MW: Once the SlingPlayer Mac is out, are all eyes turning to Palm OS, or do you guys have something else up your sleeves?

BJ: Well, the other logo that’s on the box is the Symbian OS logo, which was not marked out. And, there was another one that was revealed, obviously, because some of the very early boxes had a black sticker over the top of a Palm OS logo. So, while I can’t comment on specific delivery dates and the specific functionality of what we’re working on, our objective all along has been twofold: create great hardware products that really give power to the consumer, and through software, deliver that power of your home TV on multiple platforms. So, multi-platform support, no additional recurring costs for that multi-platform… you pay for your cable bill, and it’s available on the PC, available on the Mac, available on the handheld, and smartphones.

Windows Mobile was the first, and the two versions we support we think are great because as you’ve seen, there’s a great number of new Windows Mobile devices, like T-Mobile Dash, which I do want to clarify for your readership that there’s a number of new Windows Mobile devices coming out where some folks and early testers have reported back that SlingPlayer Mobile is not quite working. It’s no different than when the Treo 700w came out, and since there was a square screen the original SlingPlayer [Mobile] software didn’t fit right or fit a little clunky on that screen. So, we just had to get a device and tweak the software build a little bit so it detected that it was a 700w and then pop up on the screen in the correct way. So we’re working on compatibility with devices like the T-Mobile Dash, the new Samsung, the TyTN which is available in Europe right now, and a number of devices that run Windows Mobile that are hot, hot products coming to market. We are working to make sure that our software is completely compatible with those devices, so we’ll have some upgrades in the near future. I just want to make sure that the Community knows that compatibility is coming.

Back to the platform support, we are working with partners to deliver a Symbian and Palm OS based version of our SlingPlayer Mobile software. So moving beyond Windows Mobile, which we’ve been very, very happy with from the level of feedback and customer support we’ve received, we recognize, especially when looking at it from a US and international perspective, we need to be on more platforms so we can provide great value in a number of different countries around the world. Look at Symbian, with their popularity in the European and Asian markets, and Palm OS, with their popularity in the US and even the Asian market where they have come out and coming out… like today. There’s a new 750p Treo just announced for Cingular customers here in the United States that will run on the HDSPA 3G GSM network.

So, more network operators, more devices running on multiple operating systems. We think it’s very important to be available on these devices.

Final Thoughts

First, I'd really like to thank Brian for the amount of time he spent with me at Digital Life, the interview, and for letting me share actual footage of SlingPlayer Mac in action with the SlingCommunity. I know a video isn't as good as actually having the public beta in hand, but I hope everyone in the community at least can be relieved there's proof SlingPlayer Mac is real.

It's been a long road for Mac owners, and though many have been critical of both the communication and responsiveness on getting SlingPlayer Mac to market, getting a chance to see SlingPlayer Mac in action has me convinced that there's an end to this long journey. Best of all, the wait will be over much sooner than later. Brian threw a safety net by stating "early November" as a possible release date, but I think moving into next month, even by a day, would be a huge mistake. There's just too much at stake. SlingPlayer Mac needs to be available by or on Halloween.

Trick or treat.

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