SlingPlayer Mobile app for iPhone (finally) gets 3G support

It’s been exactly two years – at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show — since the folks at Slingbox first demonstrated its SlingPlayer Mobile software, allowing you to stream local TV programming to your smartphone via Wi-Fi connectivity. Today, iPhone users can access their TV shows over 3G cellular connectivity, too.

At the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain, Sling Media, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, has confirmed its SlingPlayer Mobile App has been updated to support 3G networks, and is available now on the App Store for $30.

For the uninitiated, the Slingbox ($199) is a small box you connect to your cable or satellite television receiver, as well as your high-speed Internet connection. Now you can watch your local TV programming on virtually any Internet-connected computer in the world – and control all the action as if you were sitting at home in front of the boob tube. If your receiver also has PVR (personal video recorder) support, you can also use the PC mouse to access all previously recorded shows. A HD version costs $299.

Then Sling Media announced mobile phone support for BlackBerry, iPhone and iPod touch, but it required Wi-Fi in order to view your local TV programming while away from home. The BlackBerry App then supported 3G, but iPhone and iPod touch users were only able to use Wi-Fi until today.

With 3G, iPhone users can now access programming anywhere you’ve got 3G connectivity – be it on a park bench or on a moving train – but be sure to have a good data plan from your carrier to avoid any surprises on your bill at the end of the month.

The updated version is a free upgrade for existing users of the SlingPlayer Mobile App. 

Filed Under: Downloads > Entertainment > Found on the Web > Fun > My Online Life > Online Video > Uncategorized > Web 2.0 > Web/Tech
Tags: 3G, Blackberry, box, cell, iPhone, iPod, mobile, player, sling, slingbox, touch, wi-fi, wifi, Wireless