Women’s World Cup Final Available on Sprint Phones

Want to watch the women’s World Cup soccer final game this Sunday but won’t be near a TV? Sprint smartphone users are covered thanks to the carrier’s ability to provide a live stream of the game (which starts at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time) via its ESPN Mobile TV channel on its Sprint TV app.

To watch the U.S. vs. Japan game Sprint users will need to have the “Sprint Everything” data plan which includes unlimited Web, texting and calling while on the Sprint Network. The everything data plans start at $69.99 per month plus a required $10 add-on charge for smartphones.

As I write this I’m watching the British Open live via the Sprint TV app on my Samsung Epic 4G, and the video is pretty good even through a 3G connection. (They are doing an endless loop replay of Tom Watson’s hole in one right now.) Seems like a great alternative for soccer fans who may be out and about when the U.S. and Japan get together to decide the title.

Hewlett-Packard Seeks Results from Palm Purchase with TouchPad Tablet

Hewlett-Packard is on the verge of releasing the TouchPad tablet as it seeks to stake out a section of the increasingly competitive tablet market and show that its costly purchase of Palm will pay solid dividends.

HP will be following the Apple roadmap in supplying both the hardware and operating system for its tablet, something that the Android and Windows-based systems are not able to do, but the question will be if it can copy Apple’s success or is it too little too late?

Right now there are five operating systems that come to mind in this market, Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows, HP’s webOS and Blackberry’s Tablet OS. That is probably too many for all to profit and just like the PC operating system system wars of a few decades ago several will most likely not make it long term. Most app developers have limited resources and will select the platforms that they believe will deliver the fastest an best return on investment, and this will hurt HP, at least in the near term.

The HP pad device has very similar specifications to Apple’s iPad, but they seem just a little off – a little heavier with a battery that is a little larger, and right now very little in the way of applications although the technology it is using is familiar to many since it came to the company as part of its $1.2 billion purchase of Palm last year.

The TouchPad will be available in a $499 16GB and a $599 32GB version. The device features a 9.7-inch XGA, multitouch screen with 1024×768 resolution display, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam, and has Wi-Fi support. It is 7.48 inches wide and 9.45 inches tall is .54-inches thick and weights 1.6 lbs. It is powered by Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon processor. The TouchPad is designed to be used in conjunction with other Touchstone devices such as the Pre and so a user can transfer websites between devices, among other features.

While the interoperability between the tablet and phone is nice, there does not seem to be that much that really differentiates the TouchPad from the host of Android devices or the iPad family. Both of its better established rivals have tens of thousands of apps ready while the TouchPad has a few hundred. Having control of both hardware and OS development can lead to greater overall system integration, it also means that there is no shared development cost, all is carried by HP, a model that has hurt many companies in the past. HP is going to face a huge uphill battle to establish itself as a major player in this market and its first offerings does not appear to break any new ground, something that should be worrisome for the company.

Sony brings PlayStation capabilities to Mobile Phones

So you are in the market for a new phone and with the ever growing variety you are having a tough time making a decision. Of course the first step is to narrow down what you are looking for in a phone-is it the underlying operating system, the form factor, perhaps you want a specific carrier or the flip side of that, are seeking to avoid a specific carrier.

For those looking for a strong gaming experience then PlayStation manufacturer Sony along with joint partner Ericsson might have just the product for you, the Xperia Play. The product is designed to appeal specifically to gamers seeking a solution that enables portable play that mirrors, more or less, their home console experience coupled with all of the features of a more traditional smartphone.

Powered by the Android operating system the Xperia Play design features a panel that slides out from under the keyboard. The panel contains a layout that is pretty familiar to gamers, with directional buttons on the left and the usual four PlayStation buttons that have the triangle on the right. An extended section in the middle features a pair of pressure sensitive plates that operate as the device’s two joysticks. The phone is capable of playing both PlayStation-specific games as well as more traditional games that cell phone users have become accustomed to playing.

It will ship with seven preloaded games, one of great interest to sports fans — EA Sports’ Madden NFL 11 — including one of the oldie but goodie PlayStation program, Crash Bandicoot. More titles are available at Verizon’s VCast store, but ones written specifically for the PlayStation settings are still very limited.

While the play is obviously for the serious gamer that might not want to carry multiple devices it is easy to see how this might appeal to a less hard core crowd. While some smartphone users are satisfied with a level of simplification for their gaming use, it is nice to have something that is a step up in degree of difficulty. However for sports fans looking for popular games, theer looks to be an iitial shortage in the near term if you want apps that are tailored to the devices advanced gfeatures, but expect that to change as developers get moving.

The Play is powered by a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon II processor with an Adreno 205 graphics processor. It has a 4-inch multi-touch display as well as forward and reward facing cameras. The Sony Ericsson Play started hitting stores at the end of May and is available for $199.99 with a two year plan with Verizon Wireless as well as a smartphone data package.

Mobile Sports Viewers Winners in AT&T ‘Sideloading’ Move

The Samsung Infuse supports applications from sources outside AT&T Marketplace

The Samsung Infuse 4G is the first AT&T device to support app 'sideloading.' Photo source: Samsung.com

AT&T finally backed down, and not a moment too soon (for its own sake).

The wireless giant said today it will allow AT&T smartphone customers with Android mobile devices access to sports and other applications through the Internet and well-stocked but unsanctioned app stores.

Before today’s move, AT&T had a long-standing policy to prohibit applications unless they were downloaded through AT&T AppCenter, which is a proprietary marketplace run by the communications giant. The Samsung Infuse 4G is the first AT&T device capable of running applications from other sources, which is a process called “sideloading.”

According to a Wired.com report, pressure from Amazon.com forced AT&T’s hand.  Greater than 3,800 Android applications, including a new version of the blockbuster Angry Birds game, were unavailable to AT&T users because they could not access Amazon.com’s newly launched Amazon Appstore for Android.

While Angry Birds was clearly the driver, NFL team-themed clock widgets, free TackMaster horse racing selections, and Mixed Martial Arts applications were also beyond the reach of AT&T customers before today’s move.  

Although The Samsung Infuse 4G is the first AT&T device to allow sideloading, the HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Captivate, HTC Aria and LG Thrive are other AT&T devices slated to receive new-found downloading freedom through a network software upgrade, according to Wired.com.

AT&T’s move is good for mobile sports consumers. As sports apps continue to emerge as key for many smartphone users, restricted access to marketplaces could enable cellular phone service providers to tack a surcharge onto popular or niche-oriented applications that enable viewing. Wouldn’t it suck to pay $9.99 to view a season’s worth of broadcasts of your favorite team only to discover that your neighbor purchased the same application for $7.99 because his wireless communications provider supported sideloading and yours didn’t?