Cricket
Latest
ATN to bring Champions Twenty 20 Cricket Tournament to Canada in HD
Being that cricket is in the air in India, it's no shock to hear of all these broadcast deals getting inked at the eleventh hour. Now, Asian Television Network (ATN) has announced that it has purchased the exclusive Canadian rights to broadcast the Champions League Twenty20 Tournaments cricket series for the next three years. The 2008 series will be aired live and rebroadcast on ATN's CBN and ATN-Cricket Plus in the Great North, and more importantly, the events will be telecast in high-def across Canada next year. Not quite sure too many Canucks will choose this over hockey, but having the option sure will be nice.
ESPN Star Sports uncorks HD sports in India with cricket
Around the Engadget HD Thanksgiving table, we never fail to mention our gratitude for HD sports. Beginning December 3, our cricket-loving friends in India will (hopefully) be able to discover this joy for themselves as ESPN Star Sports airs Champions League Twenty20 cricket. It's the first HD sports broadcast in the Indian subcontinent, where HD is so new that it is unclear how viewers will actually receive the signal -- there are no HD options available to pay-TV customers. So, we're keeping our fingers crossed that in the days left, providers either: get their acts together and come up with a HD offering (good), or enable the service for all subscribers until things get sorted (better). Believe us, once subscribers see the magic that HD can bring to spin- and speed-bowlers alike, they'll find the rupees to keep the HD flowing!
Motorola VE240 officially coming to Cricket, MetroPCS
As we'd heard back in August, the scrappy little VE240 candybar from Moto is destined for a pair of regionals -- Cricket and MetroPCS. It's got stereo Bluetooth, MP3 support, expandable memory up to 4GB, and that's about it; nothing to get terribly excited about, but the light spec sheet should keep things affordable. It's available now in Cricket's Tulsa market with wider availability coming to both carriers in the next few weeks.
AWS-capable Nokia 1606 flip phone arrives on Cricket
Nokia 1606's isn't a new creature, but it is a new member of the quickly expanding Cricket family. The AWS-capable flip phone pretty much sticks to the basic, boasting just a 160 x 128 resolution display (internal) / 96 x 32 pixel monochrome LCD (external), a voice recorder, 3.5-hours of talk time (11 days in standby) and weighs just 2.68-ounces. If that's enough to suit you, head to nearest Cricket shop and hand over $129.99 plus any applicable taxes.[Via phonescoop]
Samsung's AWS-compatible JetSet launches on Cricket
Remember that SCH-R550 that appeared in the FCC's lair back in June? It's okay, we know you don't, but Cricket is looking to jar your memory by introducing it as the Samsung JetSet. The AWS-compatible handset packs a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth capabilities, built-in multimedia player, a microSD card slot and little else (but we suppose that's the point). This feather-weight morsel of a clamshell can be picked up now for $199.99.
Leap's Cricket unveils unique per-day PAYGo prepaid service
Cricket Communications is well known for offering contract-less / prepaid options for wireless users who'd rather not be shackled down by any given carrier, and today we're checking out yet another option for those still not satisfied by current offerings. The PAYGo service, which is being launched initially in Cincinnati / Dayton, Savannah / Hilton Head and Houston, offers customers the ability to pay for three varying levels of usage on a per-day basis. The Cricket EZ, UTStarcom CDM7126 and Samsung MyShot can be activated on the plan, which only charges you for days you make or receive calls / text messages. For $1 per day, subscribers get unlimited local calling along with voicemail, caller ID and three-way calling, while the $2 per day plan adds unlimited text / picture messaging; the $3 / day plan throws in limited US long distance, international texting to 100+ nations and mobile web / directory assistance.[Via phonescoop]
Merger aside, Leap and MetroPCS put together roaming deal
Just because MetroPCS' unsolicited advances to Leap got rejected doesn't mean it can't check its damaged ego at the door long enough to get some other business put away. The two regionals sat down recently to hammer out a pretty comprehensive package of collaboration, throwing in a new 10-year roaming agreement, a spectrum swap whereby Leap gets coverage in San Diego, Fresno, Seattle, and parts of Washington and Oregon while MetroPCS picks up Dallas / Fort Worth plus some Louisiana and Florida territory, and a mutual agreement to drop any pending litigation against one another. Can't you just feel the love in the air?
Cricket offers EV-DO access for $40 per month... with no contract
We'll be honest -- we weren't all that jazzed about Cricket's unlimited video clip service at $5 per month, but this is something we can get into. The animalistic carrier has just launched an unlimited mobile broadband package in several Texas cities, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and St. Louis (all of its other cities will get gifted by year's end) which users can tap into for just $40 / month. Interestingly, the company is actually encouraging consumers to really take advantage of that "unlimited" bit, noting that it is aiming to put EV-DO (read: broadband) into the hands of lower-income (or budget-minded) citizens that can't afford to be strapped down by a contract. Of note, there are two big limitations: you can't use the service to make VoIP calls, and you can't run a server. Fair enough, Cricket![Via phonescoop]
Cricket adds unlimited video clip package for $5 per month
While the world still tries to decide if its really into mobile TV or not, Cricket is moving forward with plans assuming that she is. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless has just announced a flat-rate unlimited mobile video service that will enable users with "select handsets" to view one-to-four-minute-long video clips for $5 per month. Watching the clips won't tack on any additional data charges, and as for content, customers can look for clips from FUEL TV, Hollywood Insider and an array of other sources. Nah, there's no live TV (yet), but the pricing sure is admirable.[Via phonescoop]
Big Beach Sports looks more like big bore sports
With all the multi-sport games on the market for the Wii, we haven't really kept tabs on THQ's rendition, Big Beach Sports. Since the software is releasing next week for the budget price of $29.99, though, it's time to give it a closer inspection.Looking at these new screens, we have to say -- ignoring it seems like the right choice. Perhaps we're being a little harsh, but that's why we're paid the big bucks, after all. We can see that the developers were aiming for "cute," but might have gotten a bit closer to "ew ew ew."We're not ones to nitpick about graphics if the gameplay is fun, yet performing things like "the bump" with the Wiimote seem too tedious to be a good time. Perhaps the oversaturated mini-sports market has made us too cynical, and hopefully we'll be proven wrong. Yet, for now, we'll file this game under "mehware."%Gallery-25676%[Via press release]
Cricket emits SCH-r430 MyShot / SCH-r210 Spex AWS handsets
The collection of AWS handsets just keeps getting bigger, as Cricket is announcing a pair of its own in the SCH-r430 MyShot and SCH-r210 Spex. As for the former, you can expect a flip phone design, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, web browsing / messaging capabilities and oodles of mundaneness. As for the candybar-styled Spex, you'll find built-in Bluetooth, a 1.5-inch 128 x 128 resolution display, speakerphone support and little more. Granted, both phones are tri-band -- meaning that they'll play nice in PCS, Cellular and AWS markets -- and thankfully, you won't be asked to take out a second mortgage to call one your own. The duo is available now for $149.99 and $119.99, respectively.[Via PhoneScoop]
Cricket Wireless offers unlimited data for $35 a month, look ma, no cap
Here's a deal that's pretty tough to beat, Cricket is offering unlimited EVDO Rev. 0 data for only $35 -- after discount -- a month. What do you need to get yourself signed up you ask? The Kyocera KPC650 data card which will set you back $59 after various deals and rebates, willingness to shell out $35 beans for all you can chew data, and a willingness to not sign a contract. Fair, no? Of course, the service's footprint is really limited right now, so if you don't live in Nashville, Spokane, the Central Valley of California, Santa Fe / Albuquerque, or Portland, you can ignore this article. If anybody out there is already hooked up with this seemingly reasonable offer, drop us a line and let us know if you've found any snags. Here's hoping the market expands, really soon now.[Via Gearlog]
Cricket launches first AWS CDMA handset
It doesn't look like much, but it's the innards of UTStarcom's unassuming CDM7126 flip that makes it a superstar. It turns out that this is the very first CDMA phone to launch in the US on AWS bandwidth, meaning that in addition to the typical 850 and 1900MHz support, this one adds in a little extra coverage punch via the new 1700MHz spectrum that T-Mobile is also sharing for its 3G services. We spied the CDM7126 at CES earlier this year -- hence the somewhat unusual picture -- and while we can't find it hiding out on carrier partner Cricket's website, residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma should be able to march into stores as soon as today to pick 'er up. Don't get too excited, though; other than the noteworthy use of AWS, the phone lacks EV-DO and an external display. Yikes![Via Phone Scoop]
Big Beach Sports ... better than little beach sports?
THQ is going Wii crazy. Not only is the publisher responsible for bringing aliens, bands, deadly creatures, worms, blobs, and more to our Wiis, but now beach sports, too.If you've ever had the urge to play beach games like bocce or cricket without actually going to the beach, consider yourself lucky. Big Beach Sports will feature those and others, including football, soccer, volleyball, and Frisbee golf. This THQ title will include single-player tournaments for the different sports, and also let you get your multiplayer groove going with up to three more people. Since the press release made no mention of online play, though, we'll have to assume for now that the game won't have any.Will this summer release be a good beach adaptation of Wii Sports? We can't be sure, although at the very least, Americans might finally be able to find out what the heck is going on in cricket.[Via press release]
Australia / India Twenty20 match to be aired in 1080i
In what's believed to be an Australian first, the Twenty20 matchup between Australia and India is slated to be aired in 1080i. The event, which will occur on February 1, 2008 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will be shot and broadcast in high-definition on Australia's Nine Network. The announcement is coming in the midst of competition between Seven, Nine and Ten to ramp up HD offerings, as Ten is already planning to broadcast every single 2008 AFL (Australian Football League) contest in HD while Seven aims to show the Beijing Olympics in 1080i. Meanwhile, we Americans will be gearing up for Super Bowl XLII.
Scott Jennings on how to make PvP not suck
Just in case any of us design a PvP ruleset for a massively multiplayer online game, Scott Jennings has helpfully posted a 13-step guide to "PvP done right" on his personal blog, BrokenToys.org.It's a potent mixture of common sense, personal opinion, and thousands upon thousands disagreeing that classes are needed. It's a great primer, aphorisms or not, and written wonderfully. Put simply, PvP in a game needs to work -- if it's an impossible concept or impossible to implement, nothing else matters. Personally, I'd go as far as to say the simpler the concept, the better the execution -- of course, that's a huge sweeping statement, but be it Team Fortress 2 or World of Warcraft or Chess, the depth doesn't come from the rules, it comes from the implementation. Except Cricket.All decisions will upset someone. It's just about having a realistic, well-defined goal for PvP in your game and going from there -- and accepting that there will always be an awful lot of criticism, rage, and Fury.
Kyocera Lingo clamshell comes to Cricket
Cricket customers can now pick up Kyocera's newest QWERTY-packin' clamshell for around $200, and aside from the slightly unattractive design, you will find quite a lot to keep your thumbs happy. Dubbed a "text messaging machine," the Lingo (also known as the M1000) boasts a standard numeric keypad on the outside and flips open to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Furthermore, you'll get a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a Li-ion battery good for three hours of yappin' (or 200 hours in standby), voice recognition, dual color displays and a speakerphone to boot. If you're interested, it's available directly from Cricket as we speak.[Via PhoneScoop]
Leap says "no thanks" to MetroPCS buyout offer
Ooh, in your face, MetroPCS! Leap Wireless has rejected a multi-billion dollar stock swap proposed by its fellow regional carrier a couple weeks ago, citing... well, to be brief, a bum deal. MetroPCS was looking to trade each share of Leap for 2.75 shares of its own stock, a formula that actually values Leap at about $4.7 billion -- significantly below the $5.3 billion pegged the day merger discussions kicked off. Leap CEO Doug Hutcheson officially responded to the offer today, bluntly stating that it "dramatically undervalues" his company while citing Leap's strong growth, its prospects for future buildouts, and MetroPCS' infrastructure troubles in New York and Los Angeles as reasons why his shareholders deserve more bang for their buck. That being said, Hutcheson left room for further discussions; an eventual deal makes sense, considering that the two carriers' combined footprint would approximate that of a national carrier. Can MetroPCS pony up the requisite cash to be taken seriously here?
Jolly good show: new cricket game announced
Codemasters has announced that a new Brian Lara cricket game will be released on the PSP in time for summer. With the full title of Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play, it seems that this game will allow for short bursts of "under pressure" gameplay, rather than just full matches. The game will feature missions that cover bowling, fielding and batting. Or "every nuance of cricket," as the press release put it.As well as the Pressure Play missions, the game will include a full ICC Cricket World Cup mode. This will contain player data and fully licensed likenesses from 240 international players and 16 full teams. ICC Cricket World Cup mode will be multiplayer via ad-hoc connection where you can have warm-up matches and recreate your favourite games from the world cup itself. Sounds intriguing enough ... but, we're not really interested by cricket. If you are and this sounds exactly your cup of tea, then let us know.
Cricket rolls out Pay by Week plan
Hot on the heels of other "unlimited" announcements, Cricket unveiled plans for an unlimited local and long distance calling, text, and picture messaging bundle all for only $18 (only sales tax isn't included) a week. The release goes on to mention that the plan also includes voicemail, caller ID, call waiting and three-way calling plus nationwide roaming for just 39 cents a minute. Expanding on Cricket's existing plans, they now have a range from $18 to $60 so it seems like there is definitely a little something something for everyone -- though we're not entirely sure when a weekly plan would come in handy.[Via Phone Scoop]
