Sling betas: Mac soon and Windows/UMPC skin now

Mac fans can sign up for the Slingbox beta that should be kicking off soon; if you have a Mac and have been yearning to place-shift your television content, sign up now, provided that you're willing to sign an NDA. There's big news for Windows users too. Dave Zatz is reporting that the next Windows beta version (1.3) is available directly from Sling Media. Among the many features of interest:

• UMPC support for the lower resolution screens; more of the remote control is shown in a different layout.
• New skin support.
• Transparent remote control rendering.
• Double the resolution on your LAN, up to 640 x 240.
• Maximum bitrate increased to 2 Mbps.
• Easy toggle from 4:3 to 16:9.
• Audio-only mode, which comes in handy for slinging to a mobile phone.

I'm downloading my version of the beta for the Samsung Q1 right now...more to follow on this one for sure.

UPDATE from the "more to follow" category: we got an e-mail direct from Sling's VP of Market Development, Jeremy Toeman, indicating that the new UMPC skin is available. It's the same skin I used on the Samsung Q1 UMPC at the MobileTechRoundup meet-up, courtesy of Dave Zatz who had a beta of the skin. I can tell you that for an 800 x 480 screen, it simply rocks! All of the deets are right here, courtesy of Jeremy!

-kct