SlingPlayer Mobile Headed to BlackBerry OS

The TV-digitizing SlingBox will soon get BlackBerry support, allowing workaholics everywhere to abandon their livelihoods in favor of Home Improvement reruns.

Goodbye, productivity. The straight-laced workhorse of the cell phone world is about to get a heavy dose of oh-so-distracting entertainment. Sling Media announced on Friday that it will soon release a version of SlingPlayer for RIM BlackBerry smartphones, allowing users to watch live TV right on their phones.

Sling Media’s SlingBox converts standard television broadcasts into digital Internet broadcasts that, up until now, users could pick up from connected Windows and Mac computers, as well as mobile devices running Windows Mobile, Palm OS, and Symbian OS. The new version of SlingPlayer Mobile will add Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerrys to that list, such as the BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

“SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry has been a top customer request since we launched the original Slingbox Classic in 2005, and being a BlackBerry addict myself I am particularly excited about this announcement," said Sling Media CEO Blake Krikorian, in a statement. “Combining the best of breed email device with the ability to watch and control your living room TV is a killer combo.”

Like versions of SlingPlayer Mobile for other operating systems, the BlackBerry version will be offered as a free 30-day trial, with the option to purchase a key to unlock the full version for $29.99.