It's been a longgggg time coming, but good news for all you SlingBox owners... the word is that come December 31st SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones will officially enter its public beta. Very sweet! I know a bunch of our members have been on the private beta for weeks now, so any of you that are reading feel free to give us a heads-up in the comments for how much you're loving it! You can read the press release after the jump and learn more at Sling's website.

Press Release

SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry Smartphones Coming December 30th!

Dec. 18, 2008 -- Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is pleased to announce SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry® smartphones will be available for download as part of a public beta beginning Dec. 30, 2008.

For information on SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones including device support, operator support and system requirements, please visit http://www.slingmedia.com/go/blackberry.

Sling Media will make SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones available to Slingbox customers in the U.S., Canada and the UK at launch. SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones will be available as a free download during the public beta period.

The following is a list of BlackBerry smartphones that will be supported at launch.*

  • BlackBerry Bold
  • BlackBerry Curve 8900
  • BlackBerry 8820
  • BlackBerry Curve 8320
  • BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220
  • BlackBerry Pearl 8120

SlingPlayer Mobile requires BlackBerry device software 4.5 or greater. To see if your phone meets the minimum requirements, please visit the following URL using your BlackBerry smartphone's browser: http://mobile.slingmedia.com/go/bbcheck. We will check your BlackBerry smartphone and let you know if it is supported, if it needs a device software upgrade (available from your carrier), or if it is not supported at this time.

*Sling Media continues to work with Research In Motion, to bring SlingPlayer Mobile to additional BlackBerry smartphone models. In addition, device support is dependent on your location and carrier. Please reference http://www.slingmedia.com/go/blackberry for more information and specific device and carrier support.

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