Windows Mobile: check. Palm OS: check. S60: yep. So what's the giant, gaping hole left in Sling's coverage of mobile clients? BlackBerry, of course, and the company has finally confirmed what we already sorta knew -- that a SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry is officially in the works. Sling will be demonstrating its latest client at CES on a Pearl 8120, utilizing its WiFi connection (though 3G will work just as well) to stream down an endless barrage of mind-numbing content from the Slingbox of your choice. Look for it to show up on a BlackBerry near you "later this year" for a shade under $30. Hop on over to Engadget for a quick hands-on with the goods!

As if we weren't already overwhelmed with Sling news lately -- what with the EchoStar acquisition, Slingbox SOLO launch, and SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian moving out of beta -- we've just gotten word that the company is working with RIM to develop a BlackBerry-compatible version of its client. Pocket-lint reportedly got the scoop straight from the horse's mouth, with European VP Stuart Collingswood confirming the joint effort but giving no indication of a release timetable. Besides S60, Sling also currently supports Palm and both the Smartphone and Pocket PC versions of Windows Mobile in the handset space.

Hey you, rabid Palm OS fan, 700p owner, and Sling advocate -- remember that SlingPlayer Mobile for Palm OS Beta you signed up for last month? Well, it's time to lose a little more sleep over it, but this time you'll be enjoying the niceties of streaming media on your handset instead of sweating the release date. According to SlingCommunity, the beta will be going live today, and will officially support the 3G-enabled Treo 700p, but "early reports" are suggesting that 680 owners may be able to enjoy limited success even without Sling's stamp of approval. Of course, the beta will remain free of charge until a public release is ready to rock, and then you'll have the option of cutting ties or ponying up the $29.99 purchase price to keep on slinging. Additionally, the kind folks over at UneasySilence have done the hard work for you already, so be sure to hit them up for a nicely appointed pictorial walkthrough while your waiting to get your own install on.

[Via jkOnTheRun, thanks Tie Guy]
Read - SlingPlayer Mobile for Palm OS Beta launching
Read - UneasySilence's Walkthrough

Not a lot of info on this one just yet, but apparently Sling Media's reveling CEO made a potent announcement at the recent Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. While Sling has made accessing your time-shifted material easier than ever -- even on a myriad of mobile devices -- Blake Krikorian has reportedly claimed that a deal is in the works to partner with "a major mobile carrier" here in the States. He also made note of a few European deals that were also going down, but giving MobiTV such much-needed competition here in the US of A is certainly what's piquing our interest. mocoNews seems to feel that T-Mobile or Cingular (or Amp'd?) could be the lucky provider to get Sling's blessing, but as of know, we're admittedly being left in the dark about exactly who's in line to seal the deal.

The honeymoon is over, folks, so if you aren't already among the proud army of Slingbox owners you're gonna need to shell out $30 for the mobile client software if/when you decide to become a Sling Media customer. As of today, the company's SlingPlayer Mobile app has officially transformed from a beta into a commercial product, although this means little to customers who purchased their 'box prior to April 26th, as they are entitled to a free copy of the current Windows Mobile version, the upcoming Windows Smartphone version, and, according to Sling's website, versions for "additional mobile platforms and operating systems" when they become available. In case you're not a semi-frequent reader of this site, or another excellent destination called Engadget, SlingPlayer Mobile is a bit of software that allows Slingbox owners to watch and listen to both live and recorded content from their home theaters on any broadband-enabled, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition- or WM5-powered device.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

 

Motorola appears ready to take on the Slingbox and Sony's LocationFree TV with a new service that allows customers to stream television from a DVR to a cellphone. However, there are some caveats that may make the service little more than a novelty for the time being. The biggest limitation for the moment is that the service will require both a Motorola DVR and a next-gen RAZR phone. Since Moto's DVRs are built into set-top boxes provided by cable companies, and not sold directly to consumers, this means the potential user base is defined not by customer choice, but by the vagaries of the cable market. And, of course, you need a specific phone model -- one that doesn't currently exist on the market -- to make the service work as well. However, given that the service is just in demo mode at this point, a lot can change before it goes public. And Moto may well learn from Sony's experience with LocationFree that it's better to open up, rather than trying to force customers to stick with a closed system.