Note: While the BlackBerry version supports station caching, the iPhone app doesn't.

Slacker told the Wall Street Journal that the G2 will be phased out in the second half of next year, saying "it no longer fit with the company's long-term strategy."

The $4 bucks a month subscription based streaming service, and access from hardware like the Logitech Squeezebox and Bravia TVs isn't going anywhere, though. In fact, it looks like that's where Slacker will refocus its efforts. [Wall Street Journal via Electronista]

I've played with it briefly, and the experience has been fantastic so far. Because Apple does not allow caching like RIM does with the BlackBerry, the content is streaming—but the music plays back well even when you are on EDGE (and the coverflow-style switching was smooth). The app is free, but if you don't have a Plus subscription you will have to deal with the occasional advertisement and a skipping/request limit.

Features:

Slacker Mobile for iPhone:
• Free music library featuring millions of songs
• High-quality stereo playback from any wireless connection
• Over 100 professionally programmed genre stations
• Create custom artist stations
• Fine tune stations to play more of the music you like
• View artist biographies and photos
• View album art and reviews
• "Peek Ahead" artist and album preview
• Pause and skip songs
• Rate songs as favorites
• Ban the songs and artists you don't like

[Slacker on iTunes]

Not at all far, as it turns out. MobileCrunch reports that the release could come as soon as tomorrow, which is fantastic news. If you're not familiar with Slacker, it's an almost too-good-to-be-true online radio site that enables Last.fm and Pandora-like streaming, in conjunction with more tradition radio-style stations and easily controllable user-made stations.

As with the Slacker standalone player, the station content will be stored locally on the BlackBerry or iPhone, meaning that you don't need a solid 3G or Wi-Fi connection to play back your music. It's safe to say that the iPhone version, like the Blackberry app, will be free, but some features will be disabled unless you have a full Slacker subscription, a fact that holds true across the Slacker range of products. [MobileCrunch—Thanks, Daren!]

One of the beta's biggest features is the ability to run Slacker in "mini" mode (as opposed to running it from your browser). You also get higher resolution album artwork, the ability to create playlists from your music, and when Slacker starts offering their premium version, the app will let you listen to your favorite songs on-demand. (The app will also play a big role once the hardware comes out). It's worth checking out if you're a Slacker fan like myself, though my one nitpick is that there's no Mac love. – Louis Ramirez

Product Page