SlingPlayer for the iPhone 3G

Sling Media has announced the long-awaited iPhone version of SlingPlayer Mobile, the mobile app that lets Slingbox owners watch their cable boxes or DVRs on the go.

The iPhone version offers similar controls to SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry, including its novel ribbon interface. But the new iPhone app takes advantage of that handset's touch screen and larger display. The interface sports many of the same icon designs as the BlackBerry version, albeit larger ones that are more finger-friendly. 

I had a chance to test an alpha version of the app on an iPhone 3G. Slingbox owners can log onto the iPhone version using their online accounts, which store all of the appropriate Slingbox tags for use across multiple platforms. For starters, there's a new Home Channel Set feature that lets you specify what the default channel is whenever you fire up the app on the iPhone, even if the cable box back at home is set to a different channel. You can also set up a separate Mobile Favorites list that downloads straight to the device.

One nice touch: you can surf Favorite channels by flicking right or left with your index finger. The app responded within about one second per "flick;" it seemed quite fast given the remote channel changing that's happening in the background over the Internet. This is great for surfing your favorite channels, without having to return to the Program Guide or clutter up the screen with various UI elements. Flicking up and down, instead of left and right, changes the channel normally (from the entire list of available channels, not just your favorites), again without having to bring up the remote control or guide.

Unfortunately, while the new app fills the iPhone's screen with a nice, smooth picture, it doesn't take full advantage of the increased screen resolution. The app scales up the same 320 x 240 pixel image from the Windows Mobile and BlackBerry versions to fit the iPhone's 320 x 480 pixel screen. Having said that, it still looked sharp when blown up to full screen, with reasonable smoothness over a weak 3G signal and near 30 fps animation over Wi-Fi.

The alpha version I tried had a couple of UI glitches, including a malfunctioning volume slider and a messy icon arrangement. But given Sling Media's excellent software track record, I expect the company to take care of these issues by the time the app is released.

There's no word yet on price, but all previous mobile versions (Windows Mobile, Palm OS, BlackBerry, Symbian) have cost $29.95. And of course you need a Slingbox of some kind. Brian Jaquet, a spokesperson for Sling Media, said that the company plans to submit a final version to Apple by the end of the first quarter 2009. If Apple's quick turnaround on other apps is any indication, and if Apple doesn't find any issues with SlingPlayer Mobile, it could appear for sale within days after that.  (full Story)