iPhone News Updated

Sling’s iPhone App Launches, But WiFi-Only

Sling Media Inc. this week began shopping a long-awaited application on Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)’s iTunes store that will allow customers to access cable or satellite TV programming remotely from an iPhone or iPod Touch, but the app only works in areas where viewers have WiFi connections.

When Sling began hyping the upcoming launch of the iPhone app in January, iPhone owners expected they would be able to view TV shows and movies remotely anywhere on AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)’s 3G wireless network. Sling said in January that the application would work with any “standard broadband network connection.”

But on Wednesday, Sling announced that the SlingPlayer Mobile application would only work with a WiFi connection. Sling officials didn’t respond to requests for comment this morning.

The opposition to allowing owners of the $180 Slingbox to access programming via AT&T’s 3G network appears to be coming from AT&T, the exclusive distributor of Apple’s iPhone. The phone company told the Los Angeles Times that redirecting TV content on its network would consume large amounts of bandwidth and hurt other AT&T wireless phone subscribers trying to use the network.

Limiting access to the Sling Mobile application to subscribers connected to the Internet via a WiFi connection could hurt sales of the iPhone application, which at $29.99, is far more expensive than most other applications available in the iTunes store. On Wednesday morning, Sling Mobile was ranked as the 28th most popular application in Apple’s rankings of the top 100 most popular paid applications available on iTunes.

Sling Media CEO John Gilmore said in March that the company expected the launch of the iPhone application to drive sales of its Slingbox receiver. “When you see a demo on another iPhone, you want to have it. Even though it may be a little more expensive, it’s going to be one of the must-have apps,” Gilmore said in an interview with Contentinople.

EchoStar Corp. (Nasdaq: SATS), the No. 2 U.S. satellite TV provider, acquired Sling Media in 2007. EchoStar’s Dish Network subscribers who own iPhones or iPod Touches can use the Web browsers on the devices to access the interactive programming guides on their digital video recorders, and can essentially use the iPhone or iPod Touches like remote controls.

[Thanks: http://www.contentinople.com]

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