Slingbox

TV on the go

One of the reasons that I am like a slightly more well adjusted Emily Dickinson is that whenever I leave my home I miss my TV. I am an addict of the highest order, but now, thanks to the Sling Media Slingbox A/V my TV can follow me while I'm on the go. Capable of streaming live TV to any desktop/notebook, windows device, and even cell phone (with high speed service) this is the solution to all my away from home problems. Now, when I go to Djibouti next month, I won't have to worry about … Read more

Hands-on with the Hava Gold HD

It's been a year since we were first introduced to Monsoon Multimedia's Hava device, a placeshifting product that delivered a handful of features--Wi-Fi connectivity, multicast functionality, and Windows Media Center integration--not found on the category-leading Slingbox. Hava went on to release its flagship product in late 2006, and the company has since licensed the technology to Pinnacle, which sells a Hava clone called PCTV To Go.

At CES 2006, Hava was showing off a new entry-level product called the Hava Gold HD. It's housed in a different enclosure than the Hava Wireless HD, and it loses that … Read more

Hands-on with the SlingCatcher

To date, the SlingPlayer viewing software has let owners of the Slingbox watch their home TV on a Windows PC, a Mac, or a Windows Mobile device anywhere in the world they have a broadband connection available. Symbian smartphone software is already available in Europe, and Palm software has just been announced. Those software players will soon be joined by a hardware option in the form of the recently announced SlingCatcher, due to hit stores in mid-2007 for under $200.

We knew the general details of the SlingCatcher based on Sling Media's announcements earlier this week, but this morning … Read more

Slinging in reverse

What's the opposite of the Slingbox? The new SlingCatcher.

The SlingCatcher is a set-top box that will let users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

The device is set to be announced Sunday at CES 2007 by Sling Media, the same people behind the Slingbox, which lets you watch your home TV channels on a laptop or a smart phone. The SlingCatcher retains the Slingbox's familiar trapezoid shape.

With an eye on Apple's upcoming … Read more

What the iPhone should do

Every blog and major media outlet has reported in recent days about the imminent arrival of a cell phone made by Apple Computer.

Most of the reports have scant evidence and are being written by outlets with dubious track records when it comes to predicting what Steve Jobs & Company are up to. (For the record, CNET News.com quoted a source in September of '05 as saying "we know that they are going to build a smart phone--it's only a matter of time." And who was the source? Ed Zander, CEO of cell phone kingpin Motorola.) … Read more

Trick or treat: SlingPlayer for Mac beta available

The Slingbox is no longer a Windows-only device. Today, Sling Media posted the beta version of the SlingPlayer software for Mac OS X. As to be expected with beta software, there are a few caveats: for now, the software is intended only for U.S. and Canadian Slingbox owners, and it will run only on Macs running OS X version 10.4. That said, we were able to download, install, and run it on an iMac in well under five minutes, and it performed smoothly during our first full day of testing. Download links and an FAQ are available at … Read more

So sorry, Sony: LocationFree hits a roadblock

Chalk up one point to Slingbox. The gadget gurus at Gizmodo are reporting that the LF-BOX1 LocationFree TV Box, part of Sony's place-shifting line, has had its release date pushed back. The big ouch: It was supposed to be released next week. No word yet on whether the LocationFree "base stations," also slated for a late-October release, have hit setbacks--the Washington Post story quoted by Gizmodo seems to indicate that it may just be the TV box.

Chin up, Sony. These things happen, as you well know from all those PS3 delays. And you're not alone; … Read more

Sling Media courts the Mac crowd

Commence drooling, Apple fanboys and girls.

In a matter of weeks, the SlingPlayer icon could be bouncing in a toolbar near you. SlingCommunity.com has a video demo of the original place-shifting technology on a white MacBook and an interview with SlingMedia's head of PR, Brian Jaquet, at last week's Digital Life Show in New York.

Jaquet said the SlingPlayer Mac will be available in public beta for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs at the end of October or early November. Sling Media told CNET News.com last month it would be ready in 30 to 45 days, … Read more

Slingbox headed for Symbian phones

Slingbox owners will soon be able to stream TV to their Symbian smart phones. Sling Media officially confirmed that it will be releasing a Slingplayer client for the Symbian OS before the end of the year in Europe and Asia, with U.S. distribution to follow soon after.

The announcement of Symbian support isn't a surprise--the Symbian logo is prominently displayed on the boxes of the second-generation Slingbox products which have been on store shelves since the end of September. As with the Windows Mobile version, the Symbian player will require broadband access via Wi-Fi or a 3G wireless … Read more