AT&T: “Slinging” barred on all devices, not just iPhone
SlingPlayer for the iPhone
The problem with Sling Media’s new new iPhone application has nothing to do with the fact that it’s running on the iPhone, an AT&T spokesman, responding to the controversy over the new program, told me today.
Sling today released its long awaited iPhone application, which allows users to stream live television signals to the iconic smartphone. But unlike beta versions of the program, the final release is critically hobbled by the fact that it can’t use AT&T’s 3G network. Instead, it can only access the signals over WiFi networks.
Company spokesman Mark Siegel explained to me this afternoon that AT&T considers the streaming of television signals to any device over its wireless data network to be a violation of its terms of service.
“It doesn’t just apply to the iPhone,” Siegel said. “The key here is not (which) device is enabled for (the SlingPlayer). This is not an application that is permissible to use on AT&T’s network.”
The reason being, Siegel explained, is that AT&T is worried that such applications will tax its network to the point that other users won’t be able to use it to place calls or use other data applications.
“The heart of all this is that we want to make sure the network is available to all of our customers,” he said.
That’s a reasonable explanation, but it stands in contrast to what the company said earlier today, and it stands in apparent variance to a literal interpretation of the company’s service terms.
(And that’s not to mention that the company has flip-flopped back and forth over whether such an application would be permitted under its service terms and that other phones and other devices are already using versions of the SlingPlayer application over AT&T’s network.)
Those terms specifically prohibit “redirecting television signals for viewing on personal computers” (emphasis mine), not smartphones.
Tech blog Engadget reported earlier today that AT&T explained this apparent discrepancy by saying that it considered the iPhone to be essentially a PC “in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.”
According to what Siegel told me, that’s no longer the explanation.
What Siegel didn’t discuss was whether AT&T would take steps to block the use of SlingPlayer applications on devices other than the iPhone.That may be somewhat easier said than done, of course.
Because all official applications for the iPhone have to go through the iTunes App Store, that store serves as a choke point. If you don’t meet Apple or AT&T’s strictures, the program won’t get listed and will be generally unavailable to iPhone users (except beta testers and those who have unlocked their phones).
In contrast, programs for other platforms such as Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, are more widely available; there’s no single choke point. And on the PC, Sling has made a version of its SlingPlayer available through a Web browser. So for those platforms, it may be much harder for AT&T to block users from accessing their Slingboxes over its network.
Of course, the company could potentially try to block any Sling-related data on its network. But discriminating against particular kinds of data is already a hot-button issue.
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This is all BS by AT & T, they simply don’t have the gonads to admit that their network sucks and the reason that they blocked it from the iPhone and not their other phones is because there are a lot more iPhone’s on their network than any other phone, come on AT & T why don’t you grow a pair. I can’t wait until the exclusive deal they have with Apple expires and Apple makes the phone available on other networks, once that happens you will see a mass exodus of biblical proportions.
Just start charging for the service! ATT should realize that demand for more bandwidth is a good thing. Put a big fee on the slingplayer access and call it a day.
Cool iPhone blog, I hope you’re going to do some articles on the iPhone 3G S as well.
I got an iPod touch a couple of days ago but I think I had better bought an iPhone
There is obviously a lot to know about this.
Nice blog adding this to my twitter now
The iphone is still on my shopping list. I wish the price would go down a bit so I could afford one.
My ipod 1G is the essential iPod, Pda and much more, plus has long been since I received it. It still work on the most recent iPod system software program, and any app I might need it to run. I’m working with it to post this remark at this time. It’s safe to say it truly is a lot more than only an “excellent hobbyist system” — it really is an superb iPod