We all know that Skype for iPhone currently requires that you be at a WiFi access point in order to make a Skype call from the iPhone, even though it supports 3G data. So, when highly respected technology reporter Larry Magid, attending today’s D:AllThingsDigital conference, sends out the Tweet, shown to the right, quoting AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, many questions arise:

• Has AT&T heard that Skype really provides communications software? I think that is the message that Skype President Josh Silverman has been trying to deliver when he states, “software will drive the future of real time communications innovation and efficiencies going forward, not the existing telcos”
• Is failure to allow Skype for iPhone to run over AT&T’s 3G network a tacit admission that AT&T continues to suffer from 3G data network capacity and quality issues? Once again my most recent trip roaming on AT&T in Chicago four weeks ago demonstrated nothing to say service availability and robustness has improved over my previous experiences in PA, WV, VA, NC, SC, CA and NV.
• Is AT&T’s response to SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone (or BlackBerry) one more challenge to, or subtle admission of, AT&T’s network quality and robustness issues. Is the following statement a cover-up for their failings:
  

  “Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network,” an AT&T representative said in e-mail to reporters. “The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service.”

I would invite Mr. Stephenson to Canada where I can demonstrate Rogers’ high quality 3G GSM data network that:

• has robust and reliable 3G data coverage in not only major population areas but also all our major tourist and recreation areas (Whistler, Central Ontario, Tremblant, etc.)
• is always there when I expect it
• has no issue with using SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry (and has made no issue with SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone either)
• Rogers is offering its Rocket Stick mobile data service over its  7.2Mbps 3.5G HSPA network, placing additional demand on their network capacity.

Bottom Line: Sorry, Randall, but AT&T has a long way to go to show that they understand the real potential of, and that they’re serious about, their mobile business.

For more amusement check out John Paczkowski’s report on Walt Mossberg’s Q&A with Randall Stephenson at D7.

Update: Om Malik reports this afternoon at GigaOm: AT&T Moves Up Its LTE Rollout, Admits To Network Issues. Seems that AT&T is finally admitting they have some issues to address.

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This evening I had a conflict: I needed to meet up with a neighbor while walking my dog but wanted to watch a key hockey game via my NHL Center Ice cable subscription. Why? Another neighbor’s son is a leading player on a team that is surprisingly making a run for a playoff position. Fortunately SlingMedia last week released the first “gold” version of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry. I was able to watch the final period of the game while walking the dog (Blues won!). And this is currently only uniquely available on a BlackBerry Bold since it requires access to a 3G network when not in a WiFi access point’s zone.

While I reviewed it previously during my beta testing activity, SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry is now delivering a high quality, reliable performance with improvements made in reception stability and adapting to commands accessed by pushing buttons on the cable box’s virtual remote control included with Sling Player Mobile for BlackBerry. Key improvements over the past three months of beta testing include:

• Ability to add/ edit Slingboxes and Channel Favorites directly on SlingPlayer Mobile, not just via SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows, which in the past was then propagated down to the BlackBerry
• Additional setting to optimize low bandwidth streaming
• Additional convenience features, e.g. current connection type indicator, volume level indicator, keypad lock, in addition to general UI improvement
• Enhanced aspect ratio/ display mode support
• Audio track selection if available as part of the channel program

Some of the features I have come to appreciate include:

• ability to see whether you a re on a WiFi or 3G wireless connection (Bold only)
• volume level indicator
• access to your SlingBox account allows easy access to your various SlingBoxes without the need to enter all SlingBox parameters
• access to the “Favorites” menus that can be setup on a PC or Mac.
• use of the SYM key to switch between viewing “connection mode (WiFi or 3G)”, battery level and volume level indicators
• ability to schedule recording of programs on my cable boxe’s DVR player
• “Listen” mode: listen to the audio without video; ideal when driving – safer and reduces battery drain

The best test of quality is following the high speed action of a hockey game; there is no pixelation or other display break up other than when changing channels or pulling up information such as the digital cable guide or channel information bar.

SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry works over a 3G connection on the BlackBerry Bold or over a WiFi connection on any 8×20 BlackBerry, 8900 BlackBerry Curve or the Bold. SlingMedia has said they are investigating support for the Storm; also they announced at CES 2009 that SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will be released later this week.

SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry continues to be one of the best demonstrations of the power of the BlackBerry Bold, requiring optimum performance from the processor, display and network connection. And when you get totally absorbed in a music production carried over, say, an HD Net concert, you also get to experience the excellent stereo audio quality of the Bold.

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In my early 50′s youth when I was delivering afternoon newspapers in somewhat remote Saskatoon, Saskatchewan I always tried to be at one customer’s home at 4:30. Why? At that time the only television viewable came via high rooftop antennae from transmitters far away (~400 miles) near Minot, North Dakota. If atmospheric conditions were favorable my customer would let me watch half an hour of a kid’s program (probably Howdy Doody); most of the time we got to watch it masked by a snowy blizzard of faint reception. Getting any type of television reception at that time and location was, at best, a challenge and an adventure.

Fast forward 55 years to this past week’s 2009 New Years day afternoon. While riding as a passenger in our car, we sped along Ontario’s main 401 freeway as I watched the CBC Sports color telecast of the third period of the NHL Winter Hockey Classic (live from Wrigley Field) on my BlackBerry Bold. It was one more test to carry out during the public beta of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry.

I viewed all the action in full color; equally as impressive was the quality of the stereo sound (which “swells” out well beyond the device). The only frame freezing probably occurred as my BlackBerry switched between cell tower sites. Otherwise I was experiencing a crisp picture with sharp colors and clear sound coming from my home cable TV box. Talk about convergence – a Rogers cable TV signal being transmitted back out over Rogers High Speed Internet to a BlackBerry Bold via Rogers 3G wireless.

I have provided the detailed basic requirements for using SlingPlayer for BlackBerry Mobile on my recent Web Worker Daily post: “A New BlackBerry Experience Goes Beta: SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry” along with a history of SlingMedia’s hardware and software products. Note especially that it requires a version 4.5 firmware upgrade of any BlackBerry 8×20. While it works via a WiFi connection on all supported devices, over a 3G HSDPA network (Rogers, AT&T and T-Mobile in North America)  it only works currently on the BlackBerry Bold.

Over the past 15 months I have been using SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian on a Nokia N95-1 over WiFi connections. It has been a consistently reliable experience over that period; it also provided me with some benchmarks for testing the BlackBerry version’s user interface and video/audio quality. Here are some of the experiences I have had with SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on my BlackBerry Bold 9000 over the past few days of beta trials:

• a rock concert on HDNet where percussion, guitar chords and voice cover a wide audio frequency range
• a rebroadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas eve concert on PBS where over 200 voices, soloists and the orchestra provide an excellent source for testing the clarity of audio as well as the resolution of the video
• several sports events, including fast moving football and hockey action as a test for shadowing and pixelation
• Oprah Winfrey making Skype High Quality Video calls

In all cases the experience on the Bold took full advantage of the Bold’s processor power, network speed, native stereo audio and its widely acclaimed “stunning” color display. Simply stated, I became immersed in the programs I was watching to the point where the experience was transparent to the underlying technology. My only negative was more physiological than technical: I found full “playing surface” views of sports events could cause a bit of dizziness due to focusing on all the action within the Bold’s display size; holding the device further away from my eyes addressed this issue.

While I had some excellent viewing and listening experiences, a few comments:

• instead of a full visual representation of the cable box remote control, the remote control buttons are represented on a menu bar across the bottom of the screen. Note that in addition to the icons on the menu bar, one can “fast-track” to an item using the keyboard (for instance, M=Menu, O=Power On/Off, etc.)
• scrolling across any of the three menu bars is done via the BlackBerry’s trackball.
• audio comes out by default over the Bold’s speakers without the need to click on the “speaker” button
• the “Favorites” menu bar picks up your “Favorites” channels stored via SlingPlayer for Windows¹
• changing channels may cause a video freeze up for 10-20 seconds; this is an issue SlingMedia is trying to minimize.
• no apparent viewing experience difference whether using either a WiFi or 3G connection
• needs a bar to display volume level when using the BlackBerry’s volume +/- buttons
• switches readily between a full screen video and a display that incorporates one of three menu bars
• needs to “reconnect” if you switch to another BlackBerry application while viewing (SlingPlayer application remains open in background but disconnects from the source); the “reconnect” time is 5 to 15 seconds.
• battery life on the Bold for continuous reception of a broadcast via WiFi is about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.; it’s probably shorter on other 8xx0 models.
• I have also been able to get SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry beta working on a BlackBerry 8820 over WiFi where, once again, it provided an excellent true reproduction of the video signal within the limitations of the 8820′s video and audio hardware.
• it can also be used to operate the PVR on my cable TV set-top box.
• latency: at midnight New Year’s Eve, SlingPlayer for BlackBerry Mobile rang in the new year seven seconds after the broadcast version directly connected to a cable service.
• you can almost read those real time scoreboard bars that appear across the top of the screen during football and hockey broadcasts.

And, for now for those not able to take advantage of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry due to its current specifications:

• it works over a GSM/EDGE connection on unsupported BlackBerry 8xx0 devices; however, SlingMedia does not guarantee the resulting performance. This is really an application for 3G or faster wireless networks only; an attempt to connect my Bold in a rural area where there was only EDGE wireless failed.
• once SlingMedia releases this HSDPA version of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry they will look at doing a version that runs over Verizon’s, Bell Mobility’s and Telus’s 3G EV-DO network

A suggestion for RIM: SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry demonstrates the full potential of the Bold’s and Javelin’s video display. Let’s hope that newer versions of their firmware can achieve the same level of high quality video on the YouTube player and other video applications supported by these devices.

If you have both a SlingBox and one of the supported BlackBerries, upgrade your firmware (where necessary) and give SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry a try (U.S., Canada, U.K.). Sling Media is now looking for feedback from its targeted user public.

With over 500 channels to choose from, at any location worldwide where I can find a WiFi or (unlimited data plan) 3G HSDPA connection, television broadcast viewing has come a long way from having, in a fixed location, a single channel available only when atmospheric conditions permit.

SlingPlayer for BlackBerry has significant potential for business road warriors; in addition to the entertainment aspect, it also provides immediate access to “breaking news” and business broadcasts from taxis, airports, coffee shops, restaurants (mind your etiquette, however). For those states considering legislation prohibiting texting while driving, they may also want to include viewing videos as a potential distraction.

And this is an application I don’t expect to see on an iPhone any time soon.

(I would have put up a screen capture; however, the video does not make it to the BlackBerry screen capture programs I employ, including PC desktop programs.)

¹SlingMedia’s remotely stored “Favorites” feature will be supported by a future version of SlingPlayer for Mac.

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A few thoughts as I prepare to head out to Las Vegas this evening. While a 15-year veteran of the former Comdex, this is only my second CES show. But interesting to note how it is approaching the size and popularity that Comdex had in its heyday. While Bill Gates continues to give keynotes, there is, however, one major difference – the news comes out and is propagated worldwide instantly — not primarily by the mainstream press but via independent bloggers who can take a much more vertical approach to presenting a range of perspectives on all the announcements and new offerings. Andy at VoIP Watch talks more extensively on this subject.

As for Skype and VoIP (where V = voice and video), I will be watching for:

• the evolution of Skype phones, including cordless phones, to devices that allow Skype to operate independent of a base PC platform but rather directly via an Ethernet connection to a home router.
• how will Skype migrate to mobile platforms? Can we expect a Skype for Symbian announcement? Has Skype overcome the latency issues that have delayed the introduction of Skype over GSM-associated networks? Have wireless Skype phones addressed some basic product issues? Can they convince more carriers (beyond UK’s 3) that unlimited usage data plans are desirable?
• what is the future for Skype video? is multi-party video conferencing on the road map?
• will we start to see significant numbers of Voice 2.0 applications? will their introduction come as a revolution or evolution?

On the first subject, a few comments: over the past few years we have seen home-based routers go from PC-based “applications” (remember WinGate?) to independent devices such as those supplied by Linksys, D-Link and NetGear; we have seen the access to our TV cable box served best via a dedicated device such as the SlingBox. Is the Skype phone the next major consumer device to operate over IP independent of a multi-tasking PC? Recently I have been able to use Truphone to make low cost international calls over my WiFi connection. What other dedicated-function devices that simply attach to an Ethernet port on the router or connect via WiFi can we expect to see?

P.S. – the latest version of SlingPlayer is giving me superb quality over my home network (with speeds up to 3Mbps) even when full screen on a 1650 x 1080 display.

Tags: Skype, SlingBox, CES2007

I just reinstalled SightSpeed on my “rebuilt” laptop and am always impressed with the video quality. It is reminiscent of the days about 25 years ago when the first color monitors became available for the mini-computer-based instrumentation I was selling at the time. My budget-limited customers (mostly university based researchers) thought they could get away with budgeting for a black and white monitor until they actually saw the color monitor … it took all of two minutes to change their mind once they realized the features color added. Somehow the additional funds for color magically appeared quite quickly. (I won’t mention the price they paid for simple monitors at that time!) When you see a SightSpeed video its quality just hits you instantly as being the benchmark for video communications. And this week PC Magazine thought so also.

While it is a challenge to market in a space containing the GYMAS-five, Peter Csathy seems to be ringing up the wins by working with partners who can take advantage of SightSpeed’s video messaging functionality. Two of note: a deal with MTV who is using SightSpeed on their Total Request Live offering to bring viewers into the show; SightSpeed is also making its debut in politics as a campaigning tool. Would be interesting to see if my university colleagues Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae start to use SightSpeed in their tight run for the leadership of Canada’s Liberal party this fall where they need to approach 4500 delegates spread across 4,000 miles.

In fairness I need to point out that PC Magazine makes a point of how Skype video is more associated with ad hoc “phone” communications as opposed to SightSpeed’s video messaging approach. Great to have two players in the game where one sets the benchmark for one particular feature that can be leveraged for targeted messaging while the other provides a total real time communications platform.

Other commentary on SightSpeed: Jon Arnold, Ken Camp and check out SightSpeed CEO’s video message on their implementation of peer-to-peer communications.

Turning to another aspect of video, SlingMedia announced a family of three new products this week:

• SlingBox Tuner for those who still receive their TV “over-the-air:
• SlingBox A/V for those with cable/satellite service and PVR’s
• SlingBox Pro for those who want to use HD signals or access multiple devices (say, cable box and DVD player)

A key feature of the new products is the enhanced resolution – from the previous 640×240 to 640×480 for local network connections; it remains at a very acceptable 320x 240 for remote connections. Any hope for Skype integration in the future to add a personal audio channel with the viewer of the “home” TV setup?