Few wireless applications tickle my oh-so-fickle fancy. As a matter of fact, up until last week only a pair of apps were useful enough for me to download to my handset: Google Maps and Opera Mini Browser, both of which are off-deck apps and ones I use on regularly.
Those two were joined last week by what has to be the coolest application ever: Slingbox Mobile.
Having heard about this great application first from Ovum analyst Roger Entner, the stars finally aligned and I was able to procure the hardware necessary to demo this place-shifting technology. Within a matter of minutes I was watching my home cable TV from the comfy confines of my 4-foot by 8-foot cell (I mean cubicle) using Verizon Wireless’ CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network and the Motorola Q.
And not just one or two channels, all the channels I get through my home cable system … on the Q … at my desk. Productivity will suffer.
Up until this life-altering experience, I thought very little of watching TV on a wireless handset. Sure, I had tried out a variety of offerings already available, but was so underwhelmed that I questioned why anyone was spending money to develop such lame technology.
However, as with most things too cool for school, there is a catch.
Carriers don’t want their subscribers to use the service-for good reason. While I was not able to discern the amount of data Slingbox Mobile required to work its magic, I can only assume some poor Verizon Wireless customer in the vicinity was wondering why his “Daily Show with John Stewart” clip was taking so long to download while I was watching “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” for the umpteenth time.
Most carriers have said that they will not support Slingbox Moblie or that they are still looking into the offering. You can’t blame them. These carriers have spent billions of dollars on spectrum and building out their networks and want to ensure that they receive compensation for those efforts.
Verizon Wireless has committed to Qualcomm Inc.’s MediaFlo service. This makes sense as the MediaFlo service uses a dedicated network and spectrum that will not harm the carrier’s current network. But MedioFlo is expected to offer only a couple dozen preslected channels and requires a new device. Sprint Nextel has also hinted at mobile TV capabilities that presumably will have similar limitations to MediaFlo.
Both carriers currently offer a variety of data packages that take into account different user interfaces and devices. Wouldn’t it make sense to find a way to incorporate Slingbox Mobile in a similar way? It would be a shame to stifle a service that could lead consumers to see their mobile devices as more than just a phone.
