Super Bowl to be Super Secure Courtesy of Microsoft Surface

Paul Lilly — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:06:54 -0600

With the New England Patriots having been unceremoniously knocked out of playoff contention in unprecedented fashion with an 11-5 record, most of you are probably so disgusted that you won't even bother to watch the Super Bowl. But for the rest of you, and particularly those of you planning to attend and watch the Cardinals finish off their storybook playoff run with one final (and one very shocking) victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (that's right, I'm calling the Cardinals on this one) in person, Microsoft will be helping to keep you safe during the ensuing pandemonium.

NFL security VP Milton Ahlerich said earlier that Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will be "one of the safest locations you can possibly be" during the Super Bowl, which shows how confident he is in Microsoft's Surface. Security will be using Surface to coordinate security forces, giving them a display of a Microsoft Virtual Earth map of the entire region, along with the ability to quickly zoom and display a 3D image of the city with realtime resource tracking.

"We’re thrilled to be a part of the Super Bowl activities and supporting our long term customers here in Tampa," said Robert Wolf, President and CEO of E•SPONDER. "Our goal remains to provide the region’s first responders with easy-to-use, real-time collaboration tools to help protect the fans attending events throughout Super Bowl week and the game itself."

Party safely, Cardinal fans.

ESPN Tries to Lure Sports Fans and Geeks with "The Ultimate Remote"

Paul Lilly — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:42:44 -0500

ESPN's "Ultimate Remote" looks nothing like the one Adam Sandler wielded in the move Click, nor can it manipulate time. It can't mute your girlfriend, and no matter what combination of buttons you push, you won't be able to call an audible and change the outcome of the SuperBowl. So can it still live up to its moniker and be the last remote you'll ever buy?

Developed by tvCompass, ESPN's $299 price point puts it into 3G iPhone territory, but don't expect to make any calls on the mobile-looking gadget. However, thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi, feel free to text other ESPN remote owners and remind them that the Celtics are now 9-2 all time against the Lakers in the Finals, and 1-0 against Kobe (M-V-what?). You can also gloat by sending texts to email or mobile phones, download the latest scores, look up the weather, and get one-click access to a number of sites, such as ESPN.com, Facebook, Yahoo Search, and more. Viewing websites on a 2.2" LCD screen is no replacement for a notebook or desktop PC, but hey, how many universal remotes can claim internet capabilities? Whether or not it's a capability you actually care to have on your remote is another question altogether.

Image Credit: ESPN

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Super Bowl to be Super Secure Courtesy of Microsoft Surface

ESPN Tries to Lure Sports Fans and Geeks with "The Ultimate Remote"