Launch of SlingPlayer Mobile software extends reach of Slingbox

One of 2005's coolest tech products, the Slingbox, just got a major enhancement. Sling Media, the start-up that created the set-top box that lets you to watch your own TV from any Web-enabled computer, has just launched SlingPlayer Mobile for the Windows Mobile operating system. We first demo'd the software at CES, and now it's available as a public beta. Basically, it extends the reach of the Slingbox to just about anywhere your smart phone or PDA has a connection to the Internet. Here's an excerpt from the updated Slingbox review:

"The biggest upgrade to the Slingbox is the availability of a Windows Mobile software client. The software is currently in beta and available as a free download to all registered Slingbox owners through April 26, 2006; thereafter, users will be charged a one-time $30 fee. SlingPlayer Mobile brings the Slingbox experience to any touch-screen Windows Mobile handheld or smart phone (versions 4.0, 5.0, and even the older 2003 edition), so long as it has access to the Internet. We tested it on an old HP iPaq via Wi-Fi and a new Palm Treo 700w over a Verizon's EV-DO broadband cellular network, and it worked equally well in both instances. Except for the small screen size, the mobile version is a faithful re-creation of the same solid performance we've gotten on a PC. What's better, of course, is that you can use a handheld or cell phone much more often and in many more locations than you could from a desktop or laptop PC. Just be sure you have an all-you-can-eat data plan on that smart phone, or you'll have a nasty surprise at the end of the month when the bill arrives."

Check out the full review of the Slingbox, which is now a CNET Editors' Choice product.

Also check out SlingPlayer Mobile in action in our First Look video.