Sling gets in the remote business with the Sling Touch Control 100
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted January 6th 2010 2:16AM
posted January 6th 2010 2:16AM
Yes we agree, that is one fine looking touch screen remote, and yes that is real guide data via built in WiFi you see there. In fact it leverages SlingGuide which includes the ability to search for shows right on the remote. That beautiful screen is a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen and features a 272x480 resolution. As expected, the Sling Touch Control 100 communicates via IR, but it can also use IP to control your DVR or other Sling devices. So yeah, it is pretty sweet, but of course there's a catch and for once it isn't the price. No, the problem is this is only available via your cable or satellite provider and we don't know about you, but our provider just isn't that cool.
Looks very sexy.. but any remote without hard channel up/down buttons = fail
@PiGuy
I'm sure at a touch of a button you get such functionality, but if you are looking at a program guide you don't need it just then obviously.
@PiGuy
Hard channel up/down buttons are so last decade.
@Wwhat
Er it has... +/- next to the big home button. No doubt these can do volume too depending what's on the main screen.
@PiGuy I don't use channel up and down buttons at all anymore...
I use the onscreen guide while channel surfing.
why did sling leave this up to the content intermediaries... not too many of these will leave the warehouse.
Cox Communications just completed their roll out of Technicolor, so I'm guessing they'll start looking at these remotes in year 2034 or so.
It's sexy, but I wonder why an iPhone enabled with similar software that translated WiFi signal to an IR blaster in front of your box wouldn't sell better. Then, the next step would be for the cable companies to sell an iPhone-enabled cable box that could do this, without the need of an IR blaster.
@byran
Well, most people don't have an aiitphoone and some would kill their family rather than buying one, so to me it makes sense to have a separate product for our channel browsing needs.
@espentan You do realize that in this instance, iPhone=iPod Touch, right? Anyone who would buy this over an iPod Touch with the same functionality is a fool; a fool who stuck to his guns about not buying an iPhone/iPod Touch, but a fool nonetheless.
Who wants his iphone full of pizza grease and lost in the creases of a couch or hogged by other family members?
@byran
hey, stop talking on that iThing and hand it over so i can change the channel.
yeah, Brilliant.
@tom lux & Wwhat The point is that there is already a ubiquitous touchscreen device in the marketplace, and it does many more things than just one specialized thing. As I said earlier, iPhone=iPod Touch in this case, and since you can spend $200 on an iPod Touch, one would be remiss to spend any amount of money on this single-serving item, with a focused purpose.
@byran You do realize that it's a remote control right? If you got an i anything, then you would have to leave it in the living room all the time in order for others to use the remote. You'd be a fool to buy an ithing just for a main remote control. A fool.
I guess it will be a while before DirecTV can sell it.
*Crosses fingers!*
Is the PS3 supported?????
@dominom Unfortunately it's IR not BT. But if you had an adapter... Or it'd be cool if it could use wi-fi to control the PS3, but not likely...
thats fucking awesome
nice. bad move on the distribution theory though.
Almost too sexy for a remote.
Why does that remote remind me of the Nook...?
Is it the logo?
Must be somethign that only affects you.
Isn't it easier to have menus and guides on the large screen though and control that with a non-display remote? And don't many cable and satellite setups already support that?
@Wwhat If it could do previews it would be very useful. If I flip to another channel to avoid watching commercials on live programming, it would be nice to be able to see what is going on the previous channel.
Is this the first remote with capacitive screen? The Harmony remotes I've had were so poor. Hope this is better!
wow nook basically stole sling's logo, I didn't notice that till now. Was I supposed to write Nook - I forgot the capitalisation rules already. Maybe I should be sleeping and not posting. :/
It looks like it's running Android. Hopefully it is, and this means Sling is looking at Android for some of their player software.
It would make sense to be able to use a wifi-enabled handheld device to connect to the Slingbox and from there control the AV hardware with the existing IR blaster, if they can get the latency down.
If Thats NOT an ANDROID device then it sure as hell going to inspire Lots of people to make a stab at the chair-side device sector -
Which button do I press to bring up my Gmail Inbox ?
So, what happened to the other 99?
Better looking smartphone than most smartphones out there. Someone should come out with an interface that allows buttons from different devices on a user customized screen. I use only two buttons on my TV remote, but I use them frequently. Would love to put my 12 most frequently used buttons from different boxes on one screen.
I won't get one because I prefer an antenna on my roof where I can get over 30 free channels with better quality than cable or satellite. Free over-the-air TV has never been better, at least in urban areas. All the major stations now have 2-3 sub channels. PBS in Chicago runs four channels, one in Spanish. Are you getting all those on cable? Too cool.
But Logitech needed this kind of competition. Paying $200-400 for a hand held remote with 2-3 year old technology is just wrong. I hope this new offering and the iPhone remote bring some sanity to smart remote pricing soon.
@MidwestTechGuy Thanks for the rant on OTA broadcasts...
I watch stuff mostly on cable, so the quality of broadcast tv is pretty moot.
if you got this remote you would spend more time looking and playing with the remoth than watching tv
i just want to know when!
People think touchscreen is cool. But let me tell you it's the most useless thing to have for a remote. Who the hell wants to look at a remote while using it. I just want to be able to put my finger on it and know what button I'm pressing. This thing have way too few buttons to be useful.
"this is only available via your cable or satellite provider"
Thank you so very much. It's not very often that I meet a fluffer who finishes the job by kicking you in the nuts.
Don't buy sling products, their company sucks.
why are people so excited about remote controls that require you to look away from your programming to use them?
I much rather use a hard button remote like my harmony one where I know where most of the buttons are by feel.
What a pointless product. It might as well be the Red Uber Transformer camera. Because no one will ever see it. Ever.
I don't know about you, but the least upgrade happy people in the world are cable tv providers. My Cable box is no less than 6 years old, and last I checked (about 6 months ago) there is no new model for them to give me. I still have friends who can only get the old ScientificAtlanta digital cable boxes circa 1996. Look at Motorola's cable box offerings on their website. They have some major cool/useful DVR products including whole house DVR/DVR sharing and Comcrap and the rest of the a-holes over there won't implement them so they might as well not exist.
@kennyg Step into the future... uVerse... not the best picture quality, but man do they have some awesome gadgets.
idk who is slower at releasing new gear, sling or cable providers. with that kind of partnership, nothing will ever come into fruition.
Note to everyone -- Sling is a HORRIBLE company. Do NOT buy their products, they have crappy support.
Yet another harsh or should I say Snippy report of Sling Media's products. You giys have a bone to pick with then or something?
Seems like all you can do is regurgetate what you have seen on ZatxNotFunny,
That looks VERY Android-ish. If Sling was usable with Android (viewing, controlling, etc.), I'd probably become interested in them.
(android-ish because the UI looks exactly like the Google Reader interface for Android)