Dallas Sports Team Owner Folly

Many from North Texas know of Tom Hicks and the Hicks Sports Group. BRUCE SCHOENFELD, has written and excellent article about Mr. Hicks and the ups and downs of his career and his ownership of the Dallas Stars, Texas Rangers, and Liverpool FC in the U.K. The story appears in the Sports Business Journal and paints an interesting picture of the individual who has won a Stanley Cup in 1999 and competed in the MLB playoffs as a Division Winner in 1996 and 1999.
ESPN Dallas writer Richard Durrett writes, "Hicks Sports Group was forced to sell majority stake in the club after defaulting on a $525 million loan early last year. Major League Baseball eventually had to step in and infuse some money into the club."

Schoenfeld writes, "The Rangers are now in limbo as MLB and a potential new ownership group fronted by Chuck Greenberg attempt to convince creditors to allow Hicks to close a sale with a purchaser who may not be the highest bidder. The Stars are also likely to be sold soon, which would please the NHL. “The feeling in the league office is that the problem isn’t the market, it’s Hicks,” said a league insider, who has served as an executive with several teams, of the declining revenue in Dallas. “He needs to be gone.”"

Hicks ownership style and method of purchasing and funding his sports teams has proven to be a joke and the down turn in the economy starting in 2008 has surely contributed to the struggles of the teams. But the struggles are not related to the fans but instead of how the deals were structured using debt. Hicks comments on this in the Sports Business Journal, "By using debt to acquire all three franchises in the manner of a leveraged buyout, Hicks’ exit strategy was always going to be to sell them. Professional sports teams aren’t likely to generate enough profit to even service such debt, let alone pay it down. “This was never going to be a dynastic asset,” Hicks told SportsBusiness Journal last month."

As a huge Rangers fan I hope that the Rangers are sold soon so that the Rangers can be more flexible to make roster changes as needed without as much concern for the ledger. Come on MLB take control of the team and close this deal. Please!

The Game Changer?

To quote Gizmodo writer Brian Barrett, "So what do we have with the HTC Evo 4G? The best hardware. The best Android OS with the best custom UI. The best camera. The fastest download speeds. Bigger, better, faster, more."

That's what he says about the Sprint HTC EVO 4G. What is that you ask?

Is this the device that will help Sprint turn it around? There is finally an iPhone competitor and according to many tech bloggers that have had a hands on experience they say it is the "iPhone killer" that Verizon and Sprint have been in need of. That's just the device. Did I mention this new device is the first 4G phone to be released by Sprint as well? Oh and it works as a hot spot for up-to 8 other devices. What? It's basically a mobile wireless router out of the box. You have to be kidding me. It also has a front facing camera for video chat, a rear 8MegaPixel with dual flash, captures 720p video and has an HDMI out. Who needs a digital camera and video recorder when you have this thing?

Here are the specs:

• 4.3 inch screen
• Android 2.1
• HTC Sense UI
• 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
• 1,500 mAh Battery
• Wi-Fi
• 3G/4G
• Mobile Hotspot
• Dual cameras
• -8.0 megapixel primary on back of device with dual led flash
• -1.3 megapixel front-facing camera (video blog/status/video calling)
• GPS
• Stereo Bluetooth
• microSD Card support up to 32GB
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Micro USB connector
• Proximity and motion sensors
• Digital compass
• HDMI output which supports 720p
• Business email support
• Visual Voicemail

As a sales rep I can see myself carrying one of these bad boys and having it connected to my iPad and walking through proposals with my clients any where in DFW. Do I even need a laptop PC? I am totally stoked.

Here's what my friends at The Boy Genius Report have to say about this device.
"We got some one-on-one time with the HTC EVO 4G today, and let us succinctly sum up our experience for you: wow. We’ll start with the screen… it’s gorgeous. 4.3 inches, enormous, easy to type on, responsive… it’s everything you want out of a touch screen."

Engadget Mobile quote, "...the phone will be dubbed the HTC EVO 4G, will be released this Summer and it's easily the best specced phone we've ever witnessed." They have also created a graph comparing the EVO to the Droid and Nexus One. Check it out.

Sprint HTC Hero Review

I've been reading / watching the reviews of the new HTC Hero for Sprint and I really like the one from mobilitytoday.com by Dave Ciccone. Dave is always fair is not a fanboy for Verizon, Sprint or AT&T. He reviews the devices and provides a high value opinion about each. Take a look at Dave's thoughts on the HTC Hero from Sprint.

Sprint Has Something New Tomorrow

UPDATED

Check out the new plan Sprint has. Very interesting!

Any Mobile, Anytime

For only $69.99 per month, Anytime offers up unlimited minutes to any US-based mobile in addition to unlimited data, SMS, MMS, Sprint TV, GPS navigation and more. The catch? You only get 45o minutes of good old fashioned land line calling.

So I'm reading through all of my usual blogs tonight and see this cool little image.




The comments on the different blogs are very interesting. It appears that some Sprint people have commented on the BGR post. Sprint is very pumped about this and continue to claim it will revolutionize the wireless industry.

From the text I'm guessing it's a new plans with great new features. I bet it has something to do with 4G and some type of plan that will allow users to have unlimited data on either 3G or 4G where available. I also think there will be new hardware to show off. New pricing for the existing everything plans would not surprise me either. Oh and they are sending me my HTC Hero tomorrow also. Just kidding. :)


I guess we'll see in the morning when the new hits the interweb.

STAY TUNED

The Next Palm WebOS Device

Palm released information today about their second WebOS device the Pixie. This looks like a Pre without the slider. The QWERTY keyboard is on the front of the device thus reducing the screen size. This device is being compared by some to the Palm Centro. It is a more mainstream device vs a business device. I read a few comments on some of the other blogs and many people are saying they would consider this device over a Blackberry so maybe this device will be a cross over device and be used by both business and non-business users. I really like the look of the device and look forward to seeing one live. Hey Palm send me a tester. :)

Here are the tech specs:
Operating system: Palm webOS™ platform
Network: Sprint Dual-band CDMA2000 3G: EvDO Rev A
Display: 2.63-inch touch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color 320x400 screen resolution Sub-HVGA display
Email: Microsoft® Exchange email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology POP3/IMAP (Yahoo! Mail, Gmail™, AOL, Hotmail®, etc)
Messaging: Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS
GPS: Built-in GPS
Digital camera: 2 megapixel camera with LED flash
Sensors: Ambient light, accelerometer, and proximity
Media formats supported:
Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
Memory: 8GB (~7GB user available)4
Connector: MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Headphone jack: 3.5mm stereo
Palm Synergy™: Includes aggregation for Facebook®, Google™, Microsoft® Office Outlook®, Yahoo! Mail, Google Talk™, AIM Instant Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger.5
Universal search: Searches user's applications, contacts, dialing information, and web.
Activity cards: Third party7 and ROM applications accessible as movable, multi-view cards.
Palm Services: Includes over-the-air backup, restore, remote erase, and software updates.
Palm Touchstone™ Charging Dock Compatible
Dimensions:
Width: 55.0mm (2.17 inches)
Height: 111.0mm (4.37 inches)
Thickness: 10.85mm (0.43 inches)
Weight: 99.5 grams (3.51 ounces)

Sprint's Latest and Greatest

UPDATE

engadget has a nice little review of this new device.

Here's another review, this one has more details and for the first time ever Gizmodo gives a Sprint device high praise.

Sprint and HTC today officially announce the Hero! This will be my next phone. I was really intrigued by the Palm Pre but decided to wait for the Hero. Here are more details about this new smart phone.

• Access to Outlook email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology
• Ability to easily view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents
• Google Search, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Talk
• WiFi
• Sprint Navigation
• Multi-touch screen
• 5 MP camera/camcorder
• Expandable Memory
• 3.2 inch HVGA TFT screen
• Visual Voicemail

These are a couple of other unique featurea that I can't wait to try out.

"HTC Hero users can easily create and switch between Scenes to reflect different moments or roles in their lives, such as work, social, travel and play. For example, a work Scene can be easily set up to include stock updates, work email and calendar, a play Scene could have music, weather, and a Twitter feed or a travel Scene could offer instant access to the local time, weather and maps.

HTC Hero is the first U.S. device to feature HTC Sense, an intuitive experience that was built with a guiding philosophy to put people at the center and allows the device to be completely customized to the wants and needs of the user. The device’s seven-panel wide home screen can be populated with customizable widgets that bring information to the surface."

Excerpt from the Sprint/HTC press release.

Check out the Competitive and Value Matrix

Here are a couple more pictures.

Amazon Kindle for Education

This time of year I hear a lot about collecting and counting text books from my wife whose responsibilities at her elementary school require her to do this every year. I really think the days of text books are numbered, but only if a manufacturer creates a device that will meet the needs of schools. Amazon has a great product with the Kindle and it would make sense to me that Amazon should build an education device.
The new Amazon Kindle Ed. (as I'll call it) will need to be a ruggedized device capable of sustaining drops of up to 4 feet, because students will drop the device. It will also need to have a GPS capability so that if the device is lost it can be found. There will also have to be away for schools to limit what is loaded to the device. Bluetooth would be a nice touch also so that students can connect to other educational devices like SMART boards. It should also have a standard hard cover to help protect the device. Not only will this new device need to created school districts will need to have an incentive to migrate to an eReader.

Schools around the nation are facing the problem about how they need to proceed with ebooks, and in the end either states or the federal government will need to fund the purchase of these devices, but before schools can begin the purchase process the unique and special device will need to be created, tested, and presented to the states and fed so that the solution is accepted at a national level. The use of the device may even need to be mandated, so that all schools around the country adopted this type of device. But let me be clear, schools districts will not purchase these devices unless they cost less than existing text books. What about the publishers?

Publishers will also have to adapt their business models to excel at the electronic publishing business. The days of printed materials are numbered, so these businesses will need to work hard to develop a way to stay relevant in the future. Maybe the publishers should get together and create a Kindle Ed type device and then they can maintain their revenue streams. Text book publishers can not afford to wait around or they will feel the same impact that newspapers are experiencing. More and more readers will be online/electronic so I say be part of the solution and benefit, don't be left behind.

Technology utilization in public schools is very interesting and challenging issue. In my opinion more companies should be developing new tools to be used in the class room. Of course R&D costs money but it would be money well spent because school districts will be moving to electronic text books the question is when not if. The technology issue also will need to be addressed in the state and federal legislatures so that funds are identified to help fund this move away from traditional paper text books to new electronic books.

So who will be the players in this business? I'd love to read some of your comments.

Web 2.0 ?

Have you heard the term web 2.0 and wondered what that is? It is a generic term that many software companies utilize as a "buzz word/phrase." Here's what Wiki says:

The term "Web 2.0" refers to a perceived second generation of web development and design, that aims to facilitate communication, secure information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities, hosted services, and applications; such as social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.

The term first became notable after the O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004.^[1][2] Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but rather to changes in the ways software developers and end-users utilize the Web. According to Tim O'Reilly:

“

Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.[3]

”

O'Reilly has said that the "2.0" refers to the historical context of web businesses "coming back" after the 2001 collapse of the dot-com bubble, in addition to the distinguishing characteristics of the projects that survived the bust or thrived thereafter.^[4]

I have been using facebook for sometime now and have even registered on twitter, and have heard of other Web 2.0 sites/software. A couple of new ones that I'm most intrigued by are evernote and smilebox. These two sites/services take traditional paper and pen activities and move them to the interweb. These may seem like small steps, and in fact they really are but it just goes to show that more and more we are becoming an electronic medium society/world. This new e world is eliminating the use of paper and pen and replacing it with the web. As mobile devices become more web centric and have better browser capabilities that do not require specially formatted websites I think the future is wide open. The Apple iPhone/Touch app store has really changed / opened up the Web 2.0 premise. I'm not an Apple hater, but really hope that other device manufacturers/carriers will start integrating better browser functionality on the devices. Apple really has set the standard that the others are trying to develop still. So what everyday task or activity do you think is a good fit for Web 2.0 development? Let me hear what you think about getting rid of pen and paper.

Palm Pre is Here

One of these years I'm going to get to CES. You know the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. My favorite PDA/Smartphone company Palm made a major announcement today. There is finally a new Palm OS and a new device. The OS is called Web and works more like a full size PC than a smartphone OS. The device is called the Pre. The device and OS look to be the equivalent of an iPhone Pro with slide out QWERTY and touch screen. The exclusive carrier for the new device is Sprint. Go figure. The device is supposed to be out in the first half of 2009 so expect to see it in June. Please click the Palm link above and go see this thing for yourself. Take a second and read the specs below.

Here are some quick specs.
Cordless charger!
Multi-tasking OS
Touch Screen
8 GB of on board storage
Merge all your contacts from Outlook, Facebook, and other mail services
Merge your calendars and events
Wi-Fi
GPS

3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display

3 megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field

Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition Now Available

Nokia was one of the first manufacturers to enter the NetBook market with their N800 and the latest edition is the N810 WiMAX Edition equipped to work with the new XOHM WiMAX network in the U.S. This little device connects to the internet via XOHM, or WiFi and utilizes the Internet Tablet OS: maemo Linux based OS2008 which provides seemless software updates and:

Web Browsing

• Browser powered by Mozilla with state-of-the-art web standard support including AJAX
• Page navigation with scrolling, panning or using hardware buttons, zooming in and out of web sites.
• Full desktop Adobe® Flash® 9 plugin, including video and audio streaming

Media

• In-built media player for viewing and listening to downloaded, transferred or streamed media content and easy-on-device management of media library
• Direct access to shared media over Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)
• Supported video formats: 3GP, AVI, WMV, H.263, H.264, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, RV (RealVideo)
• Supported audio formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, AMR, AWB, M4A, MP2, RA (RealAudio), WAV
• Supported playlist formats: M3U, PLS, ASX, WAX, WVX, WPL

Communications

• Internet messaging and calling with video
• Effortless and automated presence and contacts application for centralizing communication tasks
• SIP support and interoperability with industry standard services

Map

• Integrated GPS with pre-installed US and Canadian maps.
• Wayfinder turn-by-turn car navigation available on purchase.
• Car holder included in the sales pack

E-mail

• Browser access to familiar webmail services
• E-mail application with easy setup for personal e-mail usage with IMAP, STMP, and POP3 support

Images

• Full-screen image viewing and slideshow functionality
• Supported Image formats: BMP, GIF, ICO, JPE, JPEG, PNG, TIF/TIFF, SVG, Tiny, WBMP

RSS Reader

• Reader for subscribing, managing and keeping up-to date with web feeds
• Support for RSS 1.0/2.0 and Atom 1.0

Utilities

• File manager
• PDF reader

If you need more details about the hardware specs, here you go:

Display
- High-resolution 4.13” WVGA touch screen display (800 x 480 pixels) with up to 65,536 colors

Processor
- TI HS OMAP 2420, 400Mhz

Memory Functions
- DDR RAM 128MB
- Flash 256MB

Storage
- 2GB internal memory
- Support for compatible miniSD and microSD memory cards (with extender). Supports cards up to 8GB. (SD cards over 2GB must be SDHC compatible.)

Operating Times*
- Battery: Nokia Battery BP-4L
- Music playback: up to 10 hours
- Standby time off-line: up to 14 days

WiMAX operation times*
- Standby. always online: up to 2 days
- Internet browsing time: up to 3 hours

Wi-Fi operation times*
Standby, always online: up to 5 days
Internet browsing time: up to 4 hours

*Operating times may vary depending on the radio access technology used, network configuration and usage. The availability of the product and its features depend on your area and service providers, so please contact them and your Nokia dealer for further information.

Other characteristics
- Smooth slide with integrated QWERTY keyboard
- Built-in GPS receiver
- High quality stereo speakers and sensitive microphone
- High-resolution widescreen touch display
- Integrated desk stand
- Integrated VGA web camera
- HW key to lock touch screen and keys
- Ambient light sensor

Connectivity
- WiMAX 802.16e / 2.5GHz
- WLAN standard: IEEE 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth specification v.2.0 . +EDR (profiles supported: HID, FTP, DUN, GAP, SPP, ,SAP and OPP)
- USB high speed for compatible PC connectivity
- 3.5 mm stereo headphone plug (Nokia AV Connector)

According to one forum member over at internettablettalk.com this nifty little device is working on XOHM in Chicago.

I really want one of these! I wonder if it will work in Dallas now? There was a rumor that XOHM has been turned on in Dallas....

Official BlackBerry Storm Press Release

Late last night Vodafone in Europe released details about the new BlackBerry Storm touch device made by RIM. Some early reviews say, it's a BlackBerry that does just about everything the iPhone 3G does. This really cool pro/sumer device will be available in the U.S. by Verizon and in Canada by Telus and possibly others. No pricing or release dates are available yet. Here's an excerpt from the BlackBerry site.

Easy Touch Screen Navigation
With the BlackBerry Storm smartphone, select and type using touch technology—the screen is the keyboard. Typing is easy—highlight the letter on the touch screen and press the screen to make it appear in your message or document. And navigation is a breeze. Like a mouse, your fingertip moves the cursor across the screen.

Flexible Communications
You don’t stay in touch with all the people in your life in the exact same way. Stay on top of what’s happening and be available to the people who need you with high-quality voice and text-based communications options, including:You don’t stay in touch with all the people in your life in the exact same way. Stay on top of what’s happening and be available to the people who need you with high-quality voice and text-based communications options, including:You don’t stay in touch with all the people in your life in the exact same way. Stay on top of what’s happening and be available to the people who need you with high-quality voice and text-based communications options, including:You don’t stay in touch with all the people in your life in the exact same way. Stay on top of what’s happening and be available to the people who need you with high-quality voice and text-based communications options, including:

• Wireless email for your personal/web-based and business accounts
• Advanced phone features such as voice activated dialing, conference calling, speakerphone and voicemail attachment playback
• Instant messaging and text messaging (SMS and MMS)
• Access to social networking sites like Facebook® and MySpace®

Camera and Video Recording
At 3.2 megapixels, you can take sharp, print-quality pictures using the BlackBerry Storm smartphone. You can also rely on the auto focus and auto flash to help you capture the moment.

And when an event can’t be captured in a single instant, use sound and action to tell part of the story with the video camera.

GPS and BlackBerry Maps
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone features built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities. Designed to work with BlackBerry® Maps and other location-based software, use it to help determine where you are and how to get to where you need to be.

Enjoy large, clear maps on the HVGA touch screen.

Multimedia
Whether you want to watch a video clip or tune out the rest of the world by listening to your favorite songs, your BlackBerry Storm smartphone delivers visual and sound quality that keeps up with your needs.

• 1 GB of built-in memory—add up to 16 GB more using microSD cards
• Sync your desktop iTunes® music files using BlackBerry® Media Sync
• Use Roxio® Media Manager to help create your own personal juke box

FORD'S NEW TECH

Today Ford announced a new technology that they will provide on the 2010 Focus coupe and will quickly be offered on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. The new innovation is called MyKey™.

MyKey™ allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour. The MyKey system allows the parent to program any key through the vehicle message center, which updates the SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system. When the MyKey is inserted into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and immediately identifies the MyKey code, which enables certain default driving modes.

Ford to date has integrated better technology into their current line of vehicles than any other domestic vehicle manufacturer. When you consider the SYNC® system and the integration utilizing bluetooth Ford is way ahead of the competition. Take a few minutes and read the press release from FORD.

LG-KC910, RENOIR

Not to be out done by Samsung, LG has announced the arrival of their new 8 megapixel touch camera phone. The multimedia feature set of this little dude are very extensive and impressive. This phone will be available in Europe this month and there does not appear to be a plan or carrier identified for the U.S. Here's the detailed specs.
Network
EDGE, GSM 850/900/1800/1900

Connectivity
HSDPA connectivity at 7.2Mbps
Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi
USB / PC sync V2.0

Standard battery
1000m Ah, LI-Ion
Standby time
320hr (2G), 350 (3G)
Talk time
220min (2G), 220min (3G)

Memory
70Mb (Micro SD up to 8Gb)

Size
Dimension 107.8 x 55.9 x 13.95 mm
Weight 110 g

Display Type
External Display, TFT Touch Screen
Size 240 x 400 pixel, 3.0” WQVGA

Features
Camera
8 Megapixel Camera
Schneider-Kreuznach optics, Lens cover
Xenon flash
Digital zoom (16x)
Auto & Manual focus
Touch Shot, Remote Shutter
Creative Shot Modes: Art Shot, Beauty Shot, Continuous Shot, Panorama Shot
Smile Shot, Face Tracking, Blink Detection
Red eye removal
Backlight Compensation
Image stabilization
Geo tagging

Video
Slow-Motion Video Recording at 120fps / Fast-Motion Video Recording at 5fps
DivX/ Xvid video playback
Video Codec (MPEG4/WMV/H.263/H.264)
Noise-free Microphone
TV-out support

Music
MP3 (Dolby Mobile)
FM Radio
Music Player (MP3/AAC/AAC+/AAC++/WMA)

Messaging
SMS/EMS/MMS/Video MMS
E-mail
Predictive Text Input

Advanced features
A-GPS (Navigation, Jogging Buddy)
Virtual Motion Sensor Games
Online Widget
Document Viewer

Samsung Pixon M8800

One of my favorite mobile phone companies have a new line of phones coming out that in my opinion change the game. What is the game changer? A real camera that is part of the phone. In fact this new Sammy is more a camera than a phone, yet it packs all the great phone features you could possibly want, well unless you do a lot of email with attachments for work.

Isn't she pretty?

Do you see that little 8.0 on the backside there? That's the megapixel count on this baby! Check out all the details below.

One of my favorite features is GPS support with Geotagging for photos.

Thank you BoyGenius.

Specs:

• 8 megapixel camera with autofocus
• 16x digital zoom and Fast Shutter
• Dual Power LED flash
• ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction)
• WDR (Wide Dynamic Range)
• Face Detection, Smile Shot, Face Link (face tagging) and Photo memo
• Auto Panorama Shot
• Geotagging support (integrated GPS)
• Photo Browser (Accelerometer Sensor, Tilt and flip, Sorting by Face/Time/Color/Folder)
• 30 fps D1 (720 x 480) video capture
• 120 fps (QGVA) slow motion video capture
• MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD playback support
• TV-out

From the specs on the initial device this will be an Europe only device unless there's a CDMA and/or U.S. HSDPA radio variant yet to be announced. I'd consider one.

• Quad Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) / GPRS / EDGE
• WCDMA 2100 / HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity
  
• 3.2″ 240 × 400 262K color WQVGA TFT display
  
• FM Radio with RDS
• Music Player (MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA)
• SRS (Surround Sound System) Virtual 5.1CH
• DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine)
• Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0

Read the original from mobileburn.

The Latest on XOHM

I was in the process of looking for an update on the XOHM WiMAX effort and found this new post on engadget.

Baltimore WiMAX Experience

Thank you for your interest in the Baltimore WiMAX Experience Program sponsored by Intel and XOHM. The XOHM WiMAX network combines broadband and mobility. You get the same broadband internet experience you get at home anywhere in the XOHM coverage area… even on the go. Think of it as the mobile version of the basic DSL or cable internet service.

Should you be selected to participate, you would be among the first to experience XOHM WiMAX service in the Baltimore area and you would be provided with a new Intel Centrino 2 processor technology notebook computer that would be yours to keep in exchange for providing feedback on you experience.
To see if you qualify for this exciting opportunity, please answer the following questions to the best of our knowledge. Please be assured that the information you provide be used only for this program, will be kept confidential, will not be provided to any third parties not involved in this experience program and will not be used for the marketing purposes.

Thanks Darren Murphy at engadget!

Google Phone Is Real!

In the past I wrote a lot about the existence of a Google phone/device and finally after a year of speculation the first Google phone has emerged. The T-Mobile G1.T he G1 utilizes the new Google sponsored and developed Android operating system. Do you even know what operating system is on your phone? Chances are that if you don't have a smart phone you don't know and don't care. So who is this phone for? I'm not really sure who the target audience is, and so what does T-Mobile say, let's see.
Here are the specifications of the device:

Real Web browsing capabilities

• Quick and easy access to the Internet one click away
• View more pages and rich Web content on your phone

Touch screen

• Instant access to key information with the touch of a finger
• Just tap the screen and go

3MP camera

• Capture key moments in high-quality fashion wherever you are
• Never worry about blurry photos with auto focus built right in

Customizable home screen

• Just drag and drop any of your favorite applications, photos, or folders onto your home screen for quick access to what you use all the time

QWERTY keyboard

• The built-in familiar layout lets you type messages easily without scrolling for the letter you want
• Hinged screen slides open to reveal keypad and closes to prevent accidental dialing

One-touch access to Google applications

• Maps (including satellite, traffic, and street views)
• Gmail
• YouTube
• Calendar
• Google Talk

IM/text/e-mail

• All the ways you need to connect while you're on the go

Music player

• With the 1GB memory card, you'll never be without your favorite tunes

One-click Google Search

• Quick and easy access to the Internet in one click

Video playback

• Watch your favorite videos, even YouTube, anywhere

3G network and Wi-Fi access

• High-speed 3G network connection for surfing the Web or downloading information quickly and effortlessly
• Seamlessly transition to open Wi-Fi networks to surf the Web or download information quickly

Android Market

• One-touch access to Android Market
• Customize and personalize your device to fit your life with a variety of software applications like games, social networking, and on-the-go shopping
• Download the applications wirelessly with just a couple short clicks

Nolan Ryan on Wash and Daniels

The Ft.Worth Star Telegram has an interesting article this morning about the future of Rangers manager Ron Washington and GM John Daniels. In an interview with Nolan Ryan yesterday the team president said, "I have no intentions of making a change at this point in time," Ryan said. "He’s under contract for next year. I think that speaks for itself." When asked about Washington Ryan went on to say, "I think the players like him," Ryan said. "I think he’s gotten them to respond to them. I think that’s important. I really believe his intent is trying to get them to improve and address our shortcomings." When asked about Daniels and the philosophy of the Rangers system Ryan had the following comments.

"It’s easy to see where we ended up and where we finished and say, 'We need to go out and make all these changes,’ " Ryan said. "We all agreed that we’re going to develop within our system. When you say 'develop,’ that’s not a quick fix."

"We still believe that that is the route that we’re going to take for this organization. I think we have shown that we are committed to that. I don’t think that when you did’t see our record change from one year to the next you just dump the program that you’ve committed to."

I'm glad that Ryan believes in the plan and I hope he continues to make sure that the young pitchers that come to the majors can experience what they experienced in the minors. The move to replace the Rangers pitching coaches really encourages me that Ryan is dedicated to the success of this organization and if he can handle a charging Robin Ventura I have faith that he will make this franchise better and win a playoff season in the next three years.

Go Rangers!

Rangers End Season

I'll be honest I have not been keeping up with the Rangers since the Cowboys season started and the Rangers decided to repeat April with horrible pitching and even worse defense. Since I have a three year old that loves the Rangers and Tuesdays are kids free day and Tuesday was the last night home game we decided to go.

I was happy to hear that Nippert was pitching, but was disappointed that Laird was catching and Metcalf was playing third. I really wanted to see Teagarden and Davis. Nippert started out good but then served up some juicy pitches that just seem to hover over the plate, and he paid the price giving up two homers. The first homer hit by Jack Cust landed in the upper deck of the home run porch, and there was no doubt that it was gone when it left the bat. I hope that Cust thanked Nippert for that batting practice pitch on a 3-2 count.

The Rangers second was really fun and surprising. Hank Blalock led off the inning with an opposite field shot off the scoreboard in left. Yes you read that correctly Blalock hit a shot to left. Left... I don't want to over due it but if you have watched Blalock over the years you know he doesn't hit the ball to left. I said wow! It made me instantly think that Hank really wants to be with the Rangers next year. I just don't know if he can do enough this late in the season to keep him. He has looked good at first and hasn't made any crazy errors. If he continues to hit the ball to all fields and play hard the last few games you may have to really think about his value to this club.

Another player that I like is Travis Metcalf and I'm glad he's getting some playing time even if that means that Davis sits. Travis hit three deep balls that all stopped at the wall they just happen to end up in the outfielders gloves, but he hit each of those balls hard and if the outfield had been aligned a little bit different he would have had 3 doubles. Keep it up Travis.

Additionally I noticed last night before the game and also during they kept showing the walk off hits the Rangers had over this season, and there has been a lot I haven't researched it but I'd bet the Rangers had more ninth inning comeback wins this year than ever. The player that was in on almost everyone of those comebacks was Ramon Vazquez. I know many people I talk to don't like Vazquez, but I really like the way he plays the game and you can't argue that he hits in the clutch. I know the Rangers are stacked at the corners now, but I really think Vazquez will continue to make an impact in the MLB and I'd like to see him with the Rangers.

There were two plays that bothered me last night and they were running errors. Bradley and Arias both ran into outs and I can't stand that! Bradley tried to stretch a shot off the wall into a double, but the ball got to the wall so fast and bounced so far back to the outfielder that it was obvious he was out two strides into his turn of first. I was yelling stop, stop, he didn't listen to me and the ball was waiting for him when he got to second. Arias tried to go first to third on a shot to the gap that was fielded cleanly between center and left and again the ball was waiting for him at third. Stupid!

The last thing that I noticed in the middle of ninth was a video that played on the video board for Frank Francisco coming in to close the game. The video lasted until the first batter came up, and I thought how long has Francisco been the closer? Wow, he already has a video? I will tell you this he was awesome! Strike after strike after strike, he through 7 strikes and two balls and got two fly outs and a strikeout. Not bad at all. I prefer him over C.J. Wilson.

Quick Hit: Byrd and Bradley looked really good at the plate last night and Hamilton was just looking to get hits, his swing was so short and compact there was not doubt he was just hitting for a base hit. I hope Josh is just out of gas and doesn't have any injuries.

The Rangers need to win today and win at least one against the Angels over the weekend, if they could sweep the Angels I'd be on cloud nine.

I was going to include my thoughts on Daniels and Washington coming back next year, but I'll write another post for that.

Go Rangers!

AT&T v. Sprint

Sprint and AT&T have released their flagship phones over the past month and I've been doing a lot of research about which new device and plan makes the most sense. I'm currently not under contract so I don't have to worry about an early termination fee, and that's a major consideration. What are the flagship devices?

The two devices are the Instinct manufactured by Samsung that utilizes the Sprint 3G Network, and the iPhone 3G manufactured by Apple that utilizes the AT&T 3G network. Can you compare these devices on an Orange to Orange basis? The answer is yes, but. The Instinct does not have the same quality on the web browser and utilizes miroSecureDigital memory vs built in memory like the iPhone has. The Instict will cost you $129.99 with a two-year contract, and the iPhone will cost you $199 for 8GB (black) and $299 for 16GB (black or white) with a two-year contract required.

What about the plans? Below are the plans copied directly from the respective company websites. AT&T has two components to their plan; 1) Voice + Data(email/Web), 2) Texting add-on




















Sprint Everything Plan












It looks like if you text or talk a lot each month then the Sprint plan is what you need, so you just have to decide if you can live with the not as good web browser and having to buy a 4GB microSD card.

I'm still not convinced that I want the Instinct, but based on the data I'm certainly leaning that direction. I guess I need to go see and use each device before I can really make a decision. If anyone has either or has used both of these devices please leave a comment and let us know which device you prefer.

This Just In: Tiger Woods Is Good

Tiger Woods demonstrated that he is the best golfer in the world by winning the marathon U.S. Open Golf Tournament this past weekend. Tiger played five days, 18 holes each day and still had not won the U.S. Open. Roco Mediate challenged Tiger and often times it really was Tiger playing Tiger and golf history. Roco made the shots when he needed to and took advantage of Tiger's mistakes. Roco undoubtedly played the best golf of his life on Sunday and Monday and just refused to be beaten by the world's best. Tiger on Saturday with two Eagles and the chip in birdie in the last five holes set the stage for Sunday domination, but it never happened and then again on Monday playing the 18 hole playoff Tiger never took over. Tiger grinded through the back nine and just refused to give up as did Roco. Tiger wore Roco down and won the 19th playoff hole when Roco missed his putt.

Today we learned that Tiger was not just in pain due to recent knee surgery, but he evidently had been hurt more severly than anyone knew. Stress fractures in the tibia and a torn ACL are very painful, it's no wonder why he practically doubled over in pain after some of his shots. With the details of Tigers injuries being released we also learn that he is out for the rest of the season and will target his return in 2009. I have included a story from the Associate Press.

Tiger Woods will have knee surgery, miss rest of season
01:23 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Associated Press

Tiger Woods is done for the year, but not without one last major that capped off a painful 10 months.

Woods said Wednesday he will have season-ending knee surgery, revealing he has had a torn ligament in his left knee since last July.

And he suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia while preparing to return to the PGA Tour last month, which forced him to miss the Memorial and was the source of his pain at Torrey Pines when he won the U.S. Open.

"Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee," Woods said in a statement on his Web site.

He had arthroscopic surgery April 15 to clean out cartilage in his left knee, bypassing ACL surgery with hopes it could get him through the 2008 season. But going 91 holes for his 14th career major made it impossible to play any longer.

Woods was last seen in public late Monday afternoon walking with a pronounced limp across Torrey Pines toward the parking lot, the U.S. Open trophy in his arms.

Upcoming surgery makes his 14th major title even more staggering -- despite the stress fractures, he managed to win a U.S. Open that required five days of flinching, grimacing and a long list of spectacular shots that have defined his career.

"Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I'm thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament," Woods said.

He played only seven times worldwide this year and won five of them. He will miss a major championship for the first time in his career and will not be available for the Ryder Cup in September.

It will be the third surgery in five years on his left knee, although Woods said doctors have assured him the outlook is positive. When asked Monday if he further damaged his knee by playing in the U.S. Open, Woods said, "Maybe."

Doctors have told him, however, that the stress fractures will heal with time.

He did not say when he would have surgery.

Woods is ultra private with his health and personal life, never more so than at the U.S. Open. He never mentioned the torn ACL or the stress fracture, and wouldn't say how he was treating it, only that it was more sore as the week went on.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was when the injury first happened.

Woods said he tore the ACL while jogging at home after the British Open last July. He chose not to have surgery and went on a run that included seven consecutive victories, including the Dubai Desert Classic in Europe and his Target World Challenge, an unofficial event.

He did not play overseas late last year for the first time since 2003, hopeful that rest could allow him to play more this year. But the pain intensified through the Masters, where he finished second, and Woods said the cartilage damage developed from the ACL injury.

What he didn't anticipate were the stress fractures, discovered as he tried to get ready to play in the Memorial.

"The stress fractures that were discovered just prior to the tournament unfortunately prevented me from participating and had a huge impact on the timing for my return," Woods said. "I was determined though, to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which is a course that is close to where I grew up and holds many special memories for me."