Boingo is now offering a free month of Boingo WiFi HotSpot service to all SlingBox users in an effort to cash in on the recently launched SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone’s lack of 3G support. SlingBox-loving iPhone users can sign up for a month of free Boingo service here, which will get you access to more than 100,000 Boingo WiFi hotspots around the world. You’ll be required to submit payment information, which Boingo will use to charge $7.95 for every month that you decide to keep using the service.
Apple’s move to force Sling Media to cripple the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone application has drawn criticism from many an iPhone-owning SlingBox customer. The backlash prompted a decidedly lame response from AT&T corporate (you can read about that here). AT&T essentially pushed Apple to restrict the SlingPlayer Mobile iPhone application from streaming place-shifted TV broadcasts over AT&T’s 3G data network, limiting the iPhone app to WiFi-only use. While the rest of the SlingBox community enjoys streaming TV anywhere, anytime on their BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, S60 and even Palm OS smartphones , iPhone users need to find a WiFi hotspot to get their television fix.
AT&T already offers free AT&T WiFi HotSpot service to all iPhone owners. And, with Boingo’s 100,000+ WiFi hotspots strewn across the globe, iPhone users will have even more access to their SlingBox from afar.
You can download Boingo’s iPhone application here. (iTunes link)