AT&T's singling out of the Slingplayer to restrict from 3G puts them in the position of trying to hold back the tides. They are on the wrong side of history.
Slingplayer
- Thread starter whmurray
- Start date
I have downloaded and installed the Slingplayer for iPhone. It is well designed and works beautifully, at least on my home LAN.
One must enter one's email address and Sling.com password on initial startup. After that, one only has to start it.
I started it on AT&T WiFi in Grand Central Terminal. It automatically found my account and my slingbox. However, it was unable to connect so I can not report how it operates over the Internet. Can anyone report on that?
At Sling's suggestion, I purchased a new Solo to work with the iPhone. Configuring it has been hell. Unlike my Slingbox Classic, it was far from plug-n-play. Sling support was less than stellar. I finally got to someone who took over my system and did the configuration. However, he left me to do the last step, configure for the Internet. Sling does not recognize or support my Linksys WRT56G Router. My Slingbox is still not visible from the Internet.
One must enter one's email address and Sling.com password on initial startup. After that, one only has to start it.
I started it on AT&T WiFi in Grand Central Terminal. It automatically found my account and my slingbox. However, it was unable to connect so I can not report how it operates over the Internet. Can anyone report on that?
At Sling's suggestion, I purchased a new Solo to work with the iPhone. Configuring it has been hell. Unlike my Slingbox Classic, it was far from plug-n-play. Sling support was less than stellar. I finally got to someone who took over my system and did the configuration. However, he left me to do the last step, configure for the Internet. Sling does not recognize or support my Linksys WRT56G Router. My Slingbox is still not visible from the Internet.
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I have had my Slingbox for a long time. My friends take far more advantage of it than do I. I first got the Palm mobile player and watched on a Treo 700p - mostly to show off to friends who merely had feature phones. I actually watched an entire football game on it once when the airport shuttle had to pick me up shortly after kick off, and we didn't make it to the airport until the end of the first quarter. All that was on my carrier's data connection. Had I been in WiFi range, I would have watched on my laptop on the larter, more comfortable screen. The same is true today with my iPhone. If I'm in WiFi coverage, I always have a netbook with me, and 10" beats 3" any way you look at it. I would not use the mobile player on a WiFi connection.
Sling loses, I lose, AT&T is happy.
Sling loses, I lose, AT&T is happy.
Agreed.
On the other hand, AT&T has the widest WiFi network and there is no additional charge for it for iPhone customers.
As I'm still in my first month of iPhownership (heh - beat that!), I haven't tested WiFi out and about yet. But I'm pretty sure there wouldn't have been AT&T WiFi on that airport shuttle.
Taking my first trip since I got the iPhone this weekend. I'll be checking WiFi at airports and the hotel while I'm away.
Taking my first trip since I got the iPhone this weekend. I'll be checking WiFi at airports and the hotel while I'm away.
Here is another twist or two.
First, like all Apple iphone applications that connect via Bonjour, the Sonicwall router/firewall is not compatible. I have Linksys router and Macafee firewall at home and the iphone slingbox application works, not in my office where it can't even find my network. Ilium found a fix so I am using eWallet in my office, but Splashdata programs are also not able to sync.
Second, I am connecting with my 1st generation Slingbox!
If you read what Sling says carefully, it says that they do not support that device with the iphone application, not that it doesn't work!
OK, I did order the new Slingbox and used the $50 discount for upgrading because I think it will work better with the new unit and I think as the new software evolves, sooner or later the 1st generation player will go with the dinosaurs into techno extinction.
PS: Yes, it stinks that it only works with WiFi and not 3G
First, like all Apple iphone applications that connect via Bonjour, the Sonicwall router/firewall is not compatible. I have Linksys router and Macafee firewall at home and the iphone slingbox application works, not in my office where it can't even find my network. Ilium found a fix so I am using eWallet in my office, but Splashdata programs are also not able to sync.
Second, I am connecting with my 1st generation Slingbox!
If you read what Sling says carefully, it says that they do not support that device with the iphone application, not that it doesn't work!
OK, I did order the new Slingbox and used the $50 discount for upgrading because I think it will work better with the new unit and I think as the new software evolves, sooner or later the 1st generation player will go with the dinosaurs into techno extinction.
PS: Yes, it stinks that it only works with WiFi and not 3G
redbeard
Well-known member
Why can't people just make apps that stream the channels like the "France 24" app does? It's live tv of their 24 hour news station, it's free, and it works great over 3g..
FRANCE 24 LIVE for iPhone - review | Mobile Tech Addicts
FRANCE 24 LIVE for iPhone - review | Mobile Tech Addicts
Requires a service.
The advantage of sling is that it is my server with my programming.
Be sure to download Easy WiFi for AT&T. Converts a difficult to use, but already paid for, service into one's network of choice.
No longer true. Found a button labeled "If you are having difficulty." Used it. Tested it with my Verizon GPRS connection and it is now visible from the Internet. Must go to Starbucks to test the iPhone Slingplayer. Plan to do that today. Will report before bedtime.
redbeard
Well-known member
Their happiness will be short lived. Rather than trying to solve their capacity problems by arbitrary restrictions to use, they need to expand their capacity. Other carriers offer phones with Slingplayer and do not restrict them.
AT&T(Cingular) has been riding on the 3G that they acquired when they bought the brand and the old AT&T wireless. Perhaps when they have paid for the acquisition, they will be able to invest in capacity and stop making stupid excuses.
I think that the Apple agreement and the iPhone success have produced more load than AT&T planned for. The difference between the iPhone and its competitors is that people really use the iPhone for data applications.
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There are two possibilities. One is that someone operates and pays for an Internet server/service called "France 24." Two is magic.
One may create a client that takes advantage of an existing service but someone has to take the channels and put them into IP. That usually has to be the channel content owner. I have already paid for the channels on my cable box. I can watch them any place that I want to. I cannot resell them, or even give them away, to someone else, any more than I can take channel 4 off the air, and charge admission to watch it.
There is no one in a position to sell me all the channels that are on my cable box.
Note that my Slingbox is a server. Right now, it is under the radar but operating servers is technically a violation of the terms of service with my ISP. Since I am the only user of the service, I do not create much load and I do not expect to hear from them. However, they would be technically within their rights to charge me a higher rate.
[Note that your contract may be different. The contract that I would have to go to offers an order of magnitude increase in speed; worse things can happen.]
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I have been listening to the iPhone Live discussion of this appl. They are pimping for AT&T. Their position is that AT&T is only "protecting us from a bad experience." They believe that when AT&T rolls out its 4G network, the restriction may go away. Well, duh. It is not AT&T protecting us but Apple protecting AT&T from us. Apple has throttled its products to protect AT&T from load. The first iPhone was EDGE only to protect AT&T from 3G and to hide how sparse their coverage was.
Do a Google news search on AT&T 4g Rollout. What you will learn is all about Verizon 4g. How about 20-30 markets next year? Time Magazine's lead says, "The inadequacy of 3G networks to carry data and video for large numbers of handsets simultaneously is hurting the performance of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone." It is not 3G networks in general but AT&T in particular. I am not sure about T-Mobile but Verizon and Sprint do not have a problem.
Do you suppose that anyone at AT&T can say "jailbreak?" How about "Palm Pre?" "Windows Mobile?" Can they say "Verizon?" Their exclusive with Apple runs out before they can roll out 4g; Apple is already talking to Verizon. AT&T are in denial. They are living on another planet.
Do a Google news search on AT&T 4g Rollout. What you will learn is all about Verizon 4g. How about 20-30 markets next year? Time Magazine's lead says, "The inadequacy of 3G networks to carry data and video for large numbers of handsets simultaneously is hurting the performance of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone." It is not 3G networks in general but AT&T in particular. I am not sure about T-Mobile but Verizon and Sprint do not have a problem.
Do you suppose that anyone at AT&T can say "jailbreak?" How about "Palm Pre?" "Windows Mobile?" Can they say "Verizon?" Their exclusive with Apple runs out before they can roll out 4g; Apple is already talking to Verizon. AT&T are in denial. They are living on another planet.
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I promised an update when I had tried the Slingplayer over the Internet. Quite candidly I would not have expected any difference were it not for a review from a pre-release reviewer that suggested that one could not expect good results over the Internet.
In my admittedly limited trials, I could not detect any difference. After the first time you open it, when you are prompted for your Sling.com ID and password, it behaves pretty much the same way as it does on my home LAN. I see progress messages, "logging on, connecting, optimizing," and then it starts to play. After the initial time, no intervention or response on the user's part is required. On one trial, it took 23 seconds from touching the icon to start of the programming. This was on AT&T Wifi at a Starbucks.
Questions?
In my admittedly limited trials, I could not detect any difference. After the first time you open it, when you are prompted for your Sling.com ID and password, it behaves pretty much the same way as it does on my home LAN. I see progress messages, "logging on, connecting, optimizing," and then it starts to play. After the initial time, no intervention or response on the user's part is required. On one trial, it took 23 seconds from touching the icon to start of the programming. This was on AT&T Wifi at a Starbucks.
Questions?
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If you jailbreak, Slingplayer will work over 3G. I have a friend who uses it on T-Mo on his iPhone.
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