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NBC Sports Radio Debuts Nationwide on Terrestrial Stations, Online

September 5, 2012 by

NBC Sports Radio, airing on 178 radio stations nationwide as well as streaming on www.nbcsportsradio.com, debuted Sept. 4 and is featuring a diverse selection of programs.

Programming will be distributed by Dial Global and content will include hourly sports news updates, daily features as well as long-form shows.

The NBC Sports Radio roster includes:

The Erik Kuselias Show, Monday-Friday 7-10pm, ET;

Amani and Eytan, Monday-Friday 10pm-1am, ET: featuring former NFL pro Amani Toomer and Eytan Shander;

The Dan Schwartzman Show, Tuesday-Saturday 1am-5am, ET;

Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison, a two-hour weekend show featuring former NFL All-Pro Rodney Harrison;

24/7 anchored national updates featuring Jon Stashower, Kay Adams and

Dan Schwartzman.

The new NBC Sports Radio is a partnership between Dial Global and the NBC Sports Group.

“This is a great day in sports radio and we’re proud to have 178 affiliates share it with us,” said Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Dial Global. “Our main goal from day one has been to deliver great content for radio stations and we are excited to finally hit the field and play.”

Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures and International, said, “We couldn't be more excited to launch the newest platform in the NBC Sports Group family. With 178 affiliates on board at launch and a great starting talent line-up, the sky is the limit for NBC Sports Radio.”

A mobile applications for the network is being developed, according to a spokesperson.

James Raia is a California-based journalist who writes about sports, travel and leisure. Visit his cycling site at tourdefrancelife.com

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Filed Under: NBC Sports, NCAA Football, ProFootballTalk Tagged With: , , ,

Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week Nears

September 4, 2012 by

Bonneville Salt Flats

Most of the racing fans I know tend to stick to one form of the sports, the NASCAR fans look down on the Formula One fans, and vice versus, although I am not sure where the truck racing fans and super modified people stand on the issue. However there is one area that they all seem to agree and that is that going fast is great, which brings us to Speed Week at the historic Bonneville Salt Flats.

I knew that speed records were often set at the salt flats but I had no idea that it was a regular event that occurred once a year where fans of just about any type of engine driven vehicles from bar stools on up can compete to set records or in many cases just go very, very fast.

So on September 8th and running to the 11th is the World of Speed held by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA). The event has an interesting format in that once you get accepted via registration, you run in a random order.

There is no head to head racing; it is just the driver and the machine against the track and the timer, going all out to set a record, or to achieve set speeds that allow you to say that you have achieved a certain standard at the event such as the 130 MPH and the 150 MPH clubs

Racers seeking to set records run in what is called the Record Run, and they make two runs, one a qualifier and the other is called the Record Run, which are the first races in the morning. The average of the two races is what is used to establish new records.

The Salt Flats have two courses with the short course running four or five miles while the long course running seven miles or longer. For most cars, they must qualify to run the long course by first running the short course at 175 mph, reaching that sped by the 2 ½ mile marker.

While many people are probably familiar with a wide range of vehicles that are raced at the Salt Flats from the famed streamliners to muscle cars, vintage cars and motorcycles there are some oddities as well including bar stools, Volkswagens, go-carts and electric vehicles.

I am not sure if there will be any over the air broadcasting of the events but there are a host of web links to some of the teams that are participating here. If you are attending send us some pics!

Filed Under: Bonneville Salt Flats, Contests, Indy 500, NASCAR, Outdoor Activities Tagged With: , ,

Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: New Kindles this Week?

September 4, 2012 by

It is sounding like Intel is finally landing a major, known customer for its microprocessors targeted at the smartphone space. It is being reported that Motorola Mobility and Intel will be making a joint announcement on Sept. 18.

Actually it had already been announced that they were working together but now we finally get to see the fruits of their joint labor. According to PhoneArena the companies are now starting to send out invites for the event.

Amazon to dump Google Maps
It looks like competition in the tablet business has lost Google another customer for its popular maps program. Apple has already shown that it will not be including Google Maps as a standard feature in its next generation iOS and now Amazon is following its example.

According to a report in Rueters Amazon will instead be using technology from Nokia Oyj as the mapping technology of choice in its next generation Kindle Fore, a device that could be available as early as the end of this week.

Sony launches upgraded tablet
Missed amid preparations for Labor Day last week was news that Sony upgraded its tablets and has rebranded them under the Experia name, the same as it uses for its smartphones. The company also recently showed a trio of Experia smartphones including the Experia T with a 4.6-inch display.

Delays on iPhone 5 due to lack of screens?
http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/08/31/sharp.experiencing.production.glitches.with.in.cell.display.tech/
The Wall Street Journal via Electronista is reporting that Sharp, one of three display manufacturers tapped to provide displays for Apple’s next generation iPhone has been experiencing manufacturing issues.

This is not the first time that Sharp has had issues deploying next-generation technology, and it has hurt the company at its bottom line as its recent $1.2 billion loss testifies to. The lack of these displays could lead to a constrained supply of the phone when it is released.

Apple and Samsung agree on something
Apple and Samsung have agreed that any payment or bond that Samsung may need to make can be put off for at least a few months according to Foss Patents. It seems that since Apple buys significantly more than the amount of the fine from Samsung on a regular basis it sees no reason to burden its partners.

The author speculated that the issue also was influenced by the fact that with cases pending against each other in 10 countries it makes sense to waive posting bonds rather than being forced to do so in a variety of jurisdictions.

While the two are agreeing on some things at the same time Apple is seeking to add both the popular Samsung Galaxy SIII and the Galaxy Note to the list of eight other devices that it is seeking to have banned from import and sale in the United States.

Apple and Google in Patent talks
In some of the least secret talks in recent years, if true, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Google’s CEO Larry Page are having talks about how to settle the patent disputes that have been an ongoing bone of contention between the two companies, and in Google’s place the licensees of its Android operating system.

While neither side is admitting to the talks it has been reported by multiple sources that they talked via phone last week and have additional talks scheduled. It has been viewed that Samsung, Motorola Mobility and HTC, all of whom are fighting Apple in a variety of courts around the globe are simply serving as Google’s proxies in the battle.

Amazon to double its fun with two new Kindle Fire tablets
There have been reports for weeks that Amazon planned to beat Apple to the punch by delivering a next generation Kindle Fore prior to Apple’s expected release of a 7-inch iPad, commonly called the iPad Mini. Now reports are emerging that Amazon will release two new Kindles, and possibly by Friday this week.

Cnet is saying that the company will have a pair of 7-inch Kindles available on Sept 6th, and that contrary to some earlier reports Amazon will not be going with a 10-inch model to take on Apple and others in the larger screen format space.

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Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Google, HTC, Intel, iOS, Lawsuit, Motorola, Samsung, Smartphone, Sony, Tablets Tagged With: , ,

Watching NASCAR: AdvoCare 500 Here We Come

August 31, 2012 by

AdvoCare 500

Bristol did not disappoint last weekend, we aside from a few drivers that missed the top groove that is. Fenders were bent, tempers flared and the standings got another bit of a shake up. Oh and there was a great late racing battle between Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.

The two were battling for some time when with 39 laps remaining Hamlin managed to pass Edwards and take the lead. While Edwards attempted to regain the lead he could never het that last ounce of speed to pass and ultimately he ran out of gas as a gable earlier in the race that had given him the lead backfired. The top five was filled out by Jimmie Johnson, who jumped back to second in the standings as well followed by Jeff George, Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.

The lack of a top groove, sanded off despite the protests of the drivers met with differing opinions after the race but most of the ones that I read were mostly in the negative camp. I guess that this late in the season, when a crash can mean not making the Chase could have affected opinions as well.

A side note in that ESPN was reporting yesterday that Matt Kenseth will be joining Joe Gibbs Racing next year. He is expected to take over the #20 car that is currently driven by Joey Logano.

This week: AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

The teams will be racing in Atlanta this weekend on the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54 mile oval. As the Chase nears I expect that drivers on the cusp of making the Chase will bring an increased l

evel of aggression to the race, which should make for some good racing.

Broadcast: Sept 2, 6:30 pm ET ESPN

Twitter Handles

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Jimmie Johnson -11
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -15
4) Matt Kenseth -26
5) Martin Truex Jr. -52
6) Clint Boyer -55
7) Brad Keselowski -59
8 ) Denny Hamlin -75
9) Kevin Harvick -82
10) Tony Stewart -103

Joey Logano steadily moved up the pack last week in Bristol and took the lead with 34 laps to go and remain in front until the checkered flag was waved. It was not as easy as it sounds as after he passed Kevin Harvick for the lead he faced a strong push by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who he managed to beat to the finish line.

There was a lot of banging during the race and a number of cautions, nine in all, that helped cause a number of lead changes as well as . On the last few laps the jockeying for position grew in intensity as seen by a collision between Trevor Bayne and Austin Dillon.

The top five was filled out by runner up Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Elliott Sadler. Danica Patrick, starting at the back of the pack managed a very respectable ninth place finish.

Next Up: NRA American Warrior 300

Broadcast: September 1, 6:30 pm ET ESPN

Nationwide Series Standings
1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -19
3) Sam Hornish Jr. -28
4) Austin Dillon -35
5) Justin Allgaier -94

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Filed Under: Athlete to Follow, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, ESPN, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart Tagged With: ,

Friday Grab Bag: Replacement Refs Make the Cut, Apple/Motorola Bury the Ax, Sort of

August 31, 2012 by

ESPN pays out $5.6 billion for MLB broadcast rights
ESPN will remain the broadcaster of choice for Major League Baseball for Sunday, Monday and Wednesday night baseball as the broadcast giant has inked a new deal with the league for $5.6 bn according to the Sports Business Journal.

The eight year deal will work out to be approximately $700 million per annum, more than double the current deal. Other broadcast rights are still in the process of being bid and baseball may have many windfall years ahead. I wonder what this will do to the luxury tax in the league, although I am sure that it is already covered in the CBA.

Microsoft offers SkyDrive for Android
Although it sounds vaguely like the plot for Terminator 4, it is simply Microsoft offering its SkyDrive cloud storage service as an app for Android users and they can go over to the Google Play store and pick it up. While it can run on early versions of the Android operating system it is optimized for version 4.0.

Apple’s win a loss for standard-essential patents?
While I write a good deal about patent issues due to the seemingly constant state of litigation that is ongoing in the mobile and handheld space, I am far from an expert on the topic, and do not pretend to be so. An interesting look at some of the after affects from Apple’s win over Microsoft can be found at this piece from Reuters.

An interesting conclusion I gain from the piece is that the host of patents that Google gained in the Motorola purchase may not have quite the value that the company believed that it would have, and that could make the deal a lot less valuable than previously believed.

ESPN’s top college football markets
Ever wonder why a game is on and how well it did in terms of viewership? Well ESPN did not release all of its market data but it has provided a look at the top 25 markets, but from last year and going back 12 years.

There is a lot of interesting data in there, mined quite well to show you the shifting interest in teams , regions and leagues. The only two areas that stayed in the top 5 over the entire span were Birmingham and Columbus, Ohio.

Motorola and Apple bury the ax in Ge

rmany
Peace at last? That is probably too much to ask but at least one bone of contention between the two has been buried as Motorola Mobility and Apple have agreed on a FRAND licenses in Germany. An earlier attempt had failed when Motorola asked for 2.25% revenue rate.

Apple called the deal “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory” and will call for Apple to pay Motorola an unspecified sum for all previous use of Motorola technology, Foss Patents reports. It also said that the deal is probably a result of the ruling in the Apple/Samsung case.

Images of next generation Sony tablet leaked
As the release date for Windows 8 nears more news about the hardware developers plans appear to be leaking out, intentionally or unintentionally. Sony is the latest with a very interesting looking tablet called the VAIO Duo 11.

Sony’s efforts in the tablet space have been met with less than open arms but the image shows a tablet that has a built-in, fold out keyboard in a sharp looking industrial design. The tablet appears to be running Microsoft Office, meaning that it uses an Intel or AMD processor.

NFL Replacement Refs to start season
Well one group made it through the pre-season without getting the chop and that is the NFL’s replacement reps. Not happy with this since I am pretty sure I saw a couple of 17 yard penalties marched off last week.

I suspect that no matter how well they actually do, fans for half of the teams will be blaming the refs on everything from their teams’ loss to costing them in the points category in their Fantasy Football league. I wonder how long this will go on or will the NFL change its mind in less than a week?

Samsung shows five pending Windows 8 phones
Samsung took the floor at the IAF trade show in Berlin and backed the truck up with a wide range of new and future devices including the Galaxy Note II, hybrid PCs and a new high end camera. It also previewed five smartphones that will be using Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.

The devices, with info on them here from Gizmag, will all carry the brand name ATIV as the company appears ready to use that moniker to cover aa wide range of next generation devices including PCs and phones. The official launch of Windows 8 is in late October and expect to see more details from all of the players adopting Microsoft’s Windows 8 for a variety of products.

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Filed Under: Android, Apple, ESPN, Google, Intel, Microsoft, NFL, Samsung Tagged With: , , , ,

University of Oregon embraces Social Media with Quack Cave

August 30, 2012 by

Oregon's Quack Cave

The PAC-12 Network’s introduction yesterday of its Pac-12 Now for iPad is just the latest conference effort to expand its brand to a wider market but some of the individual schools are also making a push to create a stronger bond with their fans and alumni.

One school at the forefront of this effort is the University of Oregon which has been aggressive in the past with programs such as its GoDucks.com web site and other initiatives but now has gone another step with its Quack Cave.

Touted as the first social media hub in college sports and modeled after an effort by the NHL’s New Jersey Devils the school has outfitted a room that would be the envy of any technophile, filled with flat screens connected to iPads.

While the site is not just sports specific it looks like it will be sports centric. The Quack Cave will be charged with representing the school on a wide variety of social medias including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

The schools previous efforts at digital outreach have been very successful, with approximately 500,000 Facebook and Twitter followers, but the current effort could make that number seem small potatoes. Housed in a former storage unit near the school’s Autzen Stadium

The school is still in the process of setting up the effort and the site www.QuackCave.com was not active as of this writing but I expect that a big push is underway in order to get it up and running by this weekend when the football season opens for much of the nation. Fans can also follow at @QuackCave on Twitter.

I think this is a great idea, not just for Oregon, but any school. It seems that it will have a much more immediate and personal impact than the conference efforts, which will have to be more balanced (hopefully). If your school is doing something similar drop me a line at gquick@mobilesportsreport.com

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Filed Under: Apple, Facebook, iPad, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NCAA Football, Pac-12, Pinterest, Sports Social Media, Sports Social Media Data, Twitter, University of Oregon Tagged With: , , ,
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