SlingPlayer for BlackBerry, which was previewed in a usable state nearly a year ago, is finally coming to BlackBerry in a public beta.
The player will run on most BlackBerry phones, with the notable exception of the Storm, which it seems would be best suited for such purposes. According to the company, the app will run straight away and without caveat on the BlackBerry Bold, Curve 8900, 8820, Curve 8320, Pearl Flip 8220, and Pearl 8120, assuming they are updated to OS 4.5.
Beyond that, Sling says that the program may run fine on a variety of other OS 4.5 EDGE-only handsets, though these configurations will be unsupported. If our early hands-on is any indicator, a solid EDGE connection will generally do well enough, so for all intents and purposes this release will cover most of the operational BlackBerry line. The beta will open on 12/30. [Sling]