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US Open exhibit pits you against Maria Sharapova in VR
From real-time match updates to performance analytics and the Hawk-Eye, the US Open has been upping its technology quotient over the last few years. This year the two-week grand slam tournament is opening its hard courts to virtual reality with the "You vs. Sharapova" experience. If you have a ticket to watch the live action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, you can swing by one of the three VR stations and strap on an HTC Vive to be Maria Sharapova's opponent.
Hawk-eyed police seize drone flown over Wimbledon
If you own a drone and want to take it for a quick test flight, heed our advice: don't fly anywhere near large sporting venues. Police arrested a pilot for filming Premier League football matches in March, and now a drone has been seized for swooping too close to Wimbledon. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was spotted flying over the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Saturday morning and the Metropolitan Police were promptly notified. The pilot was discovered at a nearby golf course and officers ultimately confiscated the trespassing drone -- hardly surprising, given the Grand Slam starts this week.
Twitter's Wimbledon emoji will let you ace your tweets
Twitter knows it plays a big role in delivering sports news, but it also hosts millions of conversations around the biggest events. To help get users in the spirit, the company has launched emoji for World Cup 2014 and the NBA in the past, but with Wimbledon just around the corner, it's now turned its attention to tennis. Helped by Serena Williams, Twitter has unveiled four new Wimbledon-related "hashflags," giving users the opportunity to adorn their tweets with a racket emoji or images relating to #TheQueue, #TheHill (also known as Henman Hill) and #TheWorld.
Zepp upgrades its tennis game with a beefed-up app
Just in time for the French Open, sports-tracking firm Zepp is launching a big update to its tennis app. The simply named Tennis 2.0 app works with the company's multisport sensor -- a bright, little widget that attaches to golf clubs, baseball bats and tennis rackets. We've taken a few swings with the sensor in batting cages and on tennis courts in the past, and while we praised its ease of use and the fact that it worked with most any bat/racket, we thought the accompanying tennis app lacked the depth of competing options like Babolat's Play series or Sony's Smart Tennis Sensor. Now, Zepp's significantly beefed-up app looks to address many of those concerns.
Sony Smart Tennis Sensor to analyze games in North America and the UK
Sony's Smart Tennis Sensor has finally arrived in the US, Canada and the UK from Japan, and just in time for the perfect weather to start working on being the next Nadal. It's been a while since we saw it at CES 2014, though, so let's all refresh our memories: the sensor's a small circular device that fits into the bottom of a compatible racket's handle once you remove its logo cap. It can not only detect the swing type you use, but also the shot count, ball impact spot, ball spin and swing and ball speeds. Plus, the accompanying iOS or Android app can record videos and associate data with specific parts, so you'd know what you need to improve on.
Wimbledon bans 'nuisance' selfie sticks
If you're heading to the All England Lawn Tennis Club in June to enjoy some strawberries and cream and perhaps snap the odd selfie while watching the world's best tennis players, we have some bad news: Wimbledon has banned the selfie stick. Laid out in the official ticketholders' guide, the event's organizers write: "In common with many other major sports and entertainment events and cultural attractions, the championships will not allow selfie sticks into the grounds." No wide-angled photo action for you.
10 high-tech gadgets that will improve your tennis game
The sport of tennis is no stranger to incorporating new technologies -- from the electronic line judges of the early '70s to today's Hawk-Eye system with its multi-camera array. These days, players at all levels have a variety of high-tech tools to help them up their games. We've already taken a look at how modern technology can help if you're training for golf and soccer. Now it's time to check out some options you might want to consider the next time you hit the courts. Below you'll find devices to smarten up your racquet and your shoes, as well as fitness trackers and apps designed to up your game no matter what level you are. Tennis anyone?
Settle those sports arguments with Who Won Sports
Many of us love to argue or rather have animated discussions about a variety of topics, politics, religion, where to go for the best hamburger and the king of argument starters: Sports. Now with Who Won Sports you and your friends can settle those disagreements by just pulling out your phone and using this free universal app. Who Won Sports is a simple app that tells you at a glance just what the name implies, who won. You will find team championships, individual award winners and more for all the major sports. Choose your sport, then select which category you want and Who Won Sports in most cases, provides you with a list of winners by year going back as far back as the beginning of the competition or as long as the award has been given. In the baseball category you can choose from twenty-two different championships or awards. You will find World Series winners going back to 1903, Cy Young winners, home run champs, Gold Glove winners, Manager of the Year awards for both leagues and many more including the winners of the College World Series in Omaha and the first player picked in the annual amateur draft held each summer. Did you know Rick Monday was the very first player picked back in 1965? You would if you had Who Won Sports. Overall the app has eight categories from which to choose: baseball, football, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, hockey, and the Canadian Football League. Golf and tennis feature the four grand slam events in each sport. Tennis includes the Women's winners but no LPGA winners in golf. However the app does include Ryder Cup winners. Who Won Sports makes it much easier to access all this data than using a browser and search engine on your phone. The navigation within the app is a breeze. However I did find a couple of issues that troubled me. For baseball and hockey you will get the winners in whatever year you select but nothing about which team they beat or how many games the series took. However, in the NBA you get a paragraph detailing the outcome of the series and the number of games. In the football category the listing is for NFL Champions but only goes back to the first Super Bowl in 1967. For each winner it tells you what number Super Bowl it was, where it was played and the two teams that played. Why do they provide more details for two of the sports but not the others? Also what about all the NFL Championship games that were played before the Super Bowl started. And what about the American Football League? After all without the success of the AFL, we would have never had a Super Bowl. A little more attention and information would have made this app more complete. I believe you will find Who Won Sports a handy app to keep on your phone and for the most part it will settle a lot of discussions about who won what. You won't find the answer to who is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time but you can see who won the 1928 Stanley Cup if that become important - It was the New York Rangers if you need to know.
Zepp's tennis and golf swing sensor arrives in UK stores for £130
Zepp's 3D motion sensor has been analysing tennis swings and improving golf games in the US for the past year, and now it's arrived in the UK to tell us how bad we are at sports. The small Bluetooth-equipped sensor clings to the bottom of your tennis racquet, or attaches to your golf glove, and sends all kinds of data about your wild swings to companion Android and iOS apps. The info it records is tailored to whichever sport you're playing -- not that the links are particularly welcoming this time of year -- with the idea that insight into your game will help improve it. The golf app is especially geared towards lowering your handicap, with various training resources and a feature that lets you compare your swing to those of professionals. Both the golf and tennis versions are now available at Apple, Curry's, PC World, Argos and John Lewis stores for £130 a piece.
Minimalistic Tennnes is a team sport at $20
Jan Willem Nijman, one half of the Nuclear Throne development duo Vlambeer, is now selling local multiplayer game Tennnes as a stand-alone download on his site. Originally part of NYU Game Center's No Quarter exhibition in 2012, the game is now available for a minimum cost of $20. The price may seem a little steep to some, but it comes with a bonus: Buyers will be able to distribute the game to their friends for free. Tennnes is a minimalistic tennis game that was previously gifted to backers of the Sportsfriends Kickstarter project, which concluded in December 2012. The friendly pricing structure makes sense for the game, as those with two controllers will get the most out of Tennnes. Nijman's disclaimer for the game notes that the PC game "can be played by/against AI, but that's absolutely not the intended experience." [Image: Jan Willem Nijman]
IRL: a tennis sensor you can use with any racquet
When I tested Babolat's Play Pure Drive connected tennis racquet, I found the resulting data insightful, but thought the platform was hampered by being tied to a single, albeit popular, model. Zepp's tennis sensor, though, can be swapped from racquet to racquet, so I thought I'd slap it on my current stick and see if it could quantify my averageness.
LCD Soundsystem's frontman is transforming tennis data into tunes
LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy has dabbled in some weird stuff since the group split up three years ago, so the news that he's now working with IBM to convert the back-and-forth cadence of tennis matches at the US Open into music... isn't really a surprise. What is surprising is what he and dev-collaborator Patrick Gunderson will ultimately wind up with: nearly 400 hours worth of algorithmically crafted "music" made from boiling serves, aces and faults into instrument tracks.
Sony's Smart Tennis Sensor will outfit racquets in the US and Canada for $200
We got an up-close look at Sony's tennis gadget back at CES, and after a May launch in Japan, the accessory is prepped to hit the court in the US and Canada. The Smart Tennis Sensor plays nice with rackets from Wilson, Prince and Yonex to capture information about your swing, serve and more to a companion app on both iOS and Android. You can also opt for Memory Mode to hold details on up to 12,000 shots with internal storage for post-match analysis. The add-on is IP65-rated to keep water and dust at bay while you collect data on your game. As you might expect, in addition to all the action tracking, you can broadcast your progress to all your pals via the social network of your choosing. There's still no exact word on an arrival date in North America, but Sony says Wilson will start selling the $200 gadget through its tennis retail channels "by the end of January 2015." Even if you have to wait a full year after the device first broke from cover, at least you'll be able to grab one before the great outdoors tempt with spring weather.
Zepp takes a swing at baseball with its tiny data analyzer
As someone who doesn't play baseball often, if ever, I need all the help I can get. But since America's Pastime isn't my first sport of choice to practice, I'm okay admitting how extremely terrible I am at it. For others, however, things might be a little different. Whether it's kids who are just starting to play the game or those who would like to make a career out of it, Zepp Labs, creator of the GolfSense, believes it has made something that can help them along the way. Enter the Zepp baseball swing analyzer, an itty-bitty sensor that attaches to a baseball bat and can be utilized to record a ton of useful information, with the ultimate goal being to use this data to help improve your skills. Zepp also does the same for other sports -- that same sensor works with golf or tennis sessions; you just need a different mounting kit for each.
Motion Tennis is a unique blending of your iPhone and AppleTV
Motion Tennis (free for a limited time) is a clever interactive tennis app that has some attributes of the Nintendo Wii for playing motion-based games. You'll need to have a 2nd or 3rd generation Apple TV and the Motion Tennis app running on your iPhone (4S or later) in AirPlay Mirroring mode. You can play at several levels against the computer opponent, or play with a second iPhone opponent. You start with a wide view of the tennis court, your opposite at the top of the screen, while you are near the bottom in a 3D perspective. By moving your phone you can simulate forehand and backhand shots, and it's easy to slice and lob. The sensors in your iPhone make it all work. Like a tennis pro, you have a choice of grass, clay or synthetic courts. I was a bit skeptical, but the game works pretty well. There is a little lag on your first serve, but after that the game stays in sync with your motions. I tested the app by doing nothing when a ball came my way, and it zipped right by me giving my opponent the win. A couple of things to think about if you try this: First, if you let go of your iPhone during exuberant play you just might fling it through your expensive flat screen TV, so get a good grip or work out some kind of lanyard that is robust. Also, I didn't feel like I had really precise control of where my ball was going, but it certainly went in the general way I aimed it. (Now that I think about it, I have the same issues in real tennis.) Motion Tennis is a great demo of what creative developers can do to bring two pieces of Apple hardware together. The graphics are pretty slick, but not going to rival a Playstation or high-end game console. This is a great game to try while it is free, and even the regular US$7.99 price isn't too high for the work that went into this app. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5 and requires iOS 6 or greater. Just don't let go of your iPhone! That could be an expensive serve.
Rolocule's Motion Tennis will use Chromecast mirroring to recreate Wii Sports
Not sure how you'll use Chromecast's mirroring feature? Well, you could play tennis. About a year ago, Rolocule brought Wii-like gameplay to Apple users with Motion Tennis -- an app that leveraged Apple TV and iPhone AirPlay Mirroring to turn the user's handset into a virtual racket. Now the company is doing the same thing with Google's Chromecast. Using the mirroring feature announced at Google I/O, Rolocule has cooked up an early demo (available after the break) of Motion Tennis on a Nexus 5. The prototype has a noticeable input delay, but it's an excellent proof of concept for gameplay possibilities available to devices with screen mirroring. Don't have a Chromecast dongle? No worries, Rolocule says it's working on Miracast support too, and told Engadget that a public beta will be launching soon. Read on to see the Chromecast version of the game in action.
IRL: A few rounds with Babolat's Play Pure Drive smart tennis racquet
The market for connected, stat-tracking tennis gadgets has blossomed seemingly overnight. Some companies offer motion-sensing, snap-on attachments; others sell fancy racquets with built-in sensors. The French company Babolat is taking the latter route with its pricey but capable Play Pure Drive racquet. I took advantage of Tennis Warehouse's demo program to see if the $400 sensor-laden racquet could help me up my game.
Smash's new wristband helps perfect your tennis swing
We've come a long, long way since the days when smart wristwear did little more than track your footsteps. Need proof? Smash has unveiled a wearable dedicated to tennis. The wristband uses motion sensors to track many aspects of your swing, ranging from spin to your favorite shot types. Once you're done attacking the ball, you can check your performance through a connected Android or iOS device -- it'll be clear if your volleys need more power, or your backhand is inconsistent.
Sony's Smart Tennis Sensor hits Japan in May, offers topspin advice for $175
Sony's theme for its CES press event was "Play" and part of the fun was a smart tennis sensor that adds vibrational and gyro detection to your racket, linking up with your smartphone through Bluetooth to offer up improvement suggestions and surprisingly deep information on your racket game. While we got in a few serves and forehands right after the event, the announcement, like its incoming Core life-logging / wearable sensor, was a broad one. A spokesperson told us back in Vegas that Sony hadn't yet decided on a concrete name, let alone a price or release date. Well, Sony had plenty of answers at today's press event, announcing at a tennis club near its Shinagawa HQ that the sensor will launch (in Japan only, for now) this May, priced at 18,000 yen (around $175). We'll admit, we had some suspicions that Sony's Smart Tennis Sensor might never arrive in the real world (the demonstration area wasn't that far away from a row of conceptual smart glasses), but it seems that Sony's taking this new possible market pretty seriously. The sensor will launch compatible with around six Yonex EZone and VCore tennis rackets, with more models promised after launch. At the moment, you'll need a dedicated sensor for each player: if your buddy uses your racket, their data will be folded into yours, but the team added that this is something that they'll be working on in the future. Sony has also readied a companion app on both iOS and Android to launch alongside the sensor hardware when it arrives in late May. The app, alongside displaying stats and heat maps of where the ball hits the racket, will also be able to record a video of your earth-shattering serve and replay it alongside the metrics captured by the sensor. Maybe that ace wasn't quite so earth-shattering. We've added Engadget editor Michael Gorman's attempts right after the break.
Here's a smart tennis racquet that'll improve your swing
Unless you're Novak Djokovic or John McEnroe, then it's highly unlikely that you're able to take advantage of the computer-assisted coaching used by tennis pros. Like Sony, French racquet maker Babolat is hoping to bring such tech to the masses with the Play Pure Drive, a smart racquet that's packed full of sensors. The gear inside measures gyroscopic and vibrational data to show how many backhand and forehand swings you've made and where they've hit on the strings. You needn't worry that the sensors will weigh you down either, as the handle was designed to weigh the same as a normal model. Naturally, all of this data is pushed over Bluetooth to your smartphone, where the accompanying app will analyze your data after the fact, and give you helpful hints. For instance, if you're hitting it too close to your open throat, then the app will advise you how to get better. There's also a social component that lets you see how far your skills match up to Babolat's team of professional testers - although given that the top-ranked name on that list is Rafael Nadal, it might add to that inferiority complex.
