iPhone version of SlingPlayer Mobile on tap

Slingbox owners, rejoice: A SlingPlayer client for the iPhone is finally on the way. Also coming soon: An HD-capable, Web-based SlingPlayer for Mac users.

First up: The long-awaited SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone, which will let Slingbox owners sling their DVR/set-box video directly to their iPhone screens. Various flavors of the SlingPlayer Mobile client have trickled onto the market in the past few years—SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry just went into beta last month—leaving the iPhone as one of the few smartphone holdouts.

That's set to change—well, probably—before the quarter is out. Sling Media promises that it'll submit the iPhone version of SlingPlayer Mobile for "certification" in Q1—and there's no guarantee when, or even if, Apple will approve the SlingPlayer client for the App Store.

Now, Apple has already given its stamp of approval to other streaming apps, such as OrbLive and Joost for iPhone, so there's no reason that SlingPlayer Mobile shouldn't get the green light as well—but this is Apple we're talking about, so you never know.

No word on pricing for SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone (other versions of SlingPlayer Mobile sell for about $30), or whether you'll be able to stream Slingbox video over Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network, but I'm guessing … probably Wi-Fi-only.

Also set for the first quarter: SlingPlayer for Mac HD, good for slinging HD-quality video from the Slingbox PRO-HD to your Mac.

Unlike the client-based PC version of SlingPlayer, the Mac version will be Web-based; you'll access it through Sling.com on either Safari or Firefox. The current client-based Mac version of SlingPlayer only streams SD video.