Sling Media is on site at Macworld today and will be demo-ing authentic iPhone Slingbox software and Mac OS X HD streaming.

If you recall, Sling previously produced a (jailbreak) proof-of-concept SlingPlayer last summer for accessing home television content via iPhone. However, they’re finally ready to get legit with an SDK-produced client which they intend to submit to Apple for approval early this year (Q1). No word yet on cost. I imagine Sling’s still evaluating various price points, in light of Apple’s 30% cut and the small number of iTunes apps priced over $20. (All prior SlingPlayer Mobile clients have run $30 per license, after free 30 day trial.)

Also on tap (Q1) is OS X Slingbox PRO HD streaming. While Windows owners have enjoyed HD streaming these last few months, Mac users have been left out in the cold. That’ll be rectified shortly… via updates to Sling.com. Meaning, this is purely a web-based player - think browser plugin. I also have word that PC browser components will be updated to support HD streaming in the same time frame. No word yet on the possibility of updates to the desktop OS X software.

I expect to spend a decent amount of time with my Sling pals at the EchoStar booth from CES later this week. So standby for additional news, including Sling-capable DISH DVR (VIP 922s) updates and various hands on photos or video.

With the holiday season news slowdown and calm before the CES storm, we may be posting slightly off center from our typical ZNF coverage these next few days. And, while we don’t generally offer a whole lot of mobile tech conversation, I’m clearly a phone junkie. So, here are my top three new iPhone apps of the week:

USA Today
First up is the USA Today news app. Although a (relatively) late entrant to this category, compared to say the New York Times and Bloomberg, USA Today is easily the best of the bunch for general info. While the number of stories may be limited, the range of topics plus sports scores and customized weather make it a keeper. It’s also quite sprightly, compared to the frustratingly slow (still) New York Times app.

HP iPrint Photo
HP’s released a free application that locates any networked (HP) printers and makes your iPhoto pics available for 4×6 printing. This clearly doesn’t replace desktop software, however it’s a promising proof of concept. And printing from mobile devices isn’t new by any means… I remember beaming addresses from PDA to laser printer,  via IR, years ago. But what this says to me is that Apple could easily add Bonjour printing to ALL apps on the iPhone, further cementing this as their take on the “netbook” trend. Printing pictures is cool, but printing Google Maps directions and email attachments would be practical. #

Animoto Mobile
Both Dale and I are fans of the Animoto photo slideshow service. Which has now been ported to the iPhone. Select 8 to 16 pics from your iPhone photo album, pick a track from Animoto’s music library, and wait about five minutes. Once the service is done crunching the media, you’ll be presented with an onboard video slideshow - which can also be shared. This won’t replace the more full-featured web-based Animoto creation wizard, but it’s a nice (free) utility for use while on vacation to get your loved ones some timely pics from the road. Three things I’d like to see… Animoto should link the iPhone app to existing web accounts for comprehensive content management. Additionally, each music track should indicate roughly how many pics can be supported - my test video (Dublin, below) didn’t display all 15 pics I tagged for inclusion. And, like the updated web app, let me label my slideshow. #

As I discovered earlier this month, i.TV has indeed been working on TiVo scheduling. Their updated i.TV iPhone app now links to your TiVo web account to schedule recordings. And i.TV’s television guide sure beats TiVo’s own mobile site. Assuming you can get it to work. Although I didn’t have good luck (pic below), Alex over at TiVoBlog.com was more successful.

This new feature joins Netflix queue management and various video previews. But the i.TV folks may have even grander intentions, recently unveiling an eWallet - initially, for movie ticket purchases. i.TV’s worth keeping an eye on…

It’s no secret that Mari and I are big fans of Internet “radio” services Pandora and Slacker. And recently both companies have been cooking up new ways to access their programming. This month, Pandora introduces a Vista sidebar gadget and limited Windows Mobile handset support.

The Vista widget has a polished appearance and operates well. Although, while it is much more compact than Pandora’s Adobe Air desktop client, be prepared to give up a large chunk of your sidebar. Collapsible track info or album art options might help, but the strip containing the Windows Vista logo (above) is persistent and will ultimately feature advertising. I also suggest the Pandora dev team think beyond the sidebar, like the very nice XM gadget or even Microsoft’s own RSS headlines, for changing stations rather than forcing us to operate in such a cramped space.

On the Windows Mobile front, this marks the first time Pandora has provided a mobile software client direct to consumers… independent of a carrier approval and fees. Initially, the HTC XV6900/Touch (Sprint & Verizon) and Motorola Q9C (Sprint & Verizon) handsets are supported. So, while I own Consumer Reports top rated cellphone (Blackjack II), I haven’t yet experienced the new Pandora Mobile. (However, I’m counted amongst the 2 million registered iPhone app users.)

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100:

Top ten Digital Lifestyle products of 2008
There was lots of activity in the Digital Lifestyle space in ‘08 with new devices, services and platforms being launched, and some of our favorites from last year receiving significant updates. Here’s my pick of the best ten.

Analyst: Apple to release ‘closed’ Netbook with iPhone-esque App Store
It’s not very often that I find myself agreeing with a likely overpaid analyst, especially one who admits that they have no “inside information”, but I think Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research could be onto something. Gottheil is predicting that Apple will announce its own Netbook at Macworld in January

Vudu set-top box no longer a one trick pony, adds support for YouTube, Flickr and more
My biggest beef with the Vudu set-top movie box is that it’s always been a one trick pony, and an expensive one at that, focussing on paid-for movies. That’s changed with the company announcing support for a range of free online video as well as images from photo sharing sites.

Why I’m backing Palm to make a comeback
It was already pretty much certain that Palm will finally unveil its next-generation mobile operating system, along with a brand new device, at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (the press invite reads: “Come to CES to see all that Palm New-ness you’ve been waiting for”) and now BusinessWeek is stirring the pot.

Sling Media has put a stake in the ground and intends to meet their goal of delivering a Blackberry SlingPlayer this year. On December 30th, the company will release a free public beta to Slingbox owners - supporting most modern GSM Blackberry models, such as the Curve and Bold. Meaning Verizon and Sprint customers are out of luck “until RIM resolves a platform issue.” Once official next year, I assume the software will run for a one-time $30 fee, like the Windows Mobile, Palm, and Symbian clients.

I’ve been playing with development builds for about a year. And the Blackberry SlingPlayer features the most efficient mobile interface Sling has produced, plus it’s also the first mobile client to support Sling Accounts. Meaning, customers don’t have to mess with tracking a Slingbox Finder ID - that number is associated with an email address, which most folks hopefully have no trouble remembering.

Of course, the inevitable commentary will ask about Slingbox iPhone software… According to Sling, “It is still in development but progressing nicely, there will probably be some public news next month given CES & MacWorld.” Stay tuned!

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100:

Hands-on: G1’s Android web browser rocks [video demo]
where Android really rocks is the bundled web browser. It’s fast, renders the full web flawlessly (aside from the lack of Flash support), and does a fantastic job of re-flowing text when you zoom in on a specific part of a web page, therefore eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling despite browsing on such a small screen.

Netgear extender to deliver YouTube HD
The EVA 9000 Digital Entertainer Elite is aimed at “the tech-savvy, early adopter, not your average Roku user”, and, along with YouTube support, can download BitTorrent files, access additional Internet-based content, as well as stream video from any PC connected to the same local network.

Every NFL game streamed online, on-demand and ad-free
No longer content with leaving money on the table, the National Football League launched a new on-demand Internet TV service called Game Rewind that enables fans to “watch every NFL game in HD quality, with no commercials”

BBC iPlayer on more mobile handsets
It’s getting hard to keep up, with the BBC rolling out new versions of its UK-only seven day Internet TV catch-up service on what feels like an almost monthly basis. This time iPlayer support has been added to Nokia N85, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and C905.