You are here: Home / Archives for 2012

Archives for 2012

Sunday Sermon: Bleacher Report’s Team Stream Shows Us How to Share Content

March 18, 2012 by

I have seen the immediate future of sports content sharing, and if it’s not the ultimate winner than Bleacher Report’s Team Stream feature will be something others will quickly copy. The main reason why I think it will be so successful? The best part of Team Stream is B/R’s willingness to embrace content that isn’t solely its own, to better serve the fans. That sharing attitude is going to make Team Stream a go-to feature that may eventually be more popular than any single site’s collection of reporters and columnists.

If you haven’t seen Team Stream yet, just go to the B/R site and set up a “stream” for yourself. It works either online, in an email newsletter, and most importantly, on mobile devices. The basic premise is, B/R’s team of web-watching editors sifts through everything that is out there and sends you a bundle of content centered around the teams or sports you are most interested in. The key is that unlike other media outlets, some of whom won’t link or mention competitors, B/R provides links to anyone and everyone, from major content creators to bloggers and tweeters. That’s the secret sauce that will make Team Stream taste great.

A screen grab of a Bleacher Report Team Stream newsletter on golf.

My blogging mentor, Om Malik, had one big rule for creating content — don’t waste the reader’s time. Team Stream embodies that ideal perfectly. Instead of me having to maintain links to multiple web sites, follow multiple people on Twitter, I can just “stream” the best stuff for my teams and save myself a lot of hunting time. And after visiting the B/R offices last week to see their energetic, massive bench of editors engaged in finding the best content out there I’m pretty confident that they’re going to serve up enough good stuff every day on my teams and topics to keep me from needing to go everywhere else.

So far I’ve been following the Chicago Bulls and Golf Team Streams as a test, and I can say right off the bat the golf one is a champ. Today’s newsletter, for example, gives me links to stories from Bleacher Report itself, but also from Yahoo Sports, from PGA.com, from Golf.com and from the AP — a much better mix than any traditional newspaper or sports site, which primarily include content only from their own staffs or partner “wire services” like AP. And I haven’t yet tried the new iPad version of Team Stream but I can only guess that the bigger screen size will make activities like watching video replays just that much easier.

Keep your eye on Team Stream, and see how many folks try to copy what Bleacher Report is doing. The power of sharing and smart editing is a winning combination.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, bleacherreport, iPad, iPhone, Sharing Sports Media, Sports Social Media Tagged With: , ,

PumpOne teams with Cybex for Advanced Exercise Workout Apps

March 16, 2012 by

With the long winter almost behind us, the issue that many face (not me of course) is that they might have put on a bit of extra insulation as they watched the seasons change from warm to cold and are now looking to remedy that situation.

There are a number of methods to pick up an exercise regime, and one of them is to use apps that were designed by any number of health and fitness gurus. A new one has entered the mix, and during the winter months you may have seen the products used on the television show ‘The Biggest Loser”

Cybex International is the official fitness partner to the show as well as a manufacturer of exercise equipment and has teamed with PumpOne, a developer of training programs for both professional athletes as well as the weekend type, to create apps for personal training.

There are several ways in which the two are partnering. PumpOne already has an app presence with its FitnessBuilder platform and has iPhone, iPad, and Android apps available as well as pod casts already available with a total of 2,000 exercises.

Cybex will be adding to the exercises featured in the apps, but that is just part of the story. There will now be full workout programs available in the future available from FitnessBuilder. The programs will be designed by Cybex Research Institute, Cybex’s research arm.

This seems to be a natural merging to talents and it will be interesting to see how well this works out. A major issue that will be facing them is just to overcome the sheer amount of releases you see in an average week in all areas of apps. It is increasingly hard for potential customers to judge what is, and is not a solid app, or one that meets their specific needs.

The fact that the two have been around for some time and have a history in their market has to be viewed as a major asset. Of course television coverage does not hurt either.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, iPad, iPhone

Friday Grab Bag: Kindle and iPad Drove Q4 Tablet Sales

March 16, 2012 by

Global tablet sales surged in the 4th quarter of last year, driven by the demand for Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad tablets. An IDC study as reported by Cnet shows that overall tablet shipments grew by 56% on a sequential basis in the fourth quarter of 2011, to 28.2 million units, and a 155% increase from the same period in 2010.

The top players in this sector were led by Apple with a 55% market share with 15.4 million tablets. Second was Amazon’s Kindle Fire at 4.7 million in the quarter, good for a 16.8% market share. Samsung trailed with a 5.8% share and then Barnes & Noble with a 3.5% share.

IDC has upgraded its estimation for worldwide tablet sales in 2012 to 106.1 million, up from its previous estimation of 87.7 million. I wonder what percentage of those sales would have gone to PCs a few years ago?


Did the NFL collude against the players?
The NFL’s very odd decision to fine the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys a combined $46 million in cap space could turn out to be a major mistake, if the league actually goes through with its decision, multiple outlets are reporting.

Dallas and Washington’s crime was apparently spending more money during the uncapped year than the other owners wanted, giving them an ‘unfair advantage’ by actually investing in their teams rather than simply pocketing the money.

It looks like the owners of the two teams are now considering suing the league, a move that looks like it might then result in an additional lawsuit from the players union as it would show collusion and violation of antitrust. While the league has limited antitrust immunity, it does not cover this kind of action. Baseball did the same thing some time back and was expensively slapped by the courts. I suspect the NFL may quietly backtrack on this issue.

Apple and Motorola talked cross licensing–last year?
A series of talks between Motorola Mobility and Apple last year regarding a proposed deal to cross license their patent portfolios, or portions of them, has come to light as part of the EU’s discovery process on the Google/Motorola merger.

It looks like Motorola was demanding that it gain access to Apple’s entire patent portfolio in order for Apple to get access to Motorola’s standards-essential patents (SEPs). It was noted in The Register that usually SEPs are cross licensed for other SEPs, not the entire portfolio.

They did discuss the ‘scope of a possible settlement’ after Google announced its purchase of Motorola for $12.5 billion. According to Foss Patents, Motorola wanted to broaden the scope of the deal to include all Android licensees while Apple wanted it between the two companies.

Yahoo sues Facebook over patents
Yahoo has dropped the other shoe in its face-off with Facebook and has filed a lawsuit contending that the social media giant has violated Yahoo patents that cover a range of features including news feed generation, social commenting and advertising.

The issue initially emerged a few weeks ago and many thought that the effort by Yahoo was just part of a positioning move by the company to show that it has a valuable patent portfolio as it seeks a buyer. The timing of the move is interesting because it coincides with Facebook’s IPO.

Now it looks like it may get the chance to prove that contention via court filings and possibly rulings on its patents. Yahoo is seeking unspecified damages, and has requests that any such amount be tripled due to Facebook’s willful actions.

Sony’s Xperia smartphone features ‘floating touch’ technology
Sony, using something that sounds like it came from a Geisha house has incorporating ‘floating touch’ navigation that allows a user to browse the web without touching the screen, simply by hovering a finger above the screen and moving it to move the cursor.

The phone also features a 1GHz dual core processor, Android 2.3, upgradeable to 4.0 later this year, and a 3.7-inch Reality Display.

Nokia working on Windows 8 tablet
Nokia, one of Microsoft’s strongest supporters in the Windows smartphone market has said that it will be joining Microsoft in the tablet space in the near future. Reuters reported that the company’s design chief is spending a third of his time developing the tablet and that the company is seeking to take a different approach from rivals in creating a product that will challenge market leader Apple and its iPad.

Intel invests in eye-tracking company
Intel Capital has invested $21 million in a third funding round for Swedish company Tobii, that has been working on eye-tracking technology that can be incorporated with laptops, tablets and other hardware. Tobii said that the investment will give Intel a 10% stake in the company.

Tobi has previously raised $14 million in 2007 and an additional $26.8 million in 2009. It said that the investment will help the 12 year old company maintain a steady research and development schedule. Tobii recently unveiled its latest eye-tracking device last week at CeBIT, the Tobii IS-2 Eye Tracker.

It is interesting that Intel is investing in this type of technology. Over a decade ago I saw a demonstration of eye tracking technology at an Intel Labs demonstration and have wondered why it has never seen the light of day. I guess it was red lighted and so the company is now looking to outside sources.

Going to London for the Olympics? Free Wi-Fi!
Well at least it will be free in the Tube, or subway system. The service will run from July 27 to August 12 and will be provided by Virgin Media. After the Olympics end the service will be available to Virgin subscribers.

USC football players live for Twitter
Interesting read at CBS Sports about Twitter and specifically on how a pair of USC athletes use it. Shows how prevalent that technology is becoming.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Athlete to Follow, Barnes & Noble, CBS Sports, Intel Capital, iPad, Microsoft, NFL, Olympics, Samsung, Tablets, Twitter Tagged With: , , , ,

Thanks, TNT, for the Boss Alert Screen

March 15, 2012 by

Gotta admit — the folks at TNT have a little bit of humor skills. I like the “Boss Coming? DRAMATIC PAUSE” button which appears when you are watching NCAA Hoops online.

It gives you a mock spreadsheet which upon close review isn’t fooling anyone:

Of course, I am not sure whose employer even cares anymore. At MSR, having games on or watching on mobile platforms is “work.” And this morning I stopped by the offices of Bleacher Report, where there are something like 27 flat screens and today there was a food truck and cold beer.

But thanks TNT, for those folks who still have a misguided overlord overlooking their shoulder.

Filed Under: bleacherreport, NCAA Hoops, TNT Tagged With: ,

Looking for More Than a Heartbeat? Pyle’s GPS Sports Watch Could Help

March 15, 2012 by

There a number of sports watches that tell you how fast you are going, and even where you are and estimate how many calories that you have burned off so far in your workout. Now Pyle wants to take that one better by adding in a heart monitor

The Pyle GPS Sports Watch features a 2.4 GHz digitally coded wireless Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) chest strap that is designed to allow athletes to track information regarding workouts including maintain heart rate in specific zones.
The $138 watch is designed to serve for more than simply a device to track a heartbeat or show you where you are on the map, although those are nice features.

It is designed to be more than simply a joggers accessory- it has four main functions. Compass, Time Mode, Navigation and Workout Mode, depending on the preferred usage.

The compass mode is slightly different in navigation in that it tells users the direction of an object or location from a certain point, and it also provide directions in azimuth as well.

Workout Mode is designed to work with Navigation Mode and together they record and display the user’s current performance, including speed, distance traveled, coordinates, workout duration, heart rate, calories burned and other information.

The watch has the flexibility to have four settings for target heart beat rates preset- Health, Fat Burn, Aerobics and User and a user can have the watch sound alerts when they are above, in or below their preferred zone.

In addition to the modes listed here, the GPS Sports Watch can monitor four target heart rate zones, including Health, Fat Burn, Aerobics and User, and even offers audio alerts to inform users when they are above, in or below their preferred zone.

The GPS Sports Watch is water resistant up to 30 meters under water and comes with a built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery. The software that ships with the watch has the ability to help users with their workout analysis, route planning and training summary reports and can provide a post-workout breakdown.

The HRM chest strap features a special conductive contact pad to retrieve heart rate stats and the adjustable elastic band keeps the monitor in place while remaining comfortable and breathable during sweaty workout routines. Once the strap and the watch are successfully paired, the heart rate data will automatically be transmitted to the watch display for quick and easy viewing.

The GPS Sports Watch is water resistant up to 30 meters under water and comes with a built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery. The software that ships with the watch has the ability to help users with their workout analysis, route planning and training summary reports and can provide a post-workout breakdown. Users can even monitor the battery life and memory to ensure efficient use.

Of course this is a very competitive field and one that looks to get even more so as Nike and Ant +continues to push Nike + technology. Sports watches with GPS are available from a range of companies including Garmin, Motorola and Timex.

Filed Under: Apps, Garmin, Nike Tagged With: , ,

MLB Looks to Embrace Latest iPad

March 15, 2012 by

With the new iPad just a day away, lines are already starting to form at Apple stores for customers who hopefully already have a confirmation that their order is in. Otherwise they may have to wait as long as three weeks for a second batch of tablets to arrive, according to Apple.

Stores are planning at opening at 8 am rather than the 10 am or 11 am that they usually do to handle the crush. The iPad will initially be available in 10 different markets. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray is predicting that Apple will hit that number today, the firs in which its latest iPad will be officially available.

Apple has already acknowledged that it has sold out of its initial run and that current orders may take as long as three weeks. Others in the industry have estimated that Apple sold 300,000 of its first generation iPads on that products initial day of sales.

However it is not just the everyday fan that is waiting for the latest and greatest from Apple. USAToday has reported a growing interest in Major League Baseball for the tablet, and indications that use of the Apple table is already extremely widespread.

This is no real surprise since going back as far as Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn players have been using video feedback on notebook computers to study how pitchers throw to them and to see how defenses are aligned against them. In the locker rooms VHS players and tapes were a common training tool, the drawback being that only one player at a time to could watch their specific at bats versus a rival pitcher or team.

The iPad simply makes this viewing easier due to it portability, and with the new Retina display, they have a high definition video playback machine that weighs in around two pounds. Now coaching staffs can tailor video for each player to view.

Players, and teams, are prohibited from bringing electronic devices into the dugout during games but there is nothing to stop a player from walking down the runway and getting a quick look at his latest at bat to get an good idea how to adjust for their next at bat.

Football has already embraced the use of tablets, often iPads for a similar reason. Playbooks are now digitized, making it much easier to carry and access rather than a 200 plus page loose-leaf notebook.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, Baseball, iPad, Major League Baseball, NFL, Tablets Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »