So AT&T (NYSE:T, news, filings) did deliberately cripple the Sling player on the iPhone. No surprise there, if they’re scared of VoIP congesting their networks they must be positively shaking about video. What’s different about this case, is that you can use the Sling player on other phones on the AT&T network – just not the iPhone. AT&T is quickly going to find their reasoning to be publicly indefensible. I understand why they are making the argument, it’s just not going to convince anyone.
AT&T thinks that on the iPhone, people might actually use it alot, whereas on other phones they won’t. That’s right, you can’t use the Sling player on the iPhone because it’s a better phone that people like to use. You can only use it on inferior devices which properly discourage its use. AT&T’s position reduces to this: phone makers should make devices that make it harder to use the data plans they go with, thereby reducing the data that must actually be delivered. That way they can promise everyone great download speeds so everyone can have the ability to try out more really cool technology that they will rarely actually feel like using.
Dizzy yet? I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more about this kind of thing. After all, there won’t be any LTE phones until 2011, that’s a heck of a long time to wait patiently.
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by now you should have hacked your phone if you want to have all the cool toys work the way they should and forget what at&t does. if you want the answer, go to http://www.ihackintosh.com/2009/05/use-sling-player-over-3g-without-wifi-with-tricker-threeg/ and it will show you the way.