FOSTER CITY, CALIF.: Sling continues its march into mobile media with a new Android Smartphone player. The application streams a user’s home TV line-up to their smartphone, via the cell network or a WiFi connection. Sling place-shifts home broadcast, cable, telcoTV or satellite programming to remote computers and various mobile devices. Sling’s extension to Android Smartphones represents yet another form of competition to broadcasters attempting to launch mobile DTV.
“Now the full spectrum of viewing, including local channels and sports teams, video-on-demand, pay-per-view and even control of their home DVR, is available to the growing number of people moving to Android,” said Sling Media Senior Vice President and General Manager John Gilmore.
The Android Sling works in 3G, 4G or WiFi coverage areas via Slingbox Solo, Pro or Pro-HD boxes. SlingPlayer Mobile for Android features “faster startup and control response times, and it works among a variety of Android-based mobile phones in the market today,” Sling says, although it does not say what the application is faster than.
SlingPlayer Mobile Android is available now for download for US$29.99 from the Android market in United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Sling Android player joins a likewise iPhone app that went live in May 2009, also for $29.99. Certain Nokia, Palm and Blackberry models are also Sling-enabled.
Sling Media is a subsidiary of EchoStar, the bird farm for the Dish Network. Dish announced in January that it was adding a Sling device for in-home, wireless HD networking.
-- Deborah D. McAdams
