It's January 14th, and MacWorld 2008 begins tomorrow. What will Apple introduce during their keynote this year? New laptops? Upgraded Apple TV? New iPods? My hope is for a 3G iPhone. Apple is due to release the SDK for the iPhone to developers within the next 2 months. This could mean a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone. Combine a SlingPlayer client and a 3G iPhone, and you probably have the most stunning remote video device available.

Current iPhone:

Both the current iPhone and iPod touch could theoretically be used as a remote SlingPlayer device. Both devices are very similar and have brilliant screens and intuitive UIs.

The current iPhone will certainly be a very usable SlingPlayer device once the SDK is released, and a client is developed. It is my opinion that SlingMedia will almost certainly develop an iPhone client once the SDK is available. The current generation device will work wonderfully as a Sling client on WiFi connections. I don't think you'd be able to beat the experience with any other portable device. If Apple provides a way to get video out of the iPhone via the dock cable, you could have a handheld player that hooks up to any TV! Way cool.

On AT&T's network, the current generation iPhone will be a little more problematic. The current phone uses the EDGE data transmission format. EDGE is limited to a maximum data rate of about 236 Kbps. Theoretically, EDGE could reach speeds as high as 473 Kbps if the operator allowed it to utilize all timeslots on a radio channel (highly unlikely.) Most users would probably see somewhere around 120 kbps to 200 kbps data rates. This is pushing the lower limit of acceptable speeds for SlingPlayer. Even though my Treo700W is an EVDO handset and should have speeds above 500 kbps, I regularly see speeds of around 175 kbps to 250 kbps; in that range, the image is relatively good on a small screen. So, if a user is in an area with a really good EDGE connection, the current generation iPhone should be able to Sling at an acceptable quality. So those of you who own current iPhones should be able to Sling without too many problems if you can accept slightly lower quality or frame rates.

Alternatively, there is a way that one could get a much faster and better mobile video experience from the iPhone. If you already have a USB or Express Card EVDO modem, you could very easily use a device like the CradlePoint PHS300 router to enhance your experience. The PHS300 is a slick little mobile router that features a USB port and built-in WiFi. It also has a LiOn battery providing about 2 to 3 hours of run time. Your USB EVDO modem plugs into the USB port (Express Card to USB adapters are available.) You'd make an EVDO connection with the CradlePoint

iPod Touch:

The iPod Touch could also be a great WiFi based SlingPlayer device. Apple has announced that the upcoming SDK will also allow developers to write programs for the iPod Touch. Will the device be capable as a SlingPlayer? I would certainly think so and pretty much the only thing that would prevent that if some functions in the SDK were disabled for the iPod Touch. We'll have to wait and see, but it's a compelling idea to be able to have all of your media - streaming media included on a single portable device. And since the iPod Touch uses WiFi for connectivity, the streaming speeds should be sufficient. And using a device like the CradlePoint router described above, you could effectively have mobile Slingbox access with your iPod Touch. If you love your present cell phone and don't want to get an iPhone but you do want an iPod and you do want to Sling while mobile, this is an excellent solution.

2nd Generation iPhone:

Whatever the second generation iPhone turns out to be, it will certainly be an outstanding SlingPlayer client device. Those of us who like to go portable with media and the Internet may finally have the "Swiss Army knife" we are looking for. A new phone is likely to have a larger amount of flash memory. My guess is that it will have at least 16 GB like the iPod Touch or perhaps even 32 GB. At these flash memory sizes, video storage on the device begins to get practical (8 gig is a little small for audio, pictures AND video.) And, the new iPhone is almost certain to be 3G (UMTS) capable. With the 3G chipsets, the iPhone will be able to have much higher datarates (if the phone supports HSDPA, users could typically expect to get up to 3.6 Mb/sec and potentially up to 14 Mb/sec.) This would make for an outstanding SlingPlayer experience.

Disadvantages of using the iPhone as a SlingPlayer, other than the current generation speed, aren't many. For me, getting an iPhone would mean consolidating devices. Right now, I have a Motorola SLVR that I use for voice, my Treo 700W is used primarly for data/e-mail and Slinging, and I have an iPod for music and recorded video. With a 3G iPhone with at least 16 GB of flash RAM, I could probably combine all 3 devices into 1. While that's good, there is a disadvantage. Right now, I can talk on the phone, Sling video, and listen to music all at the same time. With a single device, you can't do that. Still, I think the tradeoff would be worth it.

In conclusion:

For 2008, I am certain that we will at least see a beta release of SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I think it will be one of the most eagerly awaited software packages for these devices, and will definitely be a hot piece of software. At some time during the year, we should see an announcement for a 3G iPhone - maybe not at Macworld, but perhaps later in the year. All in all, it should be an interesting year.