12/15, 2:00pm
Sling Media outs web app for Logitech Revue
Sling Media has finally released a web app that allows Logitech Revue Google TV users to access its Slingbox service. We sampled the feature nearly one year ago at CES, and a beta showed up late in May that allowed users to watch Slingbox content in other rooms via streaming. Users can access the SlingPlayer app from Google Spotlight and use it to change channels, browse the program guide, and watch or schedule recordings on a connected DVR.
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11/12, 12:45pm
SlingPlayer previews Facebook app
Sling Media has quietly shown off the first web-based version of SlingPlayer. Its upcoming Facebook app will let viewers tune into one or more Slingboxes to watch and control a TV set-top box, media player, or other devices that the Slingbox can control. As in the native mobile and desktop apps, viewers can bring up a virtual remote or take the video full screen.
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10/11, 8:20am
Separate apps for Android phones and tablets
Sling Media has released a new version of its SlingPlayer Mobile for Android. When connected by 3G or Wi-Fi to a Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD, the app enables the device to function as a remote and to stream content from the Slingbox. Streaming in High Quality mode from a Slingbox PRO-HD requires at least 600 kbps of bandwidth. The Slingbox SOLO requires 800 kbps to stream HQ video. Separate versions are required for Android tablets ($30, Market) and phones ($30, Market).
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06/21, 11:30pm
Latest iteration for connected devices
Sling Media has previewed a new SlingPlayer utility designed specifically for the Boxee Box, the latest connected device to take advantage of the television streaming system. The Boxee Box offering appears to work in the same way as SlingPlayer for Google TV, smartphones, tablets and other devices, providing yet another method for users to watch video streamed from the Singbox set-top box.
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03/16, 1:30pm
Time Warner TWCable TV iPad app hit by demand
Time Warner Cable gave the first clues that that live iPad TV streaming was in hot demand on Wednesday with word that its TWCable TV app had been overcome by demand. The app was popular enough late Tuesday that customers couldn't use the authentication system. The cable giant hoped to offset the load by temporarily cutting back the number of channels from 30 to 15 until it was ready to handle the load.
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02/23, 4:45pm
SlingPlayer iPad, iPhone apps can output video
The existing SlingPlayer iPad and iPhone app has now been updated to allow outputting video to an external screen through component cables. The move effectively turns Apple's devices into Slingbox adapters for TVs away from home. Both the SlingPlayer Mobile 2.1 for iPhone (App Store) and SlingPlayer Mobile 1.1 for iPad (App Store) are now available, with either priced at $30.
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01/09, 5:00am
Content available through web-based app
Sling Media has previewed its latest video streaming app, which has been developed for Google TV set-top boxes. Electronista had a chance to try out the upcoming system this week at CES, ahead of the official launch.
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11/24, 11:55am
Streams home TV to distant tablets
The promised iPad-native version of SlingPlayer Mobile is now available at the App Store. The title lets people stream and control video from a remote SlingBox-equipped TV. Cable, satellite, IPTV and digital OTA (over the air) broadcasts are supported, as well as media from Apple TVs, home security cameras and DVRs including TiVos.
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11/16, 5:45pm
SlingPlayer for iPad priced and demonstrated
Sling has hinted that its long promised SlingPlayer for iPad was about to launch and provided a demo video (below) of the app. The streamer has higher quality video than any of Sling's other apps and makes use of the extra display real estate to provide a large channel guide and an on-screen number pad that still shows most of the picture underneath when up. Much of the interface can avoid intruding into the view.
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11/09, 11:10pm
Users can control Slingbox
Sling Media has announced that its SlingPlayer Mobile app has been launched for Windows Phone 7 devices. The utility allows users to view content from their home television via a Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD set-top box. The interface also provides controls for DVRs and channel switching, while video can be accessed using Wi-Fi or 3G connections.
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09/21, 8:55pm
Apps shown running on Galaxy Tab
Sling Media founder Blake Krikorian has previewed a home automation utility geared for Android devices. Ahead of the CEDIA Expo 2010, Krikorian showed off the new home-control interface, named R2, which is specifically geared for Crestron's automation systems.
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07/11, 12:25pm
Android app library catching up fast to iPhone
Android Market is about to hit a milestone symbolic of Google closing the gap with Apple, raw stats indicate. At the current rate, the Android store should reach 100,000 total apps before the end of July, and as of now is already over 90,000. The rate of growth is now high enough that AndroLib estimates over 15,000 apps were added in June alone.
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06/21, 11:15pm
App accesses set-top box features
Sling Media has announced that its SlingPlayer Mobile app will officially launch for Android devices on Tuesday. The utility will allow users to remotely access their Slingbox set-top box via 3G or Wi-Fi networks.
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05/27, 6:35pm
Sling teases new features in Android remote app
Sling provided a treat to Android phone owners waiting for SlingPlayer for Android through a demo clip of the remote video streaming app on an Evo 4G. The new version is improved on those for other phones and starts much faster than others; the live stream from a home Slingbox starts in just a few seconds. While the interface is familiar, a new number pad makes it quicker to reach a particular channel when steering a set-top TV box.
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05/06, 3:50pm
SlingPlayer for Android on course, in closed beta
Sling Media's promised app for Android handsets seems to be on track for a summer release, according to an anonymous tipster speaking with Phandroid. The company has reportedly put the app into private beta, with certain users getting it for testing. Sling Media seems to be interested in keeping this closed beta build secret "due to the overwhelming demand for this program," though hasn't been successful.
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04/30, 11:10pm
iPad app devs scale back 3G features
Certain iPad apps are dramatically scaling back or even blocking their video when on the 3G-ready iPad, new owners have been discovering today. The YouTube app significantly degrades the quality of video; ABC's TV viewer doesn't allow video at all unless it's on Wi-Fi. Only a few apps, such as Netflix, appear to work normally.
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03/30, 8:20am
Sling plans larger-res video for Apple tablet
SlingPlayer marketing manager Dave Eyler today confirmed that his company is working on a version of SlingPlayer for the iPad. The app should be a visible upgrade from the iPhone version as it will carry higher-resolution streaming from a TV-attached Slingbox. Any other changes weren't mentioned, but Eyler told ZNF that the finished version wouldn't be ready for the Saturday iPad launch.
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03/18, 6:55pm
SlingPlayer coming to Android phones this summer
A job posting from last October that pointed to a SlingPlayer app for Android has had its results confirmed, as Sling Media has demonstrated the app. The new version is due this summer and will, like other versions, allow users to stream video content from a Slingbox over either 3G data networks or a handset's Wi-Fi. Its interface will mimic that of the iPhone version, letting users select the live or recorded content they want to watch.
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03/15, 1:00pm
Microsoft shows WP7 dev features at MIX10
Microsoft at its MIX10 developer event detailed some of how app development and sales will work for Windows Phone 7. Confirming that it's based on Silverlight and XNA, the mobile OS will fence off third-party apps from true native code but will give them access to all the key features: it will recognize accelerometers, cameras and multi-touch gestures. WP7 will also mirror iPhone development by using background push notification for those not allowed to multitask and include a general location service that any app can use.
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02/05, 1:10pm
Sling says AT&T optimization claim misleading
Sling Media on Friday corrected AT&T's position on the clearance to ship a 3G-capable SlingPlayer for iPhone. While AT&T characterized the remote TV streaming app as "optimized," the Slingbox creator company's John Santoro told Ars Technica that Sling "didn't change anything" in its 3G code, or enter discussions, to satisfy AT&T's demands. The app has always had dynamic bitrate changes to match available bandwidth.
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02/04, 8:10am
AT&T says optimized Sling OK for 3G network
AT&T on Thursday greenlit the use of SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone on its 3G network. The carrier now claims that it has tested the app since mid-December and believes it can run without consuming too much bandwidth. The software is described as "optimized," but it's not clear whether Sling has had to change code to fit AT&T's guidelines.
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01/26, 7:55pm
Interface redesigned for finger navigation
Sling Media has introduced an update to its Sling Player Mobile utility for smartphones running Windows Mobile. Version 2.0 brings a revamped interface, with design elements that are geared for navigation with fingers rather than a stylus. While the iPhone app is limited to streaming content over Wi-Fi, the Windows Mobile version enables users to view television across either Wi-Fi or 3G connections.
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10/01, 3:35pm
SlingPlayer coming to Palm Pre, as per job post?
A job listing at Sling Media, the maker of the Slingbox streaming TV hub, suggests that both Android and webOS versions of the streaming TV application are in develpoment. The job calls for a Senior Mobile User Interface Designer knowledgeable in these platforms as well as in platforms that already have SlingPlayer apps, such as BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile.
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09/18, 4:10pm
FCC mobile net neutrality rule on Monday
The FCC is on the verge of introducing a new rule that would ban US cellular carriers from blocking Internet-aware mobile apps, a source from within the government agency claims. The tip claims that Chairman Julius Genachowski will use a keynote at the Brooklings Institute on Monday to provide early details of the rule. The only known detail at the Washington Post is that it would prevent carriers from filtering what users could see and do with online mobile apps.
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08/21, 5:45pm
ATT Response to FCC on GV
AT&T today issued their promised formal responses to the FCC's inquiry into the rejection of Google Voice on the iPhone. AT&T senior executive VP Jim Cicconi in a statement flatly stated that the carrier had "no role in any decision" of Apple's to deny the software reaching the App Store and specifically denied any contact with Apple regarding the particular app. AT&T also didn't express its opinion on the app in any context, according to the executive.
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08/10, 11:00pm
SlingPlayer Mobile update
Sling Media is set to launch an update to its iPhone app, Sling Mobile, which is currently pending approval from Apple. Version 1.1 still lacks 3G streaming, although it adds several new features such as DISH Remote Access integration and improvements to the control interface. The DISH functions bring a content guide directly onto the iPhone, instead of importing a picture, while search and filter options have been expanded.
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08/01, 11:50am
FCC probes Google app
AT&T on Saturday issued a brief initial response to Federal Communications Commission letters of inquiry sent to Apple, AT&T and Google on Friday regarding their roles in the rejection of Google Voice-enabled apps. Addressing concerns that it may have denied the apps to exclude a service that provides lower-cost long distance and SMS without using its data network, AT&T spokesman Brad Mays flatly denied any link between AT&T and decisions made by Apple as to which apps are allowed on the App Store, instead putting the responsibility on the iPhone maker. A larger response is said to be forthcoming.
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05/14, 9:00am
SlingPlayer vs U-verse Rum
AT&T's decision to disallow 3G for the iPhone edition of SlingPlayer may have been motivated as much by desires to quash a competitor as it is to avoid congestion, a claim suggests. Although AT&T's official explanation is that streaming TV consumes too much bandwidth, a tip from Gizmodo purports that the carrier has the ulterior motive of crippling SlingPlayer to protect a future U-verse app. Supposedly called i-Verse, it would let subscribers to AT&T's IPTV service either stream live TV over the 3G network or else play shows already recorded on the DVR.
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04/16, 11:40am
SlingPlayer not approved
Sling Media’s SlingPlayer app for the iPhone has been denied approval into Apple’s App Store, according to an unconfirmed tip from a source close to Apple’s approval processes. Although the program was described as an "impressive" application, the tip said that the media application was not approved due to pressure from AT&T executives concerned about effect of the app on the already-strained AT&T cellular network. According to the tip, which could not be confirmed Wednesday night, Apple executives went around the normal approval process to deny approval for the SlingPlayer app to appease AT&T.
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03/27, 3:55pm
SlingPlayer Mobile now out
BlackBerry users in the US can now download the full build of the SlingPlayer Mobile application for their handsets, Sling Media announced recently. The full version follows on the heels of the beta build, which was first released back in December. As expected, there are some new features in the full build, including the ability to add or edit paired Slingboxes and Channel Favorites via the program instead of just SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows.
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01/06, 1:35am
Sling iPhone client
EchoStar's Sling Media on Tuesday announced it will demo a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone at the Expo and will deliver a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to Apple for certification in Q1. Sling Media also unveiled a prototype of a new SlingPlayer for Mac HD which allows Slingbox PRO-HD users to stream HD to their Mac desktop or laptop computer. The new SlingPlayer for Mac HD is a web-based version of the SlingPlayer software that will be accessible from Sling.com, Sling Media's recently launched video entertainment web site.
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12/18, 7:50am
SlingPlayer BBerry Beta
Sling on Thursday revealed the imminent launch of a public beta for SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry. The app lets BlackBerries with 3G or Wi-Fi stream the video from a Slingbox at home and lets the user remote control any source that supports input from the streaming hub. The feature is meant to help commuters catch TV shows they might miss but also lets users access on-demand content from devices like the Apple TV or TiVos.
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09/10, 12:45pm
New Sling Media pre-orders
Amazon.com has posted pre-orders for two upcoming pieces of hardware, the SlingCatcher and the Slingbox PRO-HD. The former, priced at $300, is designed to bring media to a TV without a computer or extended cable, and sources from a USB drive, a monitor, or a Slingbox feed. No release date has been set, but the timing of the pre-order suggests a release later this fall.
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08/07, 3:20pm
SlingPlayer 2.0 Beta out
Sling Media on Thursday released its long-awaited SlingPlayer 2.0, albeit under the guise of a Public Beta. The new software for Sling Media's Slingbox – a device that brings TV viewing capabilities to users' computers across a network – adds three new features, including a program guide, live video buffer and more comprehensive access to one's account via the Sling Accounts function. The beta program does not include the promised Clip+Sling function, which would let users capture and share TV clips online via Sling.com.
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