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Sling Media is offering upgraded versions of three of its mobile software clients: SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile PocketPC (now version 1.6), Windows Mobile Smartphone (also 1.6), and Symbian S60 (1.1). According to Sling's press release, the updated software adds support for additional hardware--including the Nokia N95 8GB, the Treo 500v, and the Samsung i760--and improves the streaming experience on "select handsets," including the the Sprint Mogul. The upgrades are free for registered users of the previous versions. Download prices for new users remain at $30 per handset, and with the free 30-day trial period, you can try before you buy.

Still available (but not updated today) is Sling's Palm OS mobile client. The company is pledging Symbian UIQ (for Sony Ericsson phones, as opposed to the Nokia/S60 version mentioned above), and BlackBerry support by the end of 2008. Of course, in order to stream live TV (or any other home AV source) with the SlingPlayer Mobile software, you'll need a Slingbox up and running in your home.

What do you think: do the new Slingbox Mobile software clients make a good product even better? Or do you prefer rival offerings from the likes of Sony, Hava/Monsoon Multimedia, and--soon--Archos? Or is the whole "TV on your phone" movement overrated?

SlingPlayer Mobile downloads (US): Slingmedia.com

This is just getting silly.

The makers of the popular Slingbox have been promising the SlingCatcher for almost a year and half now. And once again, the projected release date will come and go quietly.

Gregg Wilkes, vice president of sales for Sling Media--which is now owned by EchoStar Communications--told a frustrated customer in an e-mail that the goal to release the device during the second quarter of this year will not be met.

Wilkes writes: "Will the catcher ship in Q2? No. We are upgrading the user experience and making enhancements to the feature set. These may or may not all ship at the same time. Will the Catcher ship in '08? All indications point to this happening in 2008."

The SlingCatcher is a set-top box, separate from the Slingbox, that brings video content from a Slingbox to another TV in a house, or from an external hard drive. The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector.

The device was originally introduced at CES 2007, and shown again at CES 2008, which was when Sling was floating the Q2 time frame.

LAS VEGAS--A lot has happened since we first saw Sling Media's SlingCatcher set-top box at CES 2007. Two new Slingboxes have debuted, as well as a handful of product updates from the company. Oh, and of course, the company was purchased by EchoStar for $380 million.

Watch the SlingCatcher video on CNET TV.

But this is the year, the company insists, that the long-awaited product will indeed be on sale. No specific date has been set, but the word is sometime in the second quarter. Though it originally planned to have it out in time for holiday sales, "sometimes these things take time," said Sling CEO Blake Krikorian, in a statement.

The SlingCatcher is a separate set-top that can be used to bring content from a Slingbox to another TV in the house, or from an external hard drive. Though it works fine on both HDTVs and standard-definition sets, connecting the SlingCatcher to the new Slingbox Pro-HD is the only way to transmit high-definition video around the home.

The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

SlingProjector software has been updated since last we saw it. When browsing Web video on a PC, the software automatically detects windows with video and projects it to the TV screen it is connected to.

Also updated: the official price of $249.

Sling Media has unveiled the Slingbox PRO-HD, the first version of its video place-shifting boxes designed to stream true high-definition video. The catch? Due to the massive bandwidth requirements, HD video can't be streamed over the Internet--just to other locations on a home network. Still, that means that PCs running the SlingPlayer software--or TVs attached to Sling's soon-to-be-reannounced SlingCatcher--should be able to view a high-def stream at up to 1080i resolution with 5.1 surround audio. (To date, some Slingbox models have been able to accept HD video, but the output stream was limited to DVD-level standard-definition resolution.)

Watch the Slingbox PRO-HD video on CNET TV.

The Slingbox PRO-HD will be loaded with a full range of inputs and passthrough outputs. Although it will lack HDMI (thanks to copy-protection restrictions), the PRO-HD will include NTSC, ATSC, and clear QAM tuners. The newest Slingbox is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2008 for $400.

One of the largest satellite TV providers is slicing itself into smaller pieces.

Formerly called EchoStar, it will be split into two businesses: the satellite broadcast service will be called Dish Network, and its fixed satellite services and set-top box business will be called EchoStar Holding Co., according to SEC filings dug up by GigaOm.

Current chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen will retain both titles as head of both companies.

EchoStar Holding Co. (EHC) will include Sling Media, which was bought by EchoStar in October for $380 million. The Slingbox is now one of several set-top boxes that EHC could possibly sell to other cable operators or other satellite companies.

There had been rumors earlier this year of AT&T being interested in buying EchoStar, and Dish Network as its own business could be easily snapped up by the cable operator.

The SlingPlayer for Symbian S60 phones is out of beta and now available for sale. The software allows a selection of Nokia phones (the E65, N75, and N95 in the U.S., and the E65, N73, and 6120 elsewhere) to stream TV from the full range of Slingbox models. Previously, the Symbian software was only available pre-installed on models sold by British wireless provider 3. Furthermore, the new standalone software delivers full-screen playback and Wi-Fi streaming not available on that previous edition.

The Symbian software will be available on Sling Media's Web site soon. It will cost $30 in the U.S., C$35 in Canada, and £20 in the U.K.--although the fee is waved for those who purchase the Nokia N95 in the U.S. As with other mobile versions, a free 30-day trial version will be available, so you can try before you buy. The Symbian SlingPlayer joins versions already available for Windows Mobile and Palm OS products, as well as Windows and Mac computers.

The announcement of the Symbian player software caps a busy week for Sling. In recent days, the company unveiled a buyout by Dish Network parent EchoStar, as well as the announcement of a new hardware product, the Slingbox Solo.

After hitting a veritable grand slam with its sale for $380 million Monday, Sling Media is back at the plate already, hoping to connect for another hit with its next Slingbox.

Still buzzing from the news of its acquisition by EchoStar, the Foster City, Calif., company is expected to release a new model of its place-shifting gadget on Thursday. This version will be called the Slingbox Solo, and its features and price fall right between the high-end Slingbox Pro and low-end Slingbox A/V, both released exactly one year ago. (Sling also confirmed that it will not be refreshing the Slingbox Tuner, the previous lowest-end model, which connects only to a TV, not a set top.) Like its siblings, the Solo allows TV subscriptions to be transmitted wirelessly to remote devices like mobile phones and notebook PCs via its SlingPlayer software.

The Solo is a slightly tweaked version of the original Slingbox, but with a new combination of features. First, what will stand out to anyone familiar with the traditionally red Slingbox is that the Solo comes in shiny black. It keeps its recognizable trapezoid form, but will likely blend a little better with the average home theater enthusiast's setup.

It's also going to be HD-compatible. It has composite and S-video inputs and outputs for standard-definition connections to set-top boxes, as well as a component video input and output for users with high-definition boxes. There is only one audio input, however.

Sling says it aims to position the Solo as its mainstream product. Place-shifting is still a concept that the less-than-technical consumer may not understand, but now that the company is part of a high-profile satellite and DVR company, it's likely to get a lot more visibility coming into the holiday season. As broadband adoption and the availability of HD channels and services grow, and more consumers become accustomed to watching video on mobile devices and computer screens, the concept will likely begin to make more sense to a wider group of retail shoppers.

Sling is also taking a more global focus: The new Solo will be available tomorrow for $179.99 in the U.S., but also Canada, United Kingdom and The Netherlands simultaneously. It usually delays its international releases until well after a product's American debut.

While the actual product isn't groundbreaking compared with the company's previous releases, it is the first Slingbox in a year. Now that the company is part of EchoStar, it's likely that the infusion of capital and access to more technology--which Sling CEO Blake Krikorian is now gleefully eyeing--will ratchet up the speed with which it can release both updated hardware and new software and services.

For example, the Clip + Sling software is still supposed to be released by year's end, Sling says, but it won't be more specific. First announced at CES in January, Clip + Sling shows how Sling sees itself as a media company, not just a hardware hawker. The device will enable users to take clips of live TV and send to anyone, not just fellow Slingbox owners. The likely hang-up with the software's rollout is content partnerships--as of January only CBS had signed on to allow some of its shows to be used.

Again, latching onto a company like EchoStar, which has long-established relationships with content owners, could make those partnerships that Sling is looking for fall into place that much faster.

An in-depth hands-on evaluation of the Slingbox Solo--including a video of the product in action--is available at CNET Reviews.

Blake Krikorian can't be blamed for using surfer slang to describe his elation at being acquired by Echostar Communications on Monday.

The co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, maker of the Slingbox set-top device, along with his brother Jason, came up with a game-changing idea for the mobilization of TV content and now seven years later, they've finally cashed in. A day after EchoStar Communications, which owns satellite provider Dish Network, announced it would acquire Sling for $380 million, Krikorian spoke to CNET News.com about what it means for the company, future products and relationships with content owners.

Though he could barely contain his excitement, he says going forward it should be "business as usual" for Sling, which will remain intact as a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. However, now they've got the goods to really do what they want to do.

"We get to accelerate some of our efforts in terms of funding, access to technology," he said in a phone interview. "EchoStar has built a lot of their own products, deployed more DVRs than anyone in the world. All that software and hardware they built themselves. It's pretty interesting technology for us to leverage into some of our solutions."

Sling's funky trapezoid-shaped set-top box allows cable and satellite subscribers to "placeshift" their channels to remote devices like mobile phones and PCs. Though he does anticipate working directly with Dish Network to differentiate some of the Dish products, Krikorian insisted Sling will remain "carrier or operator agnostic." He says EchoStar understands this as well.

"They're telling us to 'Go, run like crazy, and do what you're doing, and let us know how we can help you. And by the way, here's a bunch of technology.'"

The relationship between Sling and EchoStar goes back a bit. The satellite company is just one of several of the companies that had given a total of $58 million in investment. He wasn't looking necessarily to sell Sling, and in fact the company was on the verge of closing a third round of investment when the EchoStar idea presented itself, Krikorian said.

So why a satellite provider and not a software, hardware or media company? Krikorian says the chances of getting lost in the shuffle at a big media company were "very high" and going to a straight-up technology company wouldn't provide the established relationships with content providers. Cable was not an option because of the companies' limited reach, he said.

Besides the wealth of technology and resources Echostar has to offer, Krikorian says he was attracted to the culture at Colorado-based EchoStar--namely that it's not corporate.

"The guy who's running the place is the guy who founded it. (Charlie Ergen, co-founder and CEO) is an entrepreneur, not a corporate suit," he said.

For Krikorian, he believes EchoStar pays as much attention to creating technology, as it does to the bottom line. There's also a certain legitimacy that comes from association with an established content distributor like EchoStar, which will likely be key for a boundary-pushing company like Sling.

The nature of its business--place-shifting content anywhere--has made some content creators more than a little nervous. Home Box Office and Major League Baseball's Advanced Media division have publicly complained that Sling enables its customers to illegally re-broadcast content. But that was when Sling was a lonely little start-up. Having EchoStar acting as a proverbial bodyguard might scare the bullies away.

"If anything, (HBO and MLB will) look at (the Slingbox) with more comfort and more positively than they looked at it before. The fact of the matter is, going to EchoStar versus another technology or software company is...they know EchoStar. EchoStar pays them hundreds of millions of dollars annually," said Krikorian. EchoStar "values content. They make money by selling premium content."

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--Some of Sling Media's peers and competitors applauded the company a day after word came that it had been acquired by EchoStar Commmunications for $380 million.

At the IPTV World conference here, attendees said they were happy to see a fellow Silicon Valley company striking pay dirt. Many of them also said they owned a Slingbox, the hardware that beams shows from a home TV to anywhere in the world an owner might be.

"This is an excellent outcome for the Sling Media guys who really executed well," said Ward Williams, vice president of marketing for iChip India, an IPTV start-up. "They did a good job of taking what is essentially a great feature and communicating to consumers why they needed the service. For the rest of us, deals like this are encouraging."

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) describes the distribution of digital content to televisions over broadband networks. A score of companies are here showing off their wares and exchanging estimates on when mass adoption may finally arrive. Another reason for the sector to feel encouraged is that Sling Media's acquisition is a sign that big media firms may be eyeing the sector, according to Conleth O'Connell, chief technology officer for Vignette, which develops content-management software.

O'Connell recalled hearing News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch say in a speech that the public has grown weary of information traveling down a one-way street. Murdoch said, according to O'Connell, that everything from video sharing to blogging indicates that consumers want some control over information.

"The Slingbox is inside a person's home but allows them to send their TV experience outward," O'Connell said. "We had all better listen to what consumers are telling us. They want this notion of sharing. In the future they'll want to send a favorite TV clip to a friend or community. In the past, the direction of information has gone one way: from broadcasters to viewers."

Buying an IPTV property may provide media companies with a way to help users become more interactive with content, but Henry Choy, a video and TV analyst with Jon Peddie Research, said Sling Media offers EchoStar a chance to branch into a mobile market without having to depend on others.

"EchoStar is a satellite company and they don't have the broad access that the telcos or cable guys do," Choy said. "This is clearly a way for EchoStar to appear in any device they want. They don't have to rely on AT&T or other carriers. If you have Slingbox you can see EchoStar programming anywhere you want. It moves EchoStar out of the home. "

Provided it works, cautions Choy.

He points out that the Slingbox is a beautiful way to distribute content when there's enough available bandwidth. He argues that anybody who owns a Slingbox knows what it's like to see grainy or choppy images due to an overtaxed network.

Choy predicts that as compression technology improves, bandwidth will be less of a concern. When that happens, it's going to be tough to compete with the Slingbox. While many IPTV companies are trying to combine traditional TV with Internet video, most of the Web's top video sites would love to offer premium TV shows.

"Rather than having to look for Web content," Choy said. "It's much more compelling to watch the exact same content that you have at home."