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The Big Ten Network expands to Mobile Devices with BTN2Go

March 2, 2012 by

Fans of Big Ten sports who are on the road can now take a piece of the conference with them, a sporting piece as the conference has expanded its Big Ten Network (BTN) presence to cover both mobile users as well as expanding its footprint on the Internet.

The BTN2Go features the live sports feed of the programming that fills BTN, it is simply made available to users of smartphones, tablets or access the site via the Internet. The BTN has done a staged rollout of the program, it debuted with the start of the football season last year as an Internet-only feature and then expanded to the iPad and iPhone quickly afterwards. A version for Android-based phones is expected within the next month or so.

The goal of the effort to provide fans of Big Ten sports access to games anywhere, at any time on any device, said Michael Calderon, BTN’s vice president of digital and interactive media. The network is currently looking at other platforms such as Windows Phone and connected devices including game consoles and expects to launch a new platform with the start of next year’s football season, Calderon said.

Users have to be subscribers of the participating cable or broadband providers, a list that includes Bright House Networks, Charter, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Time Warner Cable and Verizon.

If you fall into that category then BTN2Go is free with no addition subscription needed and this gives you access to a huge amount of both current and past programming. First and foremost for many fans is the ability to watch live games. However games that are broadcast by BTN’s partners such as ABC and ESPN will be available the following day on-demand.

Calderon noted that a real benefit the program brings is for fans that do not live in the Big Ten area, where a game that are interested might not be broadcast, it will still be available on BTN2Go. Also when an event runs long, say the first of a basketball doubleheader, a user can still go to BTN2Go to watch the opening of the second game if that is the one they are interested in viewing.

The BTN has benefited from its founders foresight. When it was founded five years ago in ensured that it had control of all its digital rights so that the licensing issues that have the potential to stymie a program such as this do not exist.

Then there is also access to archival footage from earlier this season broadcast by both BTN and its partners. Of course there is highlight reels and coaches shows on a regular basis. The BTN also creates home grown series such as Original series such as The Journey, Big Ten Icons, Big Ten’s Best and The Big Ten’s Greatest Games that are also available for viewing.

Going forward the network is looking to add additional features to BNT2Go including possibly a social media module for Facebook and Twitter users, but for the first generation of the platform it focused on delivering a top video experience, Caldera said.

Filed Under: ABC, Android, Apple, Apps, Big Ten Network, ESPN, Facebook, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NCAA Football, NCAA Hoops, Time Warner Cable Television Tagged With: , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: ESPN3 and Facebook Team for Hoops Tournaments

March 2, 2012 by

Facebook and ESPN Team on Conference Tournaments
For much of the next two weeks ESPN3 and Facebook will combine to show coverage of all of the myriad college conference basketball games in both the men’s and women’s brackets. This means that users will have access to all 225 live broadcasts.

ESPN3 has indicated that while this is its first partnering with Facebook it will not be its last as it seeks to leverage the huge audience that the social media giant commands. As ESPN3 vice president Damon Phillips said “We see this as a big opportunity. You fish where the fish are.”

However in keeping with the mantra that there is no such thing as a free lunch not all users will be able to access the games from Facebook. If you have a cable TC carrier or a broadband hookup from a carrier that broadcasts ESPN3, then you get the games for. If not, you are on the outside looking in with no games.

Siri now more insufferable?
I actually like Siri and have found the voice to be very helpful when I have used someone’s iPhone that has the technology, it is just the people showing me how many tricks that they can make it do that really annoys me.

Well now they have a new venue as Mercedes-Benz has integrated the Siri into it’s a-Class cars. The Drive Kit Plus will integrate the iPhone with the cars’ electronic platform. This will allow the Mercedes-Benz’ Digital DriveStyle App to display iPhone apps on the infotainment system screen, according to Cnet.

It will be at Mercedes-Benz’ discretion as to which apps the user can add and control but there will be some such as Twitter, Facebook and Aupeo Personal Radio will be available.

Yahoo joins in the patent fun!
Yahoo has been meeting with Facebook to resolve issues regarding a group of Yahoo patents that it asserts are being used by Facebook in a variety of applications including ads, privacy controls, news feeds, and messaging services.

The exact number of patents is not clear and has been reported as being between 10-20, now is the dollar value that Yahoo is placing on these patents. Yahoo has not taken the step of filing suit and the move is being widely viewed as an attempt to paint a positive picture of Yahoo’s overall patent portfolio as a positioning move in case the company can find a suitor to buy it.

Apps can steal your photos?
It is starting to seem that every new day brings a new manner in which data can ‘leak’ from your smartphone. The latest, courtesy of the New York Times, is that there is a group of apps that can copy a user’s entire photo library with no alert.

The problem is, at least so far, confined to iOS devices such as the iPad and the iPhone and appears to ask a user for location information and if that is approved it not only gathers that information but also downloads photos as well to a remote server. I hope it gets mine in focus, I never can

Mozilla helps you track who is tracking you
In a case of turning the tables on data trackers, Mozilla has created a Firefox add-on called Collusion, an experimental program that is designed to enable you to see who is tracking your activity across the web.

The program uses a simple, easy to understand format. As you browse the web a graph is produced showing sites represented as dots. Red for ones that are known trackers, gray for ones that might track you. You can hover your cursor over a dot for more information. It is interesting to see the interplay between sites and how fast sites that you do not visit are now tracking you. The program also allows you to turn off tracking.

Intel Capital Launches Connected Car Fund
Intel Capital has launched a $100 million fund that is dedicated to developing new technologies in automobiles. The Connected Car Fund will invest across the board in hardware, software and service companies that are developing technologies for cars.

The range of areas is large with the company expecting to invest in areas such as information and entertainment systems, wireless connectivity, mobile devices and driver assist technologies. The global fund will seek to invest in all stage companies over the next three to five years.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, ESPN3, Facebook, Intel Capital, Live Sports Video Consumption, NCAA Hoops, Smartphone, The New York Times, Yahoo Tagged With: , ,

Mobile World Congress Wrap-Phones Galore!

March 1, 2012 by

The Mobile World Congress which started earlier this week in Barcelona is finally wrapping up, with thousands of press releases, a dozen or so keynotes and lots of gossip, rumors and even a brief appearance by Occupy Wall Street Protesters.

We are only interested in a few categories of products of the many that were unveiled, primarily the smartphone and tablet platforms as well as some of the programs and apps that have been introduced, so we will only be giving a brief overview of all of this week’s action.

Tablets
Asus has kept its foot to the accelerator and has added another tablet to its growing lineup, this time the Transformer Pad Infinity. The highlight of the product is the 10-inch Super IPS+ touch screen display that has 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and a 178 degree viewing angle.

It will be available with two different processors powering the Android 4 device- e available running Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor for the 3G/4G configurations or NVIDIA’s 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU in the Wi-Fi only models. The company also added the Transformer Pad 300 to its lineup as well.

Samsung led off with a pair of tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Tab 2 10.1. The Galaxy Note brings the company’s S Pen stylus to the big screen 10-inch display while the Tab 2 10.1 looks like it will be an entry level offering.

Huawei has delivered what it touts as the first 10-inch quad-core tablet, the MediaPad 10FHD Entertainment tablet that is powered by a Huawei 1.5GHz quad-core processor, runs Google Android 4.0 operating system and has a 10-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS high definition display screen. It has an 8 megapixel rear automatic-focus camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and memory storage of 2G RAM.

Smartphones
One of my favorite items is not even new. Introduced last year, but not delivered and now upgraded in regards to features is the Asus PadFone. I like it because it really seems to adequately serve as two different products, a smartphone and a 10-inch tablet/ small PC computer.


It comes with a 1.5GHz Snapdragon dual core processor, 1GB RAM and an 8 megapixel rear camera. It is its docking ability that separates it from the crowd. T can dock into a -10-inch tablet that resembles the company’s Transformer lineup of tablets, and the resulting tablet in turn can be docked with a keyboard. It seems to have it all. No pricing has been announced but it should be available in April.

Huawei has also moved its quad core processor into the smartphone field with the Ascend D Quad offering that features a 4.5-inch display also running Android 4.0 operating system and using the company’s proprietary power management technology to give it 30% longer battery life.

LG was of course present and making itself known with the quad core LG Optimus 4X HD. Using a Nvidia Tegra processor the phone features a 4.7-inch display (remember when smaller was better in phones?). The company also said that it will be delivering a stylus style phone that will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Want 3D without needing to wear glasses? Then LG has the phone for you in the Optimus 3D Max which has the ability to record video in 3D. It features a 4.3-inch display with a 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon processor and a 5 megapixel camera.

Samsung also expanded its offering here with the Samsung Galaxy Beam. The highlight of this phone is in its ability to serve as a projection device, it has a nHD projector capable of projecting an image with a maximum of a 50-inch diagonal.

Intel has gained an ally in establishing its technology in the smartphone space with a partnership with Indian startup Lava. Lava has launched its first Intel-powered smartphone, the Xolo X900. The first two phones in this lineup will use lower end Intel chips including the Atom Z200.

The company, which entered the market as a budget phone provider will move to a higher tier later when it uses Intel’s 1.6GHz Z2460 processor in future offerings. Intel also revealed that Orange will be offering phones powered by Intel’s Atom processors to its United Kingdom and French customers.

Back in the thick of things is Sony, looking to reestablish itself as a player in this space with out its former partner. It had a pair of dual core offerings, the Xperia P and Xperia U. Both are running Android OS 2.3 but should be upgraded in the near future. They have the ability to connect to Sony’s Entertainment Network and are designed for power graphics.

Nokia has been all over the place at the show, with a total of five different phones. The two that we will mention are the Lumia 6100, a mid-market Windows Phone device and one running its soon to be cast off Symbian operating system, the PureView 808, that features a 41 megapixel camera sensor. Aside from the other three entry level phones the company also had a range of new apps for its handsets.

ZTE had a pair of phones, a Windows Phone in the ZTE Orbit and an Android powered ZTE Era.

Elsewhere at the show

In other news Microsoft has teamed with Good Technology have entered into a strategic partnership in an effort to move the Good for Enterprise app from Good onto Windows Phone devices. The program helps ensure security when accessing corporate data by encrypting email.

Nokia, a key Microsoft partner in the smartphone market has already said that it will support Good for Enterprise solution on its Lumia phones that run Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.

Microsoft also released the consumer preview version of Windows 8, which is available now as a free download. There are plenty of new features including the ability to store settings and files in the cloud, has a feature to speed navigation and a new user interface. Microsoft has also opened its Window Store for apps.

Other security players were also present at the show. Symantec made a big push with a range of announcements including new versions of Symantec Mobile Management, Symantec Data Loss Prevention for Tablets and Symantec Data Managed PKI Services. The company is looking to enhance its position in the Windows Phone, Android and Apple iOS markets.

The show set a new attendance record with 67,000 visitors and 1,500 exhibitors and will be forced to move to new, larger quarters next year.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, HTC, Samsung, Smartphone, Sony, Tablets Tagged With: , ,

Twitter Shows Boost for @keselowski During Daytona 500 Fire-Tweet

March 1, 2012 by

How many Twitter followers did Brad Keselowski, aka @keselowski, gain during his on-track tweeting from the Daytona 500, when the track-drying truck fire caused a two-hour delay? The folks at Twitter put out a handy graphic to show the meteoric rise, when he added more than 100,000 new followers before the checkered flag was waved:

That’s what viral is all about. Anyone else doubting that Twitter spreads like wildfire? Or that it is the way sports personalities will “talk” to their fans going forward?

Filed Under: Daytona 500, Twitter Tagged With: ,

Sprint brings Streaming TV to iPhone –Including Live Sports!

February 29, 2012 by

Apple iPhone users have finally caught up with smartphone users powered by Android and Windows phone users – they can now get a wide package of streaming TV offers that include both free and premium channels from Sprint on their phones, if they are Sprint users of course.

The basic program is free with most data plans and additional packages will range from $4.99 to $9.99 a month and come in wide range of options tailored for everybody from news junkies, sports and comedy fans and also has 20 stations for the Spanish speaking market.

The basic Sprint TV has 15 channels including live sports and news as well as daytime, primetime and kids entertainment channels. Included are ESPN Mobile TV ABC and NBC News, Disney Channel, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, The Weather Channel and a variety of shows such as CSI, NCIS, The Office, and 30 Rock.

On top of the basic services are a number of premium offerings with Sprint TV Xtra, that includes a number of cable and news programming such as FOX Sports, FOX News, ABC Family, MTV, Discovery Channel, , Nickelodeon and more, all for just $9.99 monthly.

It is servicing the business market with a $5.99 monthly package that includes live and on-demand business and financial news and a $7.99 Spanish language package that has 20 channels including programming from Univision, Telemundo, ESPN Deportes, Azteca America and others. There are a number of additional packages available as well.

Now iPhone users have an additional option for live sports and news streaming to their phones, previously they only had the option of AT&T’s U-Verse app, which comes with a basic fee. There are also carrier specific sports deals available.

The video can be streamed over Wi-Fi or via cellular connections.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Android, Apple, Apps, AT&T, ESPN, Fox Sports, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Smartphone, Sprint Tagged With: , , , ,

Facebook makes Mobile Push at Mobile World Congress

February 29, 2012 by

One of the interesting things about the discovery period for Facebook’s initial public offering was that the social media giant reported that it had literally no income from the mobile environment. Since mobile is the top form of access this is surprising.

It is obvious that this is one of the most important market segments for the company to monetize as the opportunities are huge. And it has started to lay out its plans during a public speech by Bret Taylor, Facebook’s chief technology officer at this week’s Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.

In its push it is also striking a blow against a number of companies such as Apple that have been able to cash in on the markets demand for apps. Apple reaps as much as 30% of the revenue from app sales.

Taylor laid out a series of moves the company is currently working on that could tremendously enhance its position in the mobile market, including an effort to partner with mobile carriers for billing on Facebook transactions and the establishment of cross platform standards.

In the mobile payments market it is working with carriers to fix a process that it calls broken and fragmented. It is talking with a number of players including Vodafone, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, T-Mobile USA, Verizon, KDDI and Softbank.

It wants to streamline the process and reduce the number of steps needed to make mobile payments. App developers would sell their offerings from the carriers via Facebook, allowing carriers to garner some of the revenue for the apps that are often used on their networks and allow app developers to avoid paying Apple, Sony and others a portion of their revenue.

It seems to me that the issue here is that this is letting Facebook become a partner in this, how do you then later stop them from gaining a more controlling position and adding on revenue for themselves from the users and or carriers as well?

On the standards side Facebook is part of a workgroup called W3C Mobile Web Platform Core Community Group that is seeking to develop HTML5 standards for the mobile web. The recently formed group has 30 members that come from a wide spectrum of mobile players from carriers to web browser developers according to its web site.

The current members of the group have a very impressive lineup. Samsung, HTC, Sony Mobile Communications, Nokia, Huawei, ZTE, TCL Communication, AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, KDDI, SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp., Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc., NVIDIA, ST-Ericsson, Intel, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Mozilla, Opera, Microsoft, Adobe, Netflix, VEVO, Zynga, @WalmartLabs, Electronic Arts, Sencha and Bocoup.

Of course a prestigious lineup is no guarantee of a successful solution but it seems that it is the interest of these players to have a more efficient mobile web and as long as there are no hidden agendas in the group hopefully we will see a stead stream of updates from the W3C showing progress.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, AT&T, Facebook, Motorola, Samsung, Social Media Tagged With:
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