Football -- Engadget

Man charged $28,000 for using data card, Slingbox to watch football game

by Ross Miller, posted Feb 24th 2009 at 7:31AM

While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, and while the bill was eventually dropped to $290.65 after a considerable number of calls to customer service, let that be a warning to mobile users traveling on the fringe of international roaming areas -- and in case you were wondering, the Bears ended up winning 27 to 23.

[Via The Register]

Totally blow out the big game! Part IV: Super Bowl XLIII

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 1:00PM

Considering that Pittsburgh already nabbed "one for the thumb," it's safe to say they're just going for history now. The Steelers and Cardinals didn't meet during the regular season this year (a shame, we know), but you can bet both clubs are ready for what's coming when February 1st rolls around. In fact, the only question remaining is this: are you? If you've suddenly found yourself shocked and unprepared, follow us past the break for our guidance on blowing out Super Bowl XLIII.

Continue reading Totally blow out the big game! Part IV: Super Bowl XLIII

Arsenal fans could catch replays, live action on Sony's PSP

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 21st 2009 at 3:58PM

As we're confident that you know, one of the biggest downsides to catching an event in-stadium is the inability to see instant replays. Oh sure, a few venues play back sequences for the fanatics in attendance, but you'll still get a much better angle from the comfort of your own couch. English soccer club Arsenal is hoping to remove that obstacle from fans' minds by testing out an instant replay system with Sony's PSP. In theory, at least, a Sony-developed application would enable patrons to "watch live streaming video of a game, along with data and statistics, and provide the ability to watch near-instant replays." 'Course, we've already seen Bluetooth added to venues and a similar system as this installed at Safeco Field, but we still envision this being a hit if it's really rolled out within 18 months as planned.

[Image courtesy of Panstadia]

Sensor-laden footballs / gloves could run referees right out of work

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 19th 2008 at 8:45AM

Dr. Priya Narasimhan, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, doesn't intend to put a single NFL referee out of work, but there's no doubt that the technology she's tinkering with could indeed have that effect. The prof and her students are developing sensor-laden footballs and gloves, both of which could eventually tell in real-time whether a ball bounced off the ground before being caught or whether a player actually had possession of a ball whilst being piled upon after a fumble. Currently, she's had zero luck persuading a college or professional team to help her experiment further, and we can sort of see why. We mean, it's nice to get every call right in theory, but what fun would sport be without the all-important "Ref, you suck!" chant?

[Thanks, Freddy]

NFL in 3D: Good technology overcomes bad entertainment

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 2:01AM

Simmer down athletic supports, we didn't just call your beloved NFL boring. But Thursday night's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers wasn't going to generate this much interest on its own. As described by the LA Times who attended the 3D broadcast of Thursday night's "football" game at Burbank's 3ality Digital cinema,

"The experience wasn't jaw-dropping, but it was noticeably better than a conventional broadcast. The game was drama-free, yet the novelty of 3D made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen... The effect was subtle at times, but just as compelling as in "U2 3D," 3ality's concert film of the Irish rockers. The most striking thing in both cases was how much more you could see in three dimensions than in two."

The event wasn't glitch free, however. Two hiccups caused the satellite feeds to go black in Boston, New York, and LA. and a few quick camera pans and poorly executed transitions had viewers convulsing behind their polarized glasses. As a proof of concept though, viewers generally seemed impressed which means more of this in the future.

[Via Yahoo]

Micro Matic v-POD weds beer dispenser and LCD TV

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 1st 2008 at 5:32PM

It's two things that are inevitably tied to one another each Sunday -- LCD TVs and alcohol. Now, Micro Matic is bringing them together like never before, and only the most serious of in-home bartenders need apply. The v-POD comes in a couple of shapes and colors to best suit your needs, with the stainless steel Kool-Rite boasting a half-dozen taps, stereo speakers and an inbuilt 10-inch LCD. Now, if only these were available with slightly larger HDTVs and price tags nowhere near the three grand mark, we'd be talking.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

Live NFL broadcast to air in 3D as "proof of concept"

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 24th 2008 at 12:13PM

As the NFL gobbles up even more market share in the United States, it follows logic to see the next big in-home entertainment push side with it in order to garner attention. With every company and its third subsidiary twice removed trying to shove 3D into the home, we'd say starting with the NFL is a brilliant move. In a closed-to-the-public "proof of concept" demonstration, next week's matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders will air live in 3D to select theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Boston. Third-dimension mainstays 3ality Digital and RealD will play critical roles in the delivery, though it remains unclear what exactly the NFL and 3D backers in general plan to do afterwards. If you'll recall, this isn't the first pro sporting event this year that was beamed in 3D to nearby theaters, but we can't think of anything more appealing than 300-pound gentleman crushing each other just inches from your retinas.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Sprint prepares to phone-cast entire NFL games, starting tonight

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 6th 2008 at 8:10AM

The National Football League and Sprint have been tied up in one form or fashion for years now, but the relationship is finally rounding third and heading for home. All mixed analogies aside, what we're saying is that the feature you've been clamoring for has finally arrived, and beginning tonight, select Sprint subscribers will be able to watch the entire Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos tilt on their handset. Obviously, you'll need a Sprint TV-capable handset and an Everything Plan (or a $15 per month add-on) in order to tune in, but tonight's game -- which kicks off at 8:00PM ET on the NFL Network -- will be the first of eight games (televised solely on that network) to air via Sprint. Whether or not The Now Network can keep up with the action, however, remains to be seen.

Researchers considering syncing soccer matches with mobile vibrations

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 1st 2008 at 7:16AM

Call us cynical, but we just can't see this one working out it. A team of researchers from Umeå University in Sweden are reportedly looking to sync up events on a soccer field to vibrations in a cellphone, essentially enabling you to keep track of the action without having to focus your eyes / ears on the handset. The proposed system could send vibrations to the phone that would act as a way of communicating possession, ball placement and (of course) gooooooooaaallllls, but obviously a few obstacles still stand in the way. For starters, buzzing your mobile through an entire tilt would do a number on the battery life, and even though you could "feel" the action, it would still require a great deal of attention. In all honesty, we'd say this whole system probably has more promise off the pitch than on, but then again, we call football soccer, so what do we know?

[Via UnwiredView]

Video: Nanosoccer... Oh. My. God.

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 21st 2008 at 4:22AM

Sometimes human awe and incredulity can only be invoked with the help of moving images. A truism related to overzealous police and nanobots alike. We've heard about the RoboCup nanosoccer exhibit since it was first on show back in 2007. However, it took this video of a microbot pushing a football on a field smaller than a grain of rice to fully ratchet our jaws to the floor. See what we mean after the break.

[via Medgadget]

Continue reading Video: Nanosoccer... Oh. My. God.

Super Bowl XLII to be beamed to naval ships in Pacific Ocean

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 1st 2008 at 2:20PM

We already knew that pigskin fanatics in 223 countries would be able to catch Super Bowl XLII this Sunday, but thanks to Raytheon's Global Broadcasting Service (GBS), even sailors and Marines stationed aboard ships in the Pacific Ocean will be able to catch the Giants attempt to mar the Patriots' currently unblemished record. The aforementioned technology has been in use for over a decade delivering "high-speed, multimedia broadcasts of mission critical information to military and government decision makers," but this weekend, it'll be used to bring home entertainment to folks far, far away from home. Sadly, it doesn't sound like the broadcast will be in HD this go 'round, but we suppose any football is better than none at all, right?

[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy of ProJo]

Engadget HD helps you prep for Super Bowl XLII

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 30th 2008 at 1:01PM

Just in case you've been living under a rock (or mounds of year-end spreadsheets -- same difference), we reckoned you should know that you've but four days left before Super Bowl XLII kicks off from Arizona. Besides the obvious necessities -- an HDTV, lots of seating space, a truckload of junk food and an HD DVR attached to a battery backup system -- you may also need to cross a few unnoticed "t"s to ensure the best game day experience possible. Of course, Engadget HD is lookin' out for you and yours, and we're here to make sure you aren't scrambling for an HD signal from your local FOX affiliate three minutes after kickoff. Hit up the checklist here while you still have time.

Further Super Bowl XL II reading:

Bluepod Media brings Bluetooth to football stadiums

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 18th 2008 at 8:58PM

Simmer down, NFL fans -- we're talking real football here, so we'd recommend hoping a flight to Europe if you're interested in taking advantage of this. Reportedly, Bluepod Media has inked exclusive BT marketing rights with a bevy of Premiership football clubs including Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, West Ham, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic (among others). The deal was worked out after successful trials at Portsmouth and Birmingham City, and going forward, Bluepod will be working with third-parties to "create and distribute branded content to football fans within all stadiums on match days." Best of all, said content will be offered up to attendees gratis, while brand owners will be shelling out cash on a per download basis. Don't worry, dear Americans, you can always order up a hot dog from the comfort of your Safeco Field seat with your DS -- how's that for a consolation prize?

[Via IntoMobile, image courtesy of Hobo Tread]

Riddell starts shipping concussion-monitoring football helmets

by Nilay Patel, posted Dec 18th 2007 at 8:23PM

We've seen a couple helmet systems that monitor impacts -- including prototype football helmets -- but Riddell is bringing the tech to market with the Revolution IQ HITS (Head Impact Telemetry System) helmet, which contains a system of sensors that stores data about the last 100 impacts, which can later be wirelessly transmitted to a laptop for analysis. Up to six $999 helmets can be linked to each $299 HITS receiver, and players and trainers can access data via a web app for later evaluation. The helmet is shipping now, and apparently the University of Missouri and several other NCAA schools have already placed orders.

[Via Technology Review]

Watch the 24 most obscure NCAA bowl games on Verizon's V Cast

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 18th 2007 at 8:11AM

Are you ready for some football? How about full-length, live coverage of 24 NCAA bowl games. Sounds good, right? Just forget about big screen HDTV though, this is MediaFLO on your itty bitty cellphone display. Fanatics (in every sense of the word) will have access to games provided by ESPN Mobile TV, CBS Mobile and FOX Mobile through Verizon's V CAST Mobile TV. Unfortunately, none of the BCS Championship games will be available on the service. You will however have access to Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, the Meinke Car Care Bowl, and Papa John's.com bowl to name just a few. "Must see" games Verizon -- really?