ATT: Liberalization of 3G Network, Soon Supporting Slingplayer

ATT is now saying that after working through things with Sling Media, the next update for the iPhone app will support 3G streaming. Let me repeat: once the update is available, you can stream video over ATT's 3G network using the iPhone app Slingplayer.

You pay $30 for an app, you kind of expect to be able to use it when you want to, where you want to, and how you want to, right? Well, if you're like me and you play $30 for the Slingplayer, you had to be tethered to a Wi-Fi access point or hotspot.

Well enough since just about everywhere these days have a wireless hotspot.  Starbucks, MacDonalds, Borders, and Barnes And Noble. What if you're not frequenting these social places or anywhere else where Wi-Fi access is unavailable? Well, you're out of luck.

What changed? Techno-magic. It's as simple as that. I'm not kidding. This is what ATT said in their press release: AT&T been been working collaboratively with Sling Media since December to test its revised SlingPlayer Mobile app, which has been recently optimized to more efficiently use 3G network bandwidth and conserve wireless spectrum. Optimization reduces the risk of the app causing congestion that could disrupt the experience of other wireless customers so, with that improvement, we will support it on our 3G mobile broadband network.

This subject specifically touch on the iPhone 3G and 3GS. How about the iPad? Hey, like Steve said, all of the 140,000 apps will work on the iPad. I'm guess that Steve also mean anything that works on the iPhone will translate over to the iPad. And this includes the ability to streaming video via the Slingplayer on the iPad 3G.

This liberalization is due to collaboration between AT&T and Sling Media as the press release says. So I have to ask this. What about other video streaming services on the Internet like Hulu and Netflix?

I'm going to do a bit of speculation here and say that Apple had a hand in it and probably is readying some sort of video streaming service in the second half of the year (there's too much going on already and it's not in Apple's DNA to try to confuse the consumer).

Plus, there are other factors that seem to be working towards this anyway. This new development followed closely on the heel of Apple's changes to the iPhone OS to support VOIP over 3G. I don't know about you but even if you don't care for 3G video streaming (there was already some apps doing this) and chatting over the Internet, this really flies in the face of all the complaints against Apple and AT&T.

I surmise this is in some part due to competitive pressure from the likes of Android and Verizon Wireless. So I think we'll see more wireless and access developments leading up to June, when Apple's likely to introduce their next generation iPhone.

More at 9to5mac.  You can google this subject if you like to know more about it.  Frankly, it's a waiting game for me.  Waiting for the 3G-enabled Slingplayer and waiting for the iPad 3G.

Slingplayer on EDGE (T-Mobile's T-Zone)

It's done.  Slingplayer is now working with T-Mobile's T-Zone.

But as you probably guessed, it didn't work right out of the box...ah...download.  It took some tweaking, frantic calls to Dave the mobile warrior, and persistence to get it finally working.

It simply irks me that in this day and age we are limited by terms dedicated by self-professed wireless overlords who are fine with milking what they can from us with public spectrum.  But that's another issue.  The main issue is that I refuse to abide by those terms.  And I whole-heartedly encourage my fellow mobile warriors to put ATT on notice.  In your own manners.

Now, back to Slingplayer.  I'm putting together a video that I'll have on youtube tonight or tomorrow showing Slingplayer for the iPhone working on the wireless network.  You'll notice it's on T-Mobile and not ATT.  Well, others have gotten Slingplayer to work on ATT's 3G network.

Quality.  How is it?  Well, it works well enough.  The quality, I don't know if you'll be able to see it on the video later today, is adequate for EDGE-like speed.  There a lot of buffer.  A few times, it would buffer every 30 seconds, while other times, I had streaming without any issue.

It's my belief that had ATT not crippled Slingplayer, it is conceivable that Sling would have made efforts for wireless streaming.  Now, that's less likely to be the case.

Oh, and it works fantastically over Wi-Fi.  No buffering at all.

I got Slingplayer working on the iPod Touch a day after it appeared in the App Store.  Piece of cake.  Five stars out of five.  Getting SP to work on the 2G iPhone required that I update the underlying OS to 2.2.1 (it was at 2.2).

My Mac Mini was kept at OS X 10.5.5 and iTunes was version 7.  After downloading iPhone 2.2.1 and the latest QuickPWN (2.2.5) tool, I updated the iPhone and proceeded with the QuickPWN application.  That was when I ran into trouble.  During the process, I was met with the Steve Jobs cartoon and an error message from iTunes.  For those who have unlocked or jail-broken iPhones, some of you might know what I'm talking about.

Luckily, Dave the mobile warrior advised that I download iTunes 8 (latest version) and repeat the process.  It took a while to repeat the process.  Longer than I anticipated.  Eventually, iPhone 2.2.1 was installed on the 2G iPhone without incident.  I quickPWNed it.  After making sure that it worked as advertised, I synced the iPhone including Slingplayer.

Why QuickPWN?  It's to unlocking the iPhone to work with T-Mobile.  Just as important is to install VOIP3G that tricks the iPhone into believing that when it access the Internet, it is going through Wi-Fi when in fact it's going through EDGE (3G access for the 3G iPhone).  But I had issues with it so I downloaded another variant.  I think I used Tricker 3G.  I don't have access to the iPhone as I'm writing this entry but it's a simple enough matter to search for "3G" on Cydia.

After syncing ("synching" is also correct, BTW), I met up with a couple of college friends to watch Star Trek.  It was pretty good.  A bit rushed in my opinion.  It was really made to recruit a new generation of Trekies.  Sorry. Back to the Slingplayer on the iPhone.

Next step was setting up Slingplayer with my account information.  After going through the setup (very simple), the video started to stream.  Love it!

And the added benefit to this is that Skype calling is also enabled.  I had a few calls domestically and no one had any idea that I was call them via EDGE.

So, would I recommended going through this?  Well, that's entirely up to you.  Personally, it was more the rebel in me than anything else.  I just hate being screwed over and I'm sure a lot of you feel the same.  I'm sure there is an enterprising attorney out there now looking to see if ATT violated anti-competitive laws (word on the street is that while ATT is truly concerned about 3G overload, they are also paving way to offer their own TV service) and the FCC looking into this matter.

If you do give this a try, love to hear what you think of the quality.

Crippled Slingplayer to Spur Lawsuits?

I am not an attorney and I know no more about the law than the average mobile warrior. However, can ATT's crippling of iPhone's Sling app end up being in the courts?

I think that is a possible scenario given that Sling's attorneys or iPhone users can make a case out of this. We all know that Slingplayers on other networks and devices work well enough over 3G networks.

ATT's argument against the 3G use with Slingplayer on the iPhone is just utterly nonsense. It's one of those things you say and you struggle to take it back. We'll likely hear more about this in the coming days.

And we've yet to mention net neutrality as a critical issue in all this as more and more people rely on their smartphones and mobile devices like the iPhone.

Links: Wired, Appleinsider

Note: It may be that ATT's argument that the iPhone isn't a smartphone for legal reasons. We doubt they really believe that but we've argued all along that the iPhone is a mobile device with telephony functions.

Hulu's developing an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Hulu's developing an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is according to Business Insider.

This is more concrete than rumors because of what we're seeing being approved by Apple for the app store. Granted, the Sling Player has seen the light of day (word in the street, ah, blog world is ATT is rejecting on Apple’s behalf), but this Hulu app should be even better than the Sling Player.

CBS’s TV.com app debuted a few weeks ago. Short review: better than nothing. It’s got a way to go but I’ll wager that Hulu app should be better. There are a few more apps like TVU and Joost but programming on Hulu is second to none.

This is a great end of the week. Now, my fellow mobile Apple users, keep in mind. Just because they build it doesn’t meant we’ll get it. To this day, no one understands Apple’s app approval process. Sling submitted their app around the same time Skype did theirs and Skype was approved within days. I’m betting Sling will get their app rejected and that really puts a dampener on any Hulu app.

We’ll know in a couple of months.

Via Business Insider

Note: Will we see a Boxee app soon?