SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone available now, but no 3G *Update*

SlingPlayer for the iPhone is available in the App Store right now priced at £17.99 or $29.95 and is missing the ability to run on the cellular network. Yes it is no surprise we have to admit but deep down we had hoped for this to be one of the features of the application.

So what has gone wrong, is this Apples fault?, doubtful, Sling’s fault?, no way as they are happy to release the app on other platforms utilising 3G, so that leaves one other culprit, yes you guessed it the Carriers or Networks and in particular AT&T.

You know the companies we pay huge monthly subscriptions too for unlimited data to use as we see fit, no thats not good enough for them, they want to take our money for a service and then restrict what we can use that service for as they have not invested enough in the infrastructure and are afraid it will be exposed if they allow applications that can stream media.

So there you go, the Carriers are strangling mobile development by forcing us to be non mobile, stuck at home or in a coffee shop if we want to use certain applications. It’s just not good enough, what do you think?

If you want to run it over 3G there is work around if you have a jailbroken iPhone, take a look here and add an entry for com.slingmedia.SlingPlayer, thanks to @urprey for the tip.

Here is also a statement from AT&T which confirms that they were the ones that stuck a spanner in the works:-

AT&T’s full statement.

"Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.
That said, we don’t restrict users from going to a Web site that lets them view videos. But what our terms and conditions prohibit is the transferring, or slinging, of a TV signal to their personal computer or smartphone.
The Slingbox application for the iPhone runs on WiFi. That’s good news for AT&T’s iPhone 3G customers, who get free WiFi access at our 20,000 owned and operated hot spots in the U.S., including Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, hotels, and airports. AT&T is the industry leader in WiFi."

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone / iPod Touch:

• $29.95
• Wi-Fi only
• Supported for Slingbox PRO, SOLO, PRO-HD
• Currently compatible with all Slingboxes, including Classic, AV, and Tuner

Available now in the App Store