Ever attend a ballgame and sense that fans at home have a better view? It's not just that you're in the nosebleed section. You don't have access to the same stats and instant replays.
That's beginning to change, with an assist from wireless technology. Vivid Sky, a St. Louis start-up, on Wednesday unveiled SkyBox, a 17-ounce Wi-Fi device and service. The Windows Mobile gizmo, worn around the neck, would give fans at baseball parks, basketball courts and other venues a perspective previously unavailable.
Unsure which player has a higher lifetime batting average? You can check numbers in real time. If you think the umpire erroneously called a strike, you can check the 4-inch display and see where it crossed the plate. Plus, you can tap replays from any stadium camera.
"You no longer have to miss the action because you ran to the restroom," says Chris Shipley, producer of the Demo tech conference here where SkyBox was demonstrated. (Related item: Baig: New tech stuff protects, organizes, amuses)
Vivid Sky CEO Tim Hayden attended the famous game where Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 70th home run. "When we called home, everyone is watching 32 camera angles, and we're stuck at the stadium just clapping," he recalls.
Hayden says the company is talking to four Major League baseball clubs and hopes to have trials in place by the All-Star game in July. Vivid Sky also is talking with NFL and NBA franchises, and is making devices available at a large soccer stadium in Mexico City.
Fans would rent SkyBox when they enter a venue for between $10 and $20. Users also could bring wireless personal-digital assistants and tap the service for $3 to $5. Spectators can also use the service to order concessions.
Other high-tech fields of dreams:
• Sprint Nextel, Montreal's Kangaroo TV and NASCAR on Thursday will introduce a handheld scanner called FanView. It gives spectators a view from inside up to seven cars while a NASCAR race is underway. Fans can also access lap times, speeds, positions and point standings in real time. The devices are rented for $50 a day or $70 for the race weekend and will be in place before the Daytona 500 later this month.
• Fans at SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, can download video highlights from other baseball games, team and player data, and pitch-by-pitch analysis to their wireless devices. The free Digital Dugout service was enhanced last year. There are 123 Wi-Fi access points in the stadium, allowing several thousand fans to take advantage of the service.
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