A New Killer App?

Have you heard about the new Slingbox? Some are touting this as the next killer app(lication). The Slingbox lets you watch your TV programming from any broadband connection - whether another room, at the office, wherever. But will it change the current competitive landscape?

That was the debate among some of my colleagues at TheStreet.com. That this new product could halt new subscriber growth at the cable companies. I have heard the same story before. Tivo was touted as the death of TV commercials; Napster was going to kill the music companies; and Vonage was going to be the death of local phone companies. But it never seems to work out that way. At least not in the short-term.

I suspect that the Slingbox will remain a niche product for a while. Just like all of these media center products that have yet to become mainstream. I think that once that concept of the PC/Home media center converges and digital content can easily be stored and shared, that something like the Slingbox will be a key component. But I won't be rushing out to buy one soon.


p.s - Has anyone noticed that the Tribe is on fire? Go Coco Crisp!