Hulu has launched a free desktop client for OS X and Windows so users can view video content without the use of a browser. My guess is this has been in development for awhile and may be the reason they denied Boxee.

I tried the software out on my MacBook Pro and my Asus EeePC 1000HE Netbook. I liked the interface quite alot, but found my Asus 1.66GHz N280 Atom powered netbook could not playback video well enough to be watched. Although I use my Asus netbook with Slingplayer 2.0 daily with fantastic results.

Continue reading Hulu Launches Desktop Client for Macs and Windows…

Have to like how WSJ tech guy Walt Mossberg handles AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.

Want Manhattan in 3D? There is an app for that! UpNext 3D NYC iPhone App is amazingly cool as it renders Manhattan in 3D, allowing you to zoom up and down the city streets, in-between buildings, finding places to eat and things to do. It also overlays the subway map and crowdsources popular destinations. Available for just $2.99 the iTunes App Store. See the video above.

I have long been an advocate for Google’s Gmail as it offers loads of storage, highly usable interface, the ability to use it with a desktop mail client and best of all is free.

Google just released a new feature that allows users to import their Email archives and contacts into their Gmail accounts effortlessly being powered by TrueSwitch. Now importing contacts and mail from AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, MSN, NetZero, Earthlink, Cox, Comcast, Worldnet, Verizon, Sprint and dozens of others is fast and easy. This will be available only on new accounts at first with support for existing accounts being added over the next thirty days or so.

I think these ads speak for themselves! What is really funny is the ad agency that makes the Microsoft ads is Mac based.

According Apple press release today:
Apple® will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. A team of Apple executives, led by Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the keynote. WWDC will offer in-depth sessions on both iPhone™ OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™, an even more powerful and refined version of the world’s best desktop operating system and the foundation for future Mac® innovation.

SlingPlayer Mobile, $29.99 is now available for download from the U.S. iTunes App Store. Although it is WiFi only, I have to say Sling nailed the UI.

AT&T is now saying it rejected SlingPlayer for iPhone on their 3G network due to concerns over bandwidth.

“Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. 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. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.

That said, we don’t restrict users from going to a Web site that lets them view videos. But what our terms and conditions prohibit is the transferring, or slinging, of a TV signal to their personal computer or smartphone.

The Slingbox application for the iPhone runs on WiFi. That’s good news for AT&T’s iPhone 3G customers, who get free WiFi access at our 20,000 owned and operated hot spots in the U.S., including Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, hotels, and airports. AT&T is the industry leader in WiFi.”

SlingPlayer for iPhone is already “live” in the U.K. iTunes Store. It is expected anytime now in the U.S. store. It will be selling for $29.99 for WiFi ONLY which is a bit high for the App Store, but the same price that it sold for other mobile platforms. I will be buying it as soon as it arrives.

Apple releases OS X Leopard 10.5.7 into the wild tonight as well as Safari updates for Leopard and Tiger. They also had the time to bring some security updates and even an update for Safari 4 Public Beta. Just fire up Software Update to get yours. Apple and I recommend you backup your machine before applying these updates.

The Mac OS 10.5.7 Update is recommended for all Leopard users and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac. It also includes sync-related “reliability” fixes, some nice additions to the parental controls, a Gmail login fix, and widget updates. Full details here.

Safari also received an update for Leopard and Tiger users bring it to version 3.2.3 recommended for all Safari users, providing fixes for a number of security vulnerabilities. Safari 4 Beta also received some update love that requires OS X 10.5.7. There is also a version for Tiger that requires OS X 10.4.11 and security update 2009-002.

According to several websites including Engadget, SlingPlayer for iPhone will finally arrive between 12:01 AM and 6:01 AM EDT tomorrow morning. It will be WiFi ONLY and will cost $29.99. Some will be happy, some will be sad, but life will go on.

Apple and/or AT&T took serious bandwidth that this type of app would impose on the HSPA network. I guess WiFi only was the only choice for now to get approval. Possibly this could be lifted to include 3G at some other time in an update. Sling Media has decided to lift the ban on older Slingboxes they originally claimed, with the caveat that they won’t be officially supported if you run into trouble.

While Slingbox owners wait and wait and wait for SlingPlayer for iPhone and SlingPlayer 2.0 for Mac users, Sling delivers a small update for Mac users.

Sling Media’s SlingPlayer for Mac 1.0.8 is a software player/controller for its Slingbox streaming hardware line. The software includes SlingStream streaming with dynamic adjustments for bandwidth, SlingRemote remote control (with support for controlling Apple TV, a Mac with Front Row, or an iPod in an Apple Universal Dock), and more. This release includes improved video quality, hybrid tuning support for the Slingbox PRO-HD, improvements to the Slingbox Setup Assistant, rapid switching among view modes (full screen, wide screen, letterbox, windowbox, pillarbox), and a one-click toggle to show/hide the player controls. SlingPlayer for Mac is available for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and up (Universal Binary).

Continue reading Sling Media Updates SlingPlayer for Mac…