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U.S. Open Sets Records for Online, App Viewing

June 20, 2012 by

We don’t have any definitive viewer numbers, but according to a press release from the USGA, the recent U.S. Open golf tournament in San Francisco attracted a record number of online viewers, especially for live online video and via mobile devices. This is hardly a surprise, since online golf viewership overall has been spiking this year, with no end in sight to the growth curve.

According to the USGA, which pioneered online coverage of golf, overall viewer visits to the U.S. Open website during the week increased 79 percent from the year-before totals, while views of live streaming video increased 210 percent from 2011. Though the USGA hasn’t provided exact numbers on page views and streaming video looks, it’s a good guess that the latter number is somewhere in the one- to two-million range, since approximately a half-million to a million folks will watch online video of a regular PGA event, according to PGA Tour reps. The U.S. Open’s website features were powered technically by IBM, which also helps produce the wonderful online experience for The Masters golf tourney.

The availability of an Android version of the USGA’s U.S. Open app helped spike visits to the mobile version of the Open website — according to the USGA, mobile website views increased 375 percent in 2012, with iPhone app downloads jumping up 44 percent from the previous year. In addition to live video the U.S. Open websites also included a live leaderboard, a photo stream and a unique feature that let you look at an interactive map of the course and see which players were on which hole. The USGA was also extremely active on Twitter, with the official U.S. Open Twitter feed providing constant scoring updates and links to feature coverage.

Even though the U.S. Open live online video wasn’t very comprehensive — on Thursday and Friday the coverage followed one “marquee” group throughout its round, and on the weekend the coverage consisted of only play at two holes — it was extremely well produced, with commentators that were critically judged by many observers to be better than some of the broadcast TV talent. It’s probably a safe guess to say that next year the USGA will continue to expand live online coverage of the U.S. Open, in sync with the expanded live online views coming next season from the PGA Tour for regular events. That’s good news for golf fans, who will apparently be rewarded for finding more ways to watch.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Android, Apple, Apps, AT&T, ESPN, Golf, Golf Channel, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, PGA, Smartphone, The Masters, Tiger Woods, Twitter, US Open, USGA Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

SportStream’s rebirth Focuses on All Sports

June 20, 2012 by

One of the first sports chat and fan interactive apps that we looked at here at Mobile Sports Report was one called SportStream, at the time the first app from a startup developer named Evri, which was also focusing on developing a real time content engine.

A lot has changed since last September when the app was first being shown around it had a football focus, was part of Evri and ran on both Android and Apple’s iOS platform. Well that has all changed. iPad users will love the new version of the app, currently it does not run on other platforms.

That is not too surprising considering how prevalent it is for tablet users to employ the device as a second screen while watching sports and a bigger display is easier to follow all of the chatter rather than using your phone.

Evri has set the app free to be a standalone development, although it is being led by Will Hunsinger, who led its development at Evri. It has its own funding from Vulcan Capital, also the venture capital firm that has funded Evri. Its first round of funding netted the company $3.5 million from Vulcan.

There is also a change in focus or possibly an expansion rather. Initially available as a SportStream Football as a place for fans to gather, follow scores and post comments, and that is no longer available, although it said that it will add that feature when the season begins. It currently handles the end of the NBA season as well as MLB. Hockey will also be added when the season starts up later this year.

You can add teams as favorites, and their games will be automatically added to a feature called game picker, but you can add any game that you wish to that feature as well. Tap the screen to enter into viewing the game info and check in to a game from the game picker list to participate in the conversation. Once checked in you can also post to twitter or Facebook.

The app does have one very nice feature that many will probably find very useful, that is the ability to filter out twitter streams and block specific users that are uninteresting, rude, or for whatever reason that you might want including simply data overload. The app uses a Facebook check in, which seems to me to be a bit limiting because many might not want to use that avenue to access it.

It seems that almost daily a new chat app is available; some like Bantr and Golf GameBook aimed at one specific category of fans and others including FanCru, GrabFan, JockTalk and PlayUp open to a broader base of fans and so more directly compete with SportsStream. However almost all of its rivals have come out on iPhone first, while SportStream selected the iPad first.

It is hard to predict how the interactive fan sites and apps will work out, but I suspect that the market is already reaching its limits as to how many apps it will support. However having a big cash funding round should help serve SportStream very well. Many other apps appear to be mostly self funded and as Facebook has shown, generating ad revenue from mobile is tough and so may take longer than some developers have.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Contests, Facebook, Golf, iPad, iPhone, PlayUp, SportsStream, Startup, Tablets Tagged With: ,

Golf Gamebook seeks to Lure Users with Contest

June 19, 2012 by

Looking to brag about you golf game or just happy to show off your ability to hit the links more often that the average golfer? Then Golf GameBook has an event for you in its GameBook USA Golf Challenge.

If you are an avid golfer or a hacker you can still participate in the contest that runs until July 2, 2012 that features weekly events for golfers that use either the iPhone or Android app to register their rounds. Golfers that do not want to use a mobile device can also go online and participate at the company’s web site.

Unlike most traditional contests, in the Gamebook USA GolfChallenge a player does not know in advance what the categories are that will win prizes for each week or for the overall tournament. The two winning categories will be announced the Monday after the event ends and the weekly one the following Monday after each week.

The grand prizes will be an Apple iPad and a Nike VR Pro Driver signed by 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink. Also, three $100 Golfsmith Gift Cards will be drawn each week. The Golf GameBook app is designed to allow golfers to score and share results of their games as well as serve as an interactive chat site between golfers on and off the curse. Head over here to see what we said about it previously.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Golf Tagged With:

Microsoft Delivers Surface: Its own Tablet Family

June 18, 2012 by

Microsoft used the created hype of a short notice major press event held in the heart of Hollywood to debut a major new product family, and a hardware one at that- welcome to the Microsoft Surface, a tablet family.

This is part of a much bigger effort by the company that when combined with its next generation Windows 8 operating system launch later this year the company hopes will propel it into the midst of two large high tech trends it has missed-smartphones and tablets.

After a day full of rumors, primarily that Microsoft was going to deliver its own tablets, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO took the stage a bit after 4 pm PT and kicked the event off by saying that “Windows is the heart and soul of Microsoft”

He then went on to talk about how the company has been successful with a range of hardware products in its past as well from the Soft Card, different lines of mice and the Xbox. Microsoft Surface will now join that list of hardware products from a company known for its software.

The Surface is designed for Windows and will enable users to use Windows apps and games and is designed for both business and entertainment usage. It will feature an ultra ridged yet light, 1.5 lbs, VaporMG magnesium case. It will support high definition video on its 10.6-inch display and has a built-in kickstand so that you can set it up on a table to watch video.

The company will build them in a variety of colors and will have two basic lines; one will run Windows RT and feature either 32GB or 64GB storage and one that will run Windows Pro and have 64GB or 128GB storage.

Microsoft plans to sell them directly via Microsoft Stores in the US and online around the world. Release dates and pricing were not released but the RT version will be available first with the Windows Pro following about 90 days later.

There has been a growing buzz about Windows 8. Intel has been touting the number of its OEMs that are developing tablets that will be designed to run the operating system while Asus and others have given sneak peeks of their tablets at recent trade shows.

Still Apple’s iPad is firmly entrenched in the top position in this market and market research firm IDC has predicted that it will see its share grow over the next year. For 2013 IDC predicted that 142.8 million will be sold, up from its previous forecast of 137.4 and by 2016 it expects that 221.6 million will be sold. Apple’s iPad is expected to own 62.5% of the market this year, up from 58.2% last year. Android is expected to drop from last years’ 38.7% to 36.5% this year.

It is reported that Google will soon be selling its own tablets running its Android operating system, so that will make the two established platforms, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, soon available directly from the manufactures and Microsoft will expand that group. RIM also sells its own products.

Hard to say how this will come out- a lot of naysayers predicted that the Xbox would flop because Microsoft had no business in that market. I suspect a lot will depend on the Windows experience- it could really be a benefit in the corporate space where established security measures would make it much easier to adopt these products rather than the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) that is now occurring.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Asus, Google, iOS, Microsoft, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , ,

Bantr Seeks to bring Soccer Fans Together

June 18, 2012 by

With the Euro 2012 tournament up and roaring along with the first round of eliminations I got to wondering about what type of chat and viewing options that was available for fans to catch up on scores and possibly talk a bit of trash to rivals and went looking.

Not surprising there is a number of apps available for a fan, including some we have talked about here previously such as Fancru. One i found that caught my eye was Bantr, an app that is designed to bring together soccer fans.

What made it noteworthy was it was one of the first fan interaction sites I have seen that is dedicated to a single group of fans, it is only about soccer, which I suspect is just fines with fans of that sport because the cross over talk would probably get pretty heated.

The free app is currently only available for products that run Apple’s iOS operating system including the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. It is obviously designed for European soccer and supports English, German, Northern Sami and Spanish.

It shares many similarities with other interactive fan sites: you can select your teams that you support, check into games; chant or banter with other fans and predict outcomes. Some interesting touches include in game voting on if a player dives, on cards and penalties and the worthiness of substitutions. You can also vote for player of the match, rate players, refs and matches, and vote on manager and player approval.

The company was founded in 2010 and has secured $328,000 is seed money, according to Crunchbase. If you want to get a taste of what is available but do not want to download the app just yet, or do not have an iPhone (Android support is supposedly coming) you can head over hear at Facebook and take a look at what is available.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, ESPN, Euro 2012, Facebook, iOS, Soccer, Startup Tagged With: , ,

Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: Tablet Sales Forecast Upgraded for Faster Growth

June 18, 2012 by

Judge reverses course in Apple/Motorola Patent battle
Just a week after saying that he planned to dismissed the case Judge Richard Posner has ordered an injunction hearing in one of the patent lawsuits that Apple has against Motorola Mobility. The hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday and will enable both sides to argue why he should issue an order barring the other from using their respective patents.

IDC predicts strong tablet demand-Apple to benefit
Market research company IDC has said that it expects that demand for tablets will increase over the second half of this year and has upgraded its forecast from 106.1 million units sold worldwide to 107.4 million, eweek reported.

For 2013 IDC predicted that 142.8 million will be sold, up from its previous forecast of 137.4 and by 2016 it expects that 221.6 million will be sold. Apple’s iPad is expected to own 62.5% of the market this year, up from 58.2% last year. Android is expected to drop from last years’ 38.7% to 36.5% this year.

Facebook points finger at NASDAQ
After the calamitous IPO day and the resulting rash of lawsuits by traders that had issues with buying and selling at the opening of the market, Facebook has responded to the suits by seeking to consolidate them into a single case and by placing the blame on NASDAQ, Mashable reports.

The 30 minute delay in trading due to a software glitch at the opening of the market has been the source of much talk, and legal action. Facebook has requested that six class action lawsuits be combined and heard in the Southern District of New York to streamline proceedings. In addition it said that the 30 minute delay was due entirely to a flaw in the software used by NASDAQ.

US teams with private partners to build ultrafast broadband network
A new public/private effort that will combine corporation, higher education, non-profits and the US government is seeking to develop very high speed broadband networks that will be situated in a number of communities around the country.

The goal of the program, which is called US Ignite, is to enable developer to have a test bed to create new technologies and applications for use in these newer, faster networks that can achieve speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

The program combines the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation, and the GENI Program Office, seeks to roll out the networks in 35 cities within the next six years.

YouTube-Your next cable channel?
We have already reported that YouTube is seeking to create a range of premium video channels, including some sports focused ones, and now it looks as if the site is seeking to expand further into the entertainment business.

The company said last week that it is investigating the possibility of working with cable companies and charging for content that the providers might be seeking to broadcast via other methods in an effort to grow their viewership. YouTube noted that noting is finalized at this time.

Apple patent hints at future iPhone features.
A patent that has been filed by Apple, as noted by PCMag and others shows a smartphone that has a swappable camera lens. The phone would have a replaceable back panel that could be swapped out for one with a different lens allowing for increased options for photographers.

Ebook sales roar past hardcover
Net sales for ebooks has surpassed that of traditionally printed books for the first time, according to a report released by the Association of American Publishers and noted in Mashable. The report covered the first quarter of this year and excluded children’s books.

Ebooks accounted for $282.3 million in that time frame while hardcover books reached a total of $229.6 million. More notably was that ebook sales increased 28.4% over the same period last year while hard cover increased only 2.7%.

Sony gets Ice Cream Sandwich for its Tablet P
Sony has finally upgraded its clamshell Sony Tablet P platform, a device that features a screen that can be used as a single or dual screen display. The software upgrade to the latest available for Android devices has been expected for some time.

ARM preps low cost tablet chip
While Android tablets sales have not met with expectations and continue to lose share to Apple’s iPad, chip developer ARM is preparing a new front in the battle with the development of its Mali platform that is expected to enable the development of lower cost tablets.

ARM does not sell its chips directly to tablet OEMs but rather to developers’ such as Broadcom and others that then create the final processors that go into the tablets, as well as a range of other products including smartphones.

According to Computerworld the Mali-450 family will include the ability to develop eight cores and have double the processing power of the Mali-400 line. The dirt products using the technology are expected in the first half of 2013.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps, Facebook, iPhone, Lawsuit, Mashable, Microsoft, Motorola, Smartphone, Tablets Tagged With: , , ,
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