SlingBox Comes To The iPhone, But With A High Price

13 May, 2009 | by Sean Aune

sling logo Sling Media has finally made its way on to the iPhone and iPod Touch,but with a hefty price and several restrictions.

People have been anxiously awaiting the day they could use their placeshifting SlingBoxes with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and as of today they can download the SlingPlayer Mobile application (iTunes link) from the iTunes store. Now, before you get excited, there are three caveats for you to consider.

AT&T has said the app can’t be used over its 3G network, but yu can use it over their Wi-Fi hostposts. They did issue a statement regarding the decision.

Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.

That said, we don’t restrict users from going to a Web site that lets them view videos. But what our terms and conditions prohibit is the transferring, or slinging, of a TV signal to their personal computer or smartphone.

The Slingbox application for the iPhone runs on WiFi. That’s good news for AT&T’s iPhone 3G customers, who get free WiFi access at our 20,000 owned and operated hot spots in the U.S., including Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, hotels, and airports. AT&T is the industry leader in WiFi

So there was one hope squashed rather quickly.

The other issue is that the application does not support all models of the SlingBox. The Classic, AV and Tuner models are all out of luck. You can do an upgrade program that will give you a $50 discount on changing to a newer model, but it definitely feels like a slap in the face to the earlier adopters of the technology.

And the last problem is the price. No matter how nice the app may be, it costs $30. So, you’re paying $30 for an app you can only use around Wi-Fi, thanks, but I think I’ll pass. It just isn’t an enticing offer to pay that much for an app you can only use at certain times. Maybe it will change down the road, but for now it’s just handicapped in its abilities.