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Friday Grab Bag: New Windy City Sports Blog This Spring

December 9, 2011 by

New Chicago focused Web site launches with solid cast
While the review might be a bit over the top, Robert Feder in his column points out a new entrant to the world of sports blogging, and one focused on Chicago that will go by the name of ChicagoSide that is slated to officially launch on baseball opening day in 2012.

Author and columnist Jonathan Eig is helping lead the charge. If you are unfamiliar with his name you may have seen some of his books in the sports sections- such as Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season.

The web site will have three dozen writers, something that in this day and age is almost mind blowing. Among the initial lineup will be Lou Carlozo, George Castle, James Finn Garner, Jim Coffman, Lauren Etter, Elliott Harris, Noah Isackson, Billy Lombardo, Amy Merrick, Joel Reese, and Alan Solomon,. Theo Epstein might find himself missing the Boston press corps.

Will Tim Tebow slay ESPN’s QB rating system?
Rating systems are always a lot of fun, often hard to figure out, great source of bar arguments and rarely do they provide any insight if rating an individual in a team sport. ESPN happily entered the market this year with its QBR.

The Washington Post’s Achenblog takes a good poke at the system noting that winning is not one of the metrics and that Tebow fares poorly in the QBR. He says that it does not measure heart, leadership and desire.

While those are often the lead in anti-stat diatribes this one is not really that. He also notes that rating systems do not take into consideration the changes in rules in the NFL that allows QBs and receivers to run free to a degree that players a generation earlier would have loved. Also would you trust any rating system that puts Philip Rivers as a better QB that Joe Montana?

Control your Xbox from your Windows Phone
Microsoft has released its Xbox Companion App for its Windows Phone 7.5 operating system. With the app a user can control select services on their Xbox as well as consume any content that they might have stored on the device. In addition Microsoft has added search capabilities to examine the entire Xmox catalog and find games, apps, movies and movies.

The phone enables users to learn additional details about the objects of a search as well as select and launch a search result movie, video game TV show or app on the console as well as play, rewind and pause music and video. The App is free from Microsoft.

Will the Kindle Fire be 50% of Android Tablet Market in 2012?
That is the thought of Evercore Partners’ Robert Cihra who believes that the tablet from Amazon will have a major impact in the Android space, carving out a huge niche for itself and creating barriers for rivals to enter and profit from the space.

The Kindle Fire, which many have estimated Amazon sells for cost, and possibly just a hair under, in the old razor/razor blade business model, could “Vaporize” the for profit Android tablet OEM business according to Cihra.

He notes that Apple will remain the dominate player in this space with its iPad and that it will continue to dominate the most profitable segment of the market. The Kindle talking 50% of the Android market would represent a drop in the bucket of the overall market which Apple is expected to have a market share of as much as 70% in 2012 depending on the source.


Twitter claims iOS integration boosts signups by 25%
The redesign of Twitter appears to have struck a chord with one segment of the market, the Apple iOS users. The redesign, for those of you who have not noticed, includes a consistent menu across desktop and mobile platforms, the ability to track what has happened with an individual post and a Discovery section that recommends new areas based on previous history, among other changes.

So where does the iOS come in? Well it actually started helping the micro blogging site earlier when it integrated the service into its mobile OS. Users can tweet photos directly from the camera, for instance. Since the integration Twitter has seen a notable uptick in status updates, according to MACNN.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, Baseball, iPad, Major League Baseball, Sports Social Media, Twitter

The Tablet Market Continues to Fluctuate — Dell Flames out, Kindle Still Burns Hot!

December 6, 2011 by

Dell now a two time loser

Dell has quietly withdrawn its Dell Streak 7 tablet from the market, its second failure in the tablet space. The company had previously withdrawn the Dell Streak 5 in August, one of the only, if not the only 5-inch tablets on the market.

The Streak 7 featured a 7-inch display and operated using the Android Honeycomb (3.2) operating system. It came with 16GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi and was powered by a nVidia Tegra processor, had a 1.3MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear facing camera.

It is doubtful that this indicates a permanent departure by Dell from the tablet space. The company said earlier this year that it was working on a Tablet that was capable of operating on Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform. Dell was one of the first to enter the market against Apple’s iPad and Apple still has a tremendously powerful position in the tablet space.

While a solid product at the time of its delivery it failed because at the point it came into the market it was just compared to the iPad. As users become more familiar with tablets, and tablet developers seek to differentiate their products by more than just “speeds and feeds” the market will open up for more players.

People can argue about the Kindle Fire, is it a rival to the iPad or is it not- it certainly seems to be to some extent. Customers that were initially looking at an iPad as a form of e-reader will obviously be a potential cross over group. On the other hand if you want to follow games while on the road the Kindle Fire probably does not fit your usage model.

Fire sales expected to remain strong

The Kindle Fire has had very strong sales, with estimates in the 3.9 million range by the end of the year, making it the number 2 selling Tablet, behind the iPad and ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Apple sold 11.12 million iPads last quarter so it will take rivals some time to catch it.

The next generation Android products based on Ice Cream Sandwich will likely start eroding Apple’s market share even further, while also growing the market. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out in a year and if we will see additional focused products.

A recent study conducted by the Google’s AdMob shows that the top use for tablets is gaming, with 84% using it for that compared to 78% searching for information and only 51% for music/videos. Why not a tablet designed specifically for this space? I expect we will see one soon.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, Dell, Google, iPad Tagged With: , , , , ,

Looking for a Holiday Gift for the Athlete in Your Life?

December 6, 2011 by

Looking for a holiday gift that both meets the needs of the receiver and does not make you look like you just picked up the first thing that caught your eye so that you could eliminate one more name from you list? Good Luck!

Well in the giving spirit here are a few suggestions that are not simply an iPad2 here and a Android phone there. While these are great products there is an entire range of other products out there that you might want to consider as well.

For the connected athlete

Looking for something a bit different? How about the Motoactv from Motorola Mobility, a device designed to track your workout and provide a soundtrack at the same time. Wait you say, I can do the same with technology that I already own, right?

While it seems that a standard iPhone or Android smartphone does ok for this in a gym, most users to not want to risk breaking their phone on a long run, particularly if they push themselves over rough terrain. Breaking your phone and then being forced to spend a lot for a new one is not a great option for most of us.

Touted as a fusion between music and fitness it is a lightweight device that enables an athlete to track their efforts, steps taken, calories burned and you can compare it to past efforts. Or if friends are also using the technology you can compete and compare with them.

The core of the Motoactv is a small device with a 1.6-inch screen that controls both workout information and as a music controller. It incorporates Motorola AccuSense technology and GPS to measure your performance including distance, speed, heart rate1 and calories burned in an accurate manner.

Among the features is the ability to sync with an Android-based phone for calls, either 8GB or 16GBs storage for music, FM radio capabilities and support for Bluetooth headphones. The MSRP for Motoactv 8G is $249 and $299 for the 16G version. Headphones are separate.

A full size Tablet with Keyboard option
In the full size pad space there is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. With a 10-inch screen it is the same size as its more hyped rivals and yet is not as pricey and comes with a full set of features. Powered by a dual core nVidia Tegra 2.1GHz processor it has plenty of power for even HD video playback.

What makes the Transformer an interesting buy is its ability to form a traditional notebook shape with its optional docking station that features a full QWERT keyboard. The docking station also serves as an additional battery so that it extends the devices operational life from 9.5 hours to 16 hours.

It features the latest version of the Android operating system, the 3.2 Honeycomb and will be upgradeable to the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 version when that s commercially available. It has 1GB of memory and a choice between 16GB and 32GB storage. Other feature include a 5MP rear facing camera and a 1.2MP front facing camera, a mini HDMI outlet for output to HD video on HDTVs, two USB ports, a built-in SD Card reader

7-Inch Tablet variety growing
In this space a good, but a bit pricey, option is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. If it seems like there are a lot of Samsung Galaxy’s out and about these days, there are. This is a second generation 7-inch device from Samsung. It has a 1.2GHz processor and features 16GB of storage that can be expanded to 32GB with the use of a MicroSD card. . It includes a 2MP front camera and a 3MP back facing camera.

Using Androids’ Honeycomb operating system the device includes cellular as well as wireless support, something that sets it apart from mainstream e-readers. The tablet ships with Zinio, a program that allows you to choose from 5,000 full color magazines, with 5 free ones available with sign in.

If you are looking for an e- reader, one of the 7-inch devices that is used primarily for downloading and storing books, magazines and newspapers for your perusal the options are much more limited for good choices than for a larger tablet. However that does not mean you have to settle for second best.

But buyers beware, or at least shop prepared. I have found in talking to people they often expect more than the product offers. I think this in part because some of these devices, particularly the Kindle Fire, have been touted as an iPad killer. Know what you want and read the product specs prior to buying. If cellular connection particularly is important to you, many of these devices do not feature it, opting for just Wi-Fi.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire has been getting a great deal of news lately, and from my brief usage, deservedly so. The Barnes and Nobles Nook is another popular one that came out recently, and there is not a great deal of difference between the two, they share a great deal of similar features and it is important that you know what you want and do not want in a e-reader prior to purchase.

Odds and Ends
Remote controlled cooking?
For the obsessive cook with money to burn there is the iGrill Thermometer, a device that enables your iOS device to track the temperature of meat cooking in the oven or BBQ. For a sports fan that likes to cook in the winter this could be just the ticket.

Slightly bigger than an iPhone the $100 device allows you to remotely monitor cooking food and handles a range of temperatures from 32 degrees to 400 degrees. It is designed to be placed near the cooking food with a probe in the food attached to the meat and the iGrill. Then you can get readings on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and it has a maximum distance of 200 feet. It. has two alarm settings and users can get a second probe.

Idle Fun
For the Android user in your life who likes to be amused there is the Sphero. The Sphero is a simple ball, roughly the size of a pool ball that can be controlled by an Android powered smartphone or tablet. It does nothing productive unless you consider taunting your cat or dog as productive.

The ball, which can be charged via cable free induction, has the ability to change color or glow in the dark. There are a range of games available for Sphero from sites such as Amazon Apps store and Android Market. It does also support iOS devices.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, iPad, iPhone, Motorola, Samsung, T-Mobile, Tablets, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , ,

Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: Chipped Jerseys?

December 5, 2011 by

Microchip in Jerseys boosts merchandise, ticket sales
The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lighting has added a replica jersey to its lineup that features a radio frequency chip that allows fans to scan to get assorted deals. The chip, when scanned at stadium stores will offer discounts on team merchandise and refreshments.

The team had been struggling with fan support and claims that this program has been a boon for its sales and has attributed the chip in part for a twofold increase in its season ticket sales this year. A secondary effect has been the increase in fans wearing the home team jerseys, rather than those of the opposition.

Acer readies budget Iconia Tablet.
After leaks about its new tablet starting hitting the streets Acer must have decided “why not” and unveiled its budget tablet, the Iconia Tab A200. The company kept some things the same-10-inch display and dual core Tegra 2 processor.

To save costs the available storage has been reduced to 8GB or 16GB rather than the 16GB and 32GB offerings elsewhere in the Iconia line. It will have a 2MP front camera but no rear facing camera, a microSDHC card slot and will ship with Android 3.2 but the company said that it will be upgradable to 4.0. Pricing has not been announced.

A Microsoft platform without Windows?
Well not quite but PC Advisor is reporting that the forthcoming Windows 8 Tablets and other devices will just have to do without the traditional Windows desktop since it will not be offered on ARM-based devices.

Instead Microsoft will continue to push its Metro interface as the interface of choice on mobile devices. The company has already debuted Metro on the Windows Phone 7 devices. If you are an iPhone or Android user Microsoft is offering test drives of the interface on those platforms.

Intel eyes China as destination for additional investments
EE Times Asia is reporting that Intel Capital is planning to increase its investments in China next year. The company looks to focus on technologies that are related to the mobile device and ultra-thin portable PC technologies sector.

Intel said that in 2011 it invested approximately $70 million in 10 companies based in China, out of a total worldwide investment of $500 million. Other areas that it will look into investing in include cloud computing, software, security and products that support the mobile device ecosystem.

New features for Android in 2012
Wondering what will be in store for your next generation smartphone, assuming you are using an Android-based device. Well PC World has taken the time to list a range of the new features that are expected, but not announced for that platform.

Included are some that are expected such as better graphics and better cameras as well as a few that might be a bit further out such as enhanced voice command capabilities and hopefully a translation features as well.

Samsung wins latest patent round with Apple
A US federal judge has stymied Apple’s efforts to block Samsung from selling a range of smartphones and Tablets that Apple claims infringe on its patents related to its iPads and iPhones. Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court in San Jose last Friday denied Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction against Samsung.

This is just one of the ten countries that the two are fighting a heated patent battle with the results mixed for both companies. This ruling opens the door for Samsung to sell its highly rated Galaxy S and other tablet and phone products.

Scrolling by the patent wars
While a great deal of noise over who stole what is still going on, Apple has apparently licensed some of its iOS technology and even offered it to Samsung, according to a report from the Verge. It said that the “scrollback” feature that displays a different background when you scroll past the edge of a document.

The report stated that Apple licensed the technology to both IBM and Nokia and offered this to be licensed by Samsung as well. Samsung declined. This technology is one of the bones of contention between Apple and Samsung.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apps, HTC, Intel Capital, iPad, iPhone, NHL, Samsung, Tablets Tagged With: , , , ,

Mobile Sports Reports Monday TechWatch: An Android Rebuttal

November 28, 2011 by

Social Games Developer gets $12.5 million investment
SNS Plus, a 3-year-old developer of games that run on social media sites has just received an influx of funding amounting to $12.5 million from WI Harper, a Chinese VC, and Matrix Partners. SNS focuses on developing for Facebook with 60 games already available on that platform and an additional 15 games on a variety of others including Friendster, Zingme and Apple’s iOS. The company currently focuses on the Asian market and has offices in China, Taiwan and Thailand.

Android apps revenue trails iOS- Wait until next year!
Last week we noted that a study be market research firm Piper Jaffray said that Apple iOS app developers were racking in the funds while their counterparts in the Android space were just getting crumbs.

Now Inside Mobile Apps has refuted the estimate claiming that it is flawed. In particular it notes that free apps have a strong revenue generating potential by in-app sales. While we don’t track this thing, it seemed at the time that Piper Jaffray’s estimates were too low. It will be interesting to follow this space as the analysts start to develop real tools that can provide developers with the information they need to profitably allocate their resources.

Panasonic’s US Android plans: Someday?
It looks like Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. will be bringing a lineup of smartphones to Europe as it seeks to establish itself as a player in the Android-powered smartphone space. According to a report from the Nikkei that was forwarded by Reuters the company seeks to sell 7.5 million phones in that market, half of its output, but not until 2015.

It will look at further expansion down the road into the US and additional Asian markets. The company dropped out of all but its own domestic mobile phone space in 2005 due to a variety of issues including tough price competition.

Apple dumping Samsung LCDs?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is moving to a new partner for the displays in its forthcoming next generation iPads. The company will be moving from Samsung Electronics, a company it has partnered with in the display space for some time.

The report, well actually more of a rumor, claims that the LCDs will come from Sharp and that Apple is also investing an undisclosed sum in Sharp’s panel manufacturing facilities in Japan.

This seems to be a trend by Apple and you have to wonder if it has issues with Samsung? It was reported in September that it was moving away from using Samsung memory components. Earlier this year it moved away from using Samsung’s manufacturing for its processors that power its devices. Think that the patent disputes between the two have any impact on these decisions?

Did Apple products really account for 10 percent of Black Friday online sales?
A story coming out from electronista, citing a report from Coremetrics, an IBM company, claims that Apple mobile products accounted for approximately 10.2 percent of all online sales on Black Friday this year, while rival Android products only accounted for 4.1 percent.

At first look I took this to mean that Apple had a huge surge in sales of its products, which did have a number of sales last week, but what the piece means is that customers using those platforms made 10.2 percent of all purchases.

With Android phones extending their market share lead over Apple’s on a daily basis I found this to be a bit odd. Also the linked to report, while listed for 2011 was actually from 2010. Maybe I just could not get the latest report?

Are Android phones the breeding ground for viruses?
An interesting take on the reason that suddenly we seem to be inundated with alerts that your phone OS, especially Android, is rife with viruses and that you need the latest and greatest anti-virus software to ensure that your every Tweet, text and e-mail is safe.

According to ITWire it is all a conspiracy plot between Intel, its wholly owned subsidiary McAfee and Microsoft. Ok that may be an exaggeration but the piece does throw it out there. Of course as we noted in an earlier brief Google says all of the news of the rise of a new generation of malware is all garbage.

Apple rumor of the week.
Apple is working on a television that understands when you yell at it. Great, mine will explode every football and baseball season, who needs to buy two sets a year. It will also understand gestures. Still don’t see this as a positive. Now if it could cut out the ads I would be a happy camper.

Have a product that will be on display at the upcoming CES show and think we should know about it? Drop us a line and let us know.

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

CBS Streaming Top Rated SEC Games this Weekend

November 23, 2011 by

Broadcaster seeks to grow success from LSU vs Alabama Game

CBS Sports, coming off a very strong viewership of its live streaming broadcast of the LSU vs Alabama game several weeks ago is now touting its live streaming of the game between #3 Arkansas vs. #1 LSU as well as broadcasting the “Iron Bowl” between #2 Alabama and #24 Auburn.

The event will follow a familiar format for viewers that have experienced previous broadcasts from CBS Sports. The game will be broadcast live at CBSSports.Com/SECLive and for users of iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch I can be found by using the CBS Sports Mobile app.


The games between all of these top ranked teams has the extra incentive for the teams in they all compete in the same division and so that the winner will capture the SEC West Championship, a sure stepping stone to a top BCS Bowl game.

The LSU game will be played Friday, Nov. 25th at 2:30 ET while the Alabama/Auburn Iron Bowl game will be played Saturday, Nov.26th with a starting time of 3:30 ET. Both games will be followed by the “5th Quarter with Gary Danielson”, an interactive show that is available at cbssports.com/gary or can be followed on Twitter at @DanielsonCBS.

The LSU vs Alabama game, which pitted a #1 vs. #2 drew 214,560 viewers to its online broadcast earlier this month. The number includes an impressive 42,912 viewers who partook via a mobile device and the sites CBS Sports mobile app for Apple iOS devices.

While the game was touted as a game of the century, as if we don’t get on of those every year, it was a bit of a disappointment. Missed opportunities coupled with missed field goals left an unsatisfactory feeling for many fans.
Still CBS Sports said at the time that it believed it to be the biggest audience to watch college football on-line, although ESPN claims that it has the title from the National Championship game last year that was broadcast on ESPN3 and drew 690,000 viewers.

It will be very interesting to see how the attendance for this game compares to the first. All of the SEC fans that I know are among the most fanatical football fans I know. Yet the first game was not quite what it was billed to be in terms of scoring and excitement. Will the fact that so many are traveling this weekend spur additional mobile viewership or will it detract? Just have to wait until Monday to see the numbers from CBS to see how it pans out. From there it would be nice to see this as a growing trend in the industry.

One question for fans of either LSU or Arkansas. Is the game still officially called “The Battle for the Golden Boot”? I did not see any mention of it this week.

Filed Under: Apps, CBS Sports, Fanatic Fans, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, NCAA Football, SEC Tagged With: , ,
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