Sling Media has finally launched their much anticipated Slingbox that allows users to access their home television service from anywhere in the world -- The Slingbox enables consumers to watch their own satellite, terrestrial or cable television service or personal video recorder programming, using any internet-connected Windows XP laptop or desktop personal computer. Aiming to provide access to television anywhere, anytime, the Slingbox device allows users to placeshift their viewing, in addition to the timeshift possible with a digital video recorder. The Slingbox is a distinctively designed, brick-shaped product that is simply connected to an existing video source in the home and a home network router. The Slingbox redirects a single stream of audio and video to a personal computer running the SlingPlayer software application. The remote player could be anywhere in the home, or, with a broadband internet connection, anywhere in the world. �The Slingbox clearly defines a new era for television viewing,� said Blake Krikorian, Sling Media co-founder and CEO. �Our goal is to enhance the TV-viewing experience by allowing people easy access to their living room television content, no matter their location: around the house or around the world.�
Every executive who has approved a connected product roadmap has made a quiet assumption: the network underneath it will still be there. That assumption is about to be tested at a scale the automotive industry has never faced. The global connected vehicle installed base is heading toward a billion units, and the cellular technology most of those vehicles depend on is scheduled to begin its retirement before the end of the decade. For automakers, fleet operators, insurers, and the telecom carriers that serve them, the question is whether the recurring revenue those services promise can survive a connectivity layer with a shorter life than the vehicle carrying it. How Scale Meets an Expiry Date Omdia research forecasts that the global connected vehicle installed base will surpass 1.05 billion units by 2035, up from 473.7 million in 2025. Few installed bases of any kind more than double in a decade, and this one signals that connectivity is moving from premium differentiator to baseline e...