your phone, laptop, or whatever you have.
I don't think you're in any position to tell other devices to "take that" when they do a pretty good job of the very thing your preferred one does not.
Obvious troll is obvious troll. You would think people would ignore them by now.
@DirtyVegas
ugh, tell me about it...people look more stupid retaliating to the comment the actual troll post itself.
Engadget can we ban this cockend? And all his alter egos? Seriously, permaban every IP address he ever visits from.
In years to come this whole saga will be used to illustrate how not to release a product:
Pre announce it, take forever to release it, totally piss off loyal early adopters, over sell and under deliver.
I'll wait and read some reviews and then decide to drop $30 on this... I wonder also if there will be a 30 day trial, as for at least some of thier other mobile versions - er, probably not...
Oh, and by the way, stuff AT&T, I'm in the UK, and couldn't care less about thier precious network
Shambles...
All of this is disappointing if not surprising.
I agree this is the worst way to handle a new release. They sent out that $50 Discount (which I almost bought into) and said you NEED the NEW Slingbox and your old one is junk now. Then they don't enable 3G. What a waste of software, and they want $30 for it. I would rather take out my 16.4" widescreen and watch my Sling on there, and by the way AT&T I will use my 3G Broadband card and suck up your bandwidth ALL Day Long watching my Slingbox Classic....STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!
screw that 30 damn rip off
This is ridiculous!!!! How come my Windows mobile phone (3G mind you) was not even an issue? And don't say AT&T can't support it on their network, because they shouldn't give a device 3G if that can't support it at it's maximum. I pay over $100/month for unlimited banwidth so I want Apps that are all you can handle!!! I mean, I doubt anybody is going to make this tiny screen their primary TV watching experience. So why punish those people? And after spending $30, you BETTER get more than just WiFi! People who buy this app are settling...
Yeah, that is quite the cockpunch to iPhone users. My 3G AT&T windows mobile phone works just fine with the mobile sling box application. Seems strange they'd force a limit to just the iPhone users.
I am using Slingplayer Mobile on both my treo 700w (Sprint) and my AT&T Blackberry BOLD both in 3G I travel spend time in airports and places where Wifi is not always available with out paying..
Does the Iphone version work over EDGE? I know my BOLD does so you can still watch at slower speed less resolution
Also yes playing on the laptop is better but sometimes you just want to watch a Sports game when your on the road its good for that
I think the issue is MS and AT&T don't have any sort of agreement to allow AT&T to dictate what software gets sold for their devices. (And even if they did, MS's lack of central control over app distribution prevents this sort of thing)
I'm sure the chunk of every iphone bill they're handing over to apple plays into AT&T's pain threshold when it comes to data usage as well. They'll have a much easier time breaking even on a heavy data using WM handset.
/I agree with all the no 3G/no deal posters, though. My $90 craigslist special treo can run slingplayer over EVDO just fine, a modern carrier-flagship device not being able to do so is an embarassment.
"Seems strange they'd force a limit to just the iPhone users."
It's not strange at all. You can bet your ass that AT&T would do it to WinMo users if they had the control.
The iPhone may be a great device, but this is EXACTLY why I don't own one. You are locked into the ecosystem and they have complete control over what you do. Rarely is that ever good for customers in the long run.
Unless AT&T is prepared to drop a ridiculous amount of cash into Apple's coffers, I can't see them continuing any kind of exclusivity agreement. I don't care for Apple or their products, but there's no way they can be happy about a restriction like this.
Right now, Apple have to include this restriction because they're contractually obligated to by AT&T. Once the exclusivity deal runs out, carriers will compete for the iPhone contract (if it even remains exclusive to a single carrier), allowing Apple to negotiate the removal of these limitations.
You can bet Apple wants this limitation either removed. It creates an uneven field where iPhone versions of apps are necessarily crippled. That does not help sell iPhones.
Totally agree, worked fine on my 3G msft handset on AT&T and was my favorite app. That they want $30 so you can watch your tv in your own home is dumb (when a free version for your laptop is available). Sling would be better off not releasing it at all and save face.
Don't forget the Slingplayer app for BlackBerry, which also works just fine on AT&T's 3G network. There is nothing I hate more than hypocrisy. I've been waiting for this app for a long time and was fully willing to buy it the moment it came out, but with no 3G support it is essentially useless.
I'm sick of ATT limiting its bandwidth. Instead of padding its pockets, invest in better networks to improve quality and signal. This proves that ATT wants full control over anything you do. It's a shame that 3G isn't enabled. I was actually thinking about buying a SlingBox, nope not anymore, not without 3G streaming.
So, I've been waiting months and months for THIS? Wi-Fi only? I agree with earlier posters. I was running Sling player on my Motorola Q two years ago on a Verizon network. Boooo.
One thing you can say about Verizon, they wouldn't be able to pull this kind of stunt, as their phones don't have Wifi :P
(Yes, I am aware that VZ has several WiFi-capable smartphones, but it's such an obvious comment I couldn't resist)
I am surprised Apple approved this. This app can allow access to porn on someone's TV, or even to pirated movies playing on someone's TV. And what if someone's swears on a TV show. I can't believe Apple is condoning this type of activity.
Well looks like gameday weddings will still be a bore. But for all u who say wifi makes no sense, atleast now u can watch tv on the hopper. Isnt that what we really wanted to do anyways?
just more of the same garbage...so disappointing
Yeah this is a total joke. The point of it being SlingPlayer *Mobile* is completely lost at this point. I paid $30 for the Mobile player when I had a Windows Mobile phone - doubt I'll get my license transferred for this. Not spending $30 if I can't actually use my SlingBox...when I'm on the go...load of crap.
Yeah, I don't even understand why we even describe the iphone as a wireless device; Soon, ATT will restrict us from using their data if it isn't wifi.
Let's rebrand the iPhone as a Cordless phone!
What is it with these companies that put their logo in the interface? I know what app it is, I paid for it, downloaded it, and launched it! Do I really need to be reminded in the controls dialogue?
Apple can stream youtube over 3G, but no Sling?
"The nations fastest 3G network" - unless of course you actually want to use it for anything. Like transporting data.
'So fast you can't even see it working!'
So using up bandwidth is okay for other manufacturers and carriers, just not Apple and AT&T? Don't we pay for that bandwidth?
This is what you call a disaster. A quick look and then turn away situation. I guess my only question is why should i keep my iphone if I cant do what a typical phone would do? Or better yet Is the Iphone becoming mediocre?
Wow. What a huge fail iPhone/Apple/AT&T. Hello Palm Pre and Sprint!
Thanks, all parties involved. I upgraded my slingbox to get functionality that doesn't exist for a product that I no longer want....
This is absolutely ridiculous.
I'm glad Sling caved under the old box owners pressure (although I'm sure it was not hard to revert back to, and was the right thing to do). However, the fact that there's no 3G is unacceptable. For one, let's look at the WinMo phones which run it on 3G just fine. Then take a look at the Orb application for iPhone, which allows you to stream video over...you guessed it...3G!
I don't know who is responsible for the no-3G, whether it's AT&T, Apple, or Sling themselves, but it needs to be changed quickly.
Yep..sling is responsible. They wanted to gimp their own app..lol
If it is going to be Wi-Fi only & they are still going to charge $29.99 then I will just stick with my Online iPod Touch http://playitouch.com
When's ATT going to make Apple kill the Pandora app? With crap like this I expect it.
How disappointing. I bet Sling fans will stick to other mobile phones.
To compensate for the ridiculous iphone data charge I leave my Pandora on all through the night while on the charger so it eats at AT&T's network.
Why does AT&T have a 3G network if they don't let anybody use it? So much for unlimited
They have a 3G network because they want you to PAY for it, and NOT use it, or use very very little of it.
As good as useless.
Thanks for nothing Sling and Apple.
The restrictions At&t and apple put on their phones are like living in a communist country. I think I know where Castro has been hiding, in Apples/At&t board of executives. It's really a shame though for all you iPhone users. Hope the jailbreak community could do something for you guys. One more reason to jailbreak.
Oh well I'll continue watching tv on America's best wireless data network (Sprint). Hopefully, Slingmedia gets working on that application for the Pre.
Don't forget Orb. That's been free and working over 3G for some time now. I've used it on my past 2 WM devices and as long as the Pre has a streaming video app that can play the standard stream, it will work on Pre as well. I bought a tuner card a while ago so now anything on my cable or OTA (as well as local media on my server) can be freely streamed to my phones or laptop.
I will also continue to sling via sprint, although I will use my touch pro in wifirouter mode to use sling on my ipod Touch.. SWEEET
Hey!
That's pretty cool, tethering an iTouch to a Touch Pro!!
never even considered that possibility!
Believe me, just wait. This program is so big and will account for so many people that someone in the JailBreak Community will find a way to trick the application. VoIPover3g doesn't work very well and needs to be seriously tweaked. Someone is going to create a hack specifically for this program. Just give them a week.
How many people actually jailbreak their phone? Is it even 1%? Us tech nerds can do it, but lets face it, that's not the vast bulk of iPhone users.
The vast majority of iphone users don't know what a sling box is either.
The solution will come soon though...just wait for the jailbreak developers to hack the sling player iphone app.
Anyone that cares enough, will be able to use sling over 3g soon enough. It's inevitable.
You know its one thing to deny apps for mature content and then to have this debacle for something so basic...... Apple is its own oxymoron....... We will be ahead of everyone but not when it comes to integration......
what is the point. I get the app for free on my laptop. And usually where I get the wifi I got the lappie on me.
This is the begining of the end for iPhone. The other phones seam to get it fine. WinMo, Blackberry, Palm all work with Slingbox on 3G.
Apple you are losing me. It was nice while it lasted. And yeah, Slingbox is a big deal.
Now I'm going to have to resort to my friends acting out TV show scenes for me and posting their videos on to YouTube.
Wanted: Friends who are in community theater and look like the cast of LOST.
This isn't even worth being a .99 cent App now. Sorry AT&T and Apple, you FAIL!! I know Android isn't quite up to par with the iPhone yet, but I see it getting there and surpassing it soon as AT&T and Apple keep shooting themselves in the foot and they are running out to toe's quickly! Massive disappointment but I knew this is what would happen when you have two super Greedy companies.
Im not buying it and im selling my slingbox!
Bye iphone..hello Pre.
Get em Palm (and Sprint). They make it so easy for ya..
I don't have 3g plan on my phone but I'm pretty sure jailbreakers will find a way to use over 3G just like what they are doing with Skype and price will come down in a month or so. I'm very excited to see it actually coming out!!
Oh, so THAT'S why I spend $100/month for 3G data!
FUCK YOU, AT&T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG - you're kidding right?! That's an insane price.
At last + one for the UK - £7.50 'unlimited' on O2. Very good coverage and speeds too.
I bought a Slingbox Pro HD from Amazon two weeks ago in anticipation of this app coming out. I was ready to buy the Sling app the day it was released. Then I read the news. I just packed up the Slingbox and sent it back to Amazon for a refund.
I already pay AT&T a fortune for data and their terrible phone service. This really sucks. I will not be buying the app. I hope no one buys it so maybe AT&T will get the hint.