I had an interesting email in my inbox yesterday morning. It was from the Sling Media guys asking to see if I wanted to test their latest mobile client for the Nokia n95. Well I didn’t need to be asked twice. I was straight onto the website, filling in my details and downloading the client. Before I get to my opinion a little bit about the SlingBox.

The box, which now supports High Definition, allows you to stream content across the Internet to your computer or hand held device. I first picked mine up about 2 years ago [I think I was one of the first in the UK to actually have one] and must admit it’s probably been my most useful gadget to date.

The latest version now supports up to 4 video sources (including high def as I already said), although I currently only have my Sky HD box plugged in. You simply hook the box up to your home network and then it gives you what is known as a finder ID. This is the unique code to identify your Slingbox. You then install the client on your computer or mobile device and enter the finder ID of your sling box. The really cool thing about the Slingbox is that you can actually control your video source meaning you can change the channel while on the move. I also find the Slingbox very good around the home as well, especially streaming TV out to the garden - when the weather finally improves.

As I said though what makes this solution so great is that it works so well on the Nokia n95 as well. After installing yesterday I nipped outside and was able to stream the football over 3G. One thing though to be aware of is that over 3G this can eat up data faster than a pig in a pie shop so make sure you keep an eye on your usage. My advice would be to get an unlimited data plan, or go searching for a wireless hotspot.

The Slingbox is without a doubt one of my most prized gadgets and I highly recommend one to any gadget fan out there.