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Friday Grab Bag: Pre Black Friday Issue

November 23, 2011 by

Site takes you on Stadium Journey
Every year or so you see a story about some intrepid fans that are going to travel around the US and visit all of the ball parks during baseball season. A bit rarer but you also see people that try to hit all of the minor league fields on occasion.

Well if you are just an armchair traveler, or looking to do research about a sporting venue prior to leaving home then the folks at Stadium Journey have the site for you. Sure it covers all of the MLB parks with solid info and interesting photo montages, but that is the tip of the iceberg.

How about the Central Hockey League arenas? Or are you headed to Europe and want to see what Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United looks like before attending? Its there and much more. Of course there are gaps in its lineup, particularly in Europe and possible elsewhere (I did not carefully check each league) but it is a fun and informative site. One comment- in its AT&T review it mentions “blistering Candlestick”- try freezing Candlestick.

EA’s Twitter Campaign gets Results
Electronic Art’s decided to use a sponsored Twitter to promote its FIFA 12 video game several months ago it found that the social media site, couples with a focused time-sensitive ads brought solid results, 5%-8% higher than normal for Twitter-based campaigns.

The program had a 11% customer engagement was due to what EA said was its ability to take advantage of the traffic generated by the ads and so turn it into both sales but increased following for EA’s normal Twitter feed, thus setting up potential future sales as well.

For those of you that are scratching your head and wondering what FIFA is, it’s the The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football) that hosts the World Cup every four years. You know, soccer.

Facebook is seeking another avenue into your soul
Rumors have it that Facebook is teaming with Taiwanese cellphone developer HTC to develop a customized Android-powered smartphone code-named ‘Buffy”. Buffy, really? This rumor is according to the blog All Things Digital.

The reason is clear why Facebook would want to move further into the mobile space, it already has 350 million mobile users and relationships with a huge number of mobile operators across the globe. Still this just brings the ESPN phone back to my mind.

However don’t hold your breath waiting to use this phone to poke your friends- Facebook still has a ways to go including signing carriers, designing and then building the devices so it is not expected for at least 12- 18 months.

Top iPhone Games-No football?
Ever wonder what sports apps you should have loaded on your iPhone, assuming you have an iPhone, so that when you finally tire of shooting birds at pigs while sitting in an airport lobby you can have something else to do?

Well a short list has been created at appolicious advisor, which brings in 5 programs that it touts as timeless- thus eliminating from consideration season focused apps such as SEC Football lite or NBA 2011-12 (is there such an app?)

The five that made the cut include Bill James Baseball IQ, ESPN Radio, PrePlay, Tiger Woods: My Swing and Yahoo Spectacular. Anybody have an issue with this or what they fell is better choices send them my way and maybe I will follow up with fan favorites.

Is Malware a threat on Android?
Google is in a verbal fight with at least one security expert over the threat that viruses and other malware present to the Android mobile operating system, according to a recent post at ITWorld.

On the one hand we have Google’s open source program manager Chris DiBona claiming that the virus and security software companies are a buch of charlatans and scammers and there is no problem.

On the flip side there is Denis Maslennikov, a senior malware analyst for Kaspersky Labs who claimed that the number of malware discoveries on Android has been growing and that in less than half a year the number has rapidly grown.

Parade-
Have a great Turkey day and if you are stuffed and sitting on the sofa as the Macy’s Parade goes by look for my niece in the Homestead High marching band- she’s the cute one! And did you know there is an app to follow what is happening in the parade? Someone had too much time on their hands!

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, Baseball, Facebook, HTC, iPhone Tagged With: , , , ,

Sling Media moves to Facebook with new App

November 22, 2011 by

The company continues to reach out to new platforms

Sling Media, a provider of streaming media, has once again expanded its reach by developing a Facebook app that has the potential to reach millions of additional potential customers as well as make its make its technology more easily used.

The program is called SlingPlayer for Facebook and the obvious target is its installed customer base. To use the app you need both a Facebook account and more importantly a Slingbox. It provides you with an on screen remote control that enables you to watch and record programs remotely from your home system.

SlingPlayer for Facebook does not require additional hardware, passwords or software. A user that already has an account with the company can now use existing passwords etc to access their DVR or live television. It supports a wide variety of browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and works on both PCs and Macs. However only customers with its Pro-HD or Solo devices will be able to use the app.

The app will also enable the company to possibly get into businesses and other sites via a potential backdoor by using Facebook. A company may close many different sites to keep employees focused on work but Facebook tends to be exempt.

I expect that it will provide a secondary boost to the company as customers will likely show friends at work the technology and say on a Thursday night where you have to work late it can show a football game that you might otherwise miss.

Sling Media has been aggressive in moving its technology onto additional platforms. It is also available on Android phones and tablets, iPads, iPod Touch, iPhones Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerrys. In addition it has a Windows app and a Mac OS X app.

The company needs to stay aggressive due to the current competition from players such as Apple TV, Roku, and Boxee as well as a number of similar approaches including Xbox 360 and streaming sites like Netflix that seek to erode Sling Media’s original core space.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Facebook, iPad, iPhone, Sling Media Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mobile Sports Report Monday TechWatch: Poor Android Apps Revenue?

November 21, 2011 by

The Kindle-It’s Cheap!
Love it or hate it, the Kindle Fire is making its mark, and a primary reason is that it is less than half the price of rival tablets such as Apple’s iPad. A compilation of reviews at Network World is less than kind to the device for all uses aside from reading books.

I keep wondering why people compare it to an iPad when it looks to be trying to take a slice of the market that only somewhat overlaps. My Dad wants a Kindle, I want an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy and we want them for different purposes.

Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire- a Side by Side Look
Decided you want a small form factor tablet but cannot decide which one you want or how they compare to each other. Engadget kindly did the work for you by taking a hard look at the features of these two recently released devices so that you can make an informed holiday purchase. Among the areas they look at are performance, form factor, software and display.


Android Apps poor Revenue Stream?
A report in Business Insider claims that despite the huge platform advantage that the Android platform is enjoying over rival Apple iOS and the rest of the pack, it’s payback to developers lags at just 7% of what iOS developers receive. The report said that Android revenue for developers is dwarfed by the revenue for the iOS. According to a study from Piper Jaffray that breaks down to $330 million for Android developers compared to $4.9 billion for the iOS community. Could they have possibly dropped a zero or two?

More Patent Goodness
Slashdot notes that Apple’s iOS 5 has a Reminders feature that can be location based and a patent pending called Computer Systems and Methods for Collecting Associating and/or Retrieving Data (Snappy title that). Amazon was just granted a patent on its Location Based Reminders while Google has a patent on Geocoding Personal Information that includes location based reminders. Microsoft, not wanting to be left on the sidelines has a pending patent called Geographic Reminders.
There are also some older patents involved from Microsoft. I see a lot of legal fun and the horde of lawyers that they all employ gleefully rubbing their hands together and buying themselves new helicopter pads for Christmas.

IT Execs don’t seem to mind new Mobile Technology
CIO Magazine found that CIOs are rapidly starting to embrace employees using their own mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets for work. According to its 2011 CIO Magazine Consumerization of IT Survey 49% of its respondents said that allowing their employees to do work on personal devices from home or the office. An issue that has the potential to slow this is the ability or inability of most IT departments to support every hardware and software platform.

Latest Apple Rumors
Thicker iPads, how will I be able to handle the 0.7 mm difference? All metal iPhones that are larger with a 4-inch screen, will the world be able to survive? A revamped MacBook Pro in 2012- that will kill my holiday buying plans! Anyway if you are looking for the latest rumor about Apple’s next generation plans head on over to Cnet which has kindly rounded them all up in a nice tidy bundle.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, iPad, iPhone, Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Look at Android 4.0

November 18, 2011 by

Major League Baseball makes Two Moves- Hate them Both
MLB has made moving to the American League a condition for the purchase of the Houston Astros by Jim Crane, a deal that was unanimously approved by baseball owners The team will move in 2013 and so there will be two 15 team leagues, with interleague games starting at the beginning of the season.

The second move is the creation of two more Wild Card spots for the playoffs. Ohh boy, I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for that one game playoff between the wild card teams before the real playoffs begin.

I guess Selig wants this as his legacy prior to his long awaited retirement. I thought turning a blind eye to a decade of steroid usage and then crying crocodile tears was enough of a legacy for the man.

A good look at next generation Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich technology
The good folks at Slash Gear have uploaded a walk through on some of the latest features that will be included in the new Android 4.0 operating system that is just now reaching users hands. The operating system has a range of features that will continue to create a clear differentiation between it and Apple’s iOS technology.

The first feature highlighted is the Active Voice Diction feature that greatly enhances an already existing feature of the phone. It allows for pauses from the speaker and types out what you are saying as you go along.

Another feature is the Face Unlock and unlock to camera. This technology allows the phone to automatically unlock when it views a preregistered face. There are still issues to this and it can be deactivated by the user. The device will also have a quick method to unlock the camera so that you can quickly take photos. Head on over and see all of their coverage of ICS.

Klip Raises $8min Series B Round-App Popular with Sports Fans?
Klip, a startup app developer that is creating an iOS App that enables users to capture, share and view mobile videos has closed its Series B funding round after raising $8m led by Benchmark Capital with Matrix Partners and Klip founder Alain Rossman also participating. This brings the total funding for the company to $10m.

The company, which launched its first App in September, will now have Bruce Dunlevie of Benchmark join Josh Hannah of Matrix Partners and Klip Founder/CEO Alain Rossmann on the Board of Directors.

The program has a range of automated features that allow users to easily record, ports and resend klips. Video can be easily accelerated for a quick look. In an interview with TechCrunch, founder Rossmann said that the use of hashtags is very important especially among sports fans where its use is very prevalent.


A solid look at Tebow’s Throws
The ever solid Football Outsiders takes a look at how Tim Tebow has progressed as a NFL quarterback this season. Tebow baiting has been growing as a popular sport and this appears to be one of the few well researched pieces on his games.

One thing that leaped out at me was the amount of time between snap and throw, which in the Miami game was 4.4 seconds but declined every week and was 2.5 seconds by the Kansas City game five games later. It also breaks down his results according t how long he holds the ball. I would love to see a chart like this for every NFL quarterback.

PCWorld Writer Claims not too late for Windows Phone-Or Not.
A recent column by Tony Bradley in PCWorld talks about why it is not too late for Microsoft to establish Windows Phone 7 as a serious player in the smartphone arena. While acknowledging that it is late to the market he sees positives from the company.

Bradley lists the ability to take advantage of the Microsoft ecosystem, to seamlessly integrate with that ecosystem and that Microsoft, by scrapping Windows Mobile and developing Windows 7 from the ground up helped it integrate new features that will differentiate it from its rivals.

For a counter point look no further than PCWorld columnist Joseph Fieber who wrote a week earlier that Windows Phone 7 is too late and has missed the boat. Not yet having had the opportunity to try Windows Phone 7 I am staying out of this one.

A Last Laugh-Password Edition
PCMag has released a list of the 25 worst passwords. Does anybody really use 123456? Aside from my Dad?

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Athlete to Follow, Denver Broncos, Klip, Major League Baseball, NFL Tagged With: , , ,

Intel the Latest to Create Mobility App Fund

November 17, 2011 by

The company has a strong history of focusing funds on specific markets

Intel has created a $100 million investment fund called AppUp Fund that invests in a range of mobile companies and has already helped provide financing to two startups, 4tiitoo and Urban Airship. The fund will invest not only in app developers but also middleware, mobile infrastructure, and digital content.

Intel has created several funds such as this over the years including its $500 million Communications fund formed in 1999 and its recently formed $300 million Ultrabook fund. The funds are managed by Intel Capital.

Of course Intel is not just investing in any company. The ones that will get its blessing, and funding, are ones that advance the Intel architecture, something that is increasingly important for the company as it continues to see important platforms and products being built using processors from rivals such as ARM.

Just One of Many Players in Fund Space

There are other efforts at funding startups, and the number is growing with companies seeking to fund everything from efforts to create apps for a specific operating system like Android, or social media platforms like Facebook, and increasingly just to push the overall market.

There is the App Fund from VezTek that seeks to bring investors and inventors together, United Holdings Group’s Mobile App Fund that offers between $5,000 to $500,000 for developers in a range of mobile spaces from Enterprise, small business, B2B as well as social media and collaborative entertainment.

The Founders Fund and Accel Partners, original funders of Facebook, launched a $10 million fund in 2007 called the FBFund, although it is run a bit differently than others with Facebook executives participating in the vetting process.

First two Investments

One of the first two companies that have received undisclosed funding from Intel is Urban Airship, a Portland, Ore. developer of a platform that enables developers and publishers to target specific market segments with push notifications, subscriptions and geo-location info.

The second, with the snappy name of 4tiitoo, was founded in 2007 in Germany and is an open source developer that already has experience working with Intel. It developed the WeTab OS that is based on the MeeGo technology that was jointly developed by Intel, Nokia and the open source community. It is currently working on software solutions across all system layers from kernel development up to application development.

The amount of funding shows just how important major companies and venture capital firms see the emerging mobile app and social app markets. Expect this to lead to new innovations and a new generation of programs that can enhance all aspects of the user and business experience as related to the mobile space.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Google, Startup, Tablets Tagged With: , , , , ,

Verizon’s ‘Double Data’ Plans Good News for Mobile Sports Fans

November 15, 2011 by

If you are in the market for a 4G phone, here’s an early Christmas present — Verizon Wireless is currently offering double the downloadable data for its 4G LTE phones, the devices that run on Verizon’s new, speedy Long Term Evolution-based network.

Due to its exclusive deals like NFL Mobile, which allows it to offer live NFL games to its cell phone customers, Verizon is a leader in the mobile-sports world but previously we wondered if customers might chew right through their monthly data plans by watching a full live NFL game or two. While we still don’t have a definitive answer on how much data you use watching live video, at least now you can get twice the buffer for the same price.

At the top end, Verizon Wireless has an $80 per month data plan that used to get you 10 GB of data, and under the new promotion it will get you 20 — which should be more than enough for all your live-sports video needs. There are lower pricing and data tiers as well. Verizon also has the widest selection of 4G phones, including the new Motorola Droid Razr, as well as some models introduced earlier this year (like the well-received HTC Thunderbolt) which can now be had at reduced prices.

Verizon Wireless also offers exclusive coverage of the NHL, as well as local apps for NFL teams like the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills. While we would still prefer that cellular providers give you real unlimited data plans, those days are mostly gone. For sports fans, Verizon’s double-data promotion is a good deal if you are in the market or ready to upgrade.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Apps, Motorola, NFL, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: , , ,
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