The people of Europe are to get their hands on the Slingbox - a device that can take the signal from a viewer's television set at home and retransmit it to another computer, laptop or mobile wherever it may be situated in the world. A true marvel, the Slingbox is the work of Blake and Jason Krikorian, who invented the device to address the frustration they felt at not being able to watch matches featuring their local baseball team when they were in the office or on the move. Their company, Sling Media, is based in San Mateo, California, and earlier this year secured US$46.6m from investors to work on this venture.
Many believe that the Slingbox will be as revolutionary as the TiVo, and in the UK, shops like Dixons, Currys and PC World will soon be stocking the lovely little devices.
Its amazing that no one has thought of this before the Krikorians did - giving computer users the ability to take the television signal that comes into a viewer's home and relay it via a broadband connection to any internet-connected device they may have - anywhere.
The device, which sells for $338 could complicate the nascent efforts of broadcasters and mobile phone companies to sell TV downloads and other video services. Slingbox users in the United States can also use mobile phones to watch video, though that service is not yet available in Britain.