Recently in Sports/Outdoor Technology Category

Today, Microsemi is launching a new line of midspans which feature integrated lightning protection. This marks the first time a PoE midspan features lightning protection. As more and more PoE devices are used outdoors, including outdoor wireless Access Points (APs), outdoor security cameras, and more, having lightning protection is critical. One lightning bolt strike and it can wipe out your entire networking and IT infrastructure. While lightning is great & all since it bestows Captain Marvel his super powers, when it comes to networking equipment, not so much.

The new PowerDsine 9001G-40/SP is a single-port, high-power Gigabit solution for remotely powering both current and emerging high-power networking terminals and equipment while also providing surge protection optimized for outdoor devices such as security cameras and wireless LAN access points.


                 Rear product view

According to Microsemi, "Until now, PoE could only be deployed safely outdoors with a costly surge-protection unit installed alongside it, to prevent direct or nearby lightning strikes from damaging or destroying both the powered devices and their network switch. Surge and lightning protection units can cost from $250 to $400."

"A high percentage of outdoor PoE installations, especially in the enterprise, do not implement surge protection units because of their high cost or a lack of awareness," said Sani Ronen, senior product manager for Microsemi's PowerDsine midspans. "Nearby lightning strikes are much more common than most people think. Strikes as far as a mile away can induce a voltage level that can damage outdoor devices. Without lightning protection, surges also can move quickly along the Ethernet cable to damage expensive indoor network switches. Our new midspan delivers that protection at a cost savings of as much as 50 percent."

Microsemi's newest midspan has been tested successfully to the GR-1089 lightning standard for surges up to 2500V/500A. It can power devices designed for either the IEEE 802.3af standard, or the recently ratified IEEE802.3at standard for high power over Ethernet applications.

The 9001G-40/SP offers up to 40W of power which means it can support power-hungry devices such as 802.11n access points, pan-tilt-zoom cameras and WiMAX customer premises equipment.

"The 9001G-40/SP was designed to deliver the latest benefits of the new high-power 802.3at standard while also offering a cost-effective, single-box solution for powering and simultaneously protecting outdoor PoE systems from lightning damage or destruction," Ronen said.

KEY FEATURES
- Interoperability with IEEE802.3af and IEEE802.3at devices
- Lightning protection up to 2500V/500A
- 10/100/100-BaseT support

Pricing and Availability
The PD-9001G-40/SP Midspan is available in production for a unit list price of $119. Additional information is available at Microsemi's website here: http://www.microsemi/PowerDsine.com.

Livestream today is launching the world's first solution for wireless live streaming at HD quality by bonding six load-balanced 3G/EVDO modems over three carriers. Called Livepack, this unique solution enables you to have a roaming live video studio anywhere you can get 3G/EVDO connectivity. Livestream says it can stream HD video at far lower costs than traditional solutions such as broadcast trucks.

 Of course, bonding six 3G/EVDO modems together has some other fringe benefits - like ludicrous wireless Internet speed! Wonder if you can tether the Livepack to your laptop and get super high-speed Internet access while on the road? Imagine streaming HD Netflix movies or downloading Bittorrent files while driving down the road. - your passenger doing the laptop mouse & keystrokes of course!

Livepack fits in a custom-designed backpack and is a turn-key hardware solution for wireless live streaming at HD quality to thousands of viewers on the web using encoding hardware, Firewire cable, and 30 hours of streaming uplink time per month.

Livestream said: "Livepack is ideal for live broadcasting any events including concerts, interviews, sporting events, town hall meetings, paparazzi, university graduations, weddings, ceremonies, transmission from a moving car, and a variety of enterprise applications."

"Livepack is like having a satellite television truck in a backpack," said Max Haot, CEO and co-founder of Livestream. "If you want to live stream in high quality at an event where you don't have a reliable fixed Internet connection, broadcasting with a cell phone cannot yet deliver either the high video quality or network reliability you need. The only other solution available is a traditional broadcast truck and satellite signal which can cost up to $50,000 a day."

Livepack is an integrated solution using hardware provided by Livestream's partner, LiveU, that has been fully integrated with Livestream's streaming video platform and content delivery network (CDN). 

Livepack product details and recordings of live videos can be viewed at www.livestream.com/livepack. Livepack was recently used for coverage of the MTV Video Music Awards, NY Fashion Week, Harry Potter movie premiere and Pixie Lott Live,

Livestream's groundbreaking Livepack redefines simplicity for live mobile HD quality video streaming. Once Livepack is powered up, and a DV camera is connected, all it takes is just one press of a button to start the live streaming, enabling broadcasters to deliver live, on the scene, video coverage at just a fraction of what a satellite truck costs to rent and operate.

Livepack quickly establishes a reliable Internet connection and is not tied to one wireless network, as it includes six 3G/EVDO modems for redundancy. Because it integrates with Livestream's streaming video platform, Livepack does not require any additional re-encoding or server in your offices to reach its destination. Once the video reaches the Livestream content delivery network the video is immediately streamed in your Livestream player, as well as being captured and securely archived.

Availability and Pricing
Livestream Livepack is available in the U.S. for monthly or yearly rental directly from Livestream, and includes the hardware unit, custom designed backpack, dedicated IP address for the Livestream channel, all 3G/EVDO network charges, and 30 hours of streaming uplink time per month.  Neither a DV camera nor tripod are included. Month-to-month rental without commitment is $2,500 per month plus the cost of shipping. Yearly rental is $1,500 per month plus the cost of shipping.

This weekend, the NBA and ESPN will utilize Cisco TelePresence technology to create an interactive "in-person" forum to allow athletes and fans to interact using Cisco's videoconferencing / telepresence technology.

According to Cisco, Cisco TelePresence has been deployed on the All-Star Jam Session floor allowing fans to interact "face-to-face" with NBA stars from the convention center's green room and backstage at the arena. On-site Cisco digital signage will provide All-Star programming content and live updates of the NBA Jam Session Trivia contest.

Additionally, ESPN will broadcast exclusive NBA All-Star Weekend reports on the network's popular news shows directly from the Cisco TelePresence system in Phoenix back to ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut.

Here's the full details:

ESPN and NBA Bring Fans Closer to All-Star Game Action With Cisco TelePresence Technology

Cisco TelePresence Technology Will Be Used to Create an Interactive Experience Between Fans and NBA Players and Legends at NBA All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star Weekend -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) and ESPN today announced that they will utilize Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) TelePresence(TM) technology to create an immersive "in-person" experience that will bring NBA players and legends closer to fans at the NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix this weekend.

Facts:
•    ESPN will broadcast exclusive NBA All-Star Weekend reports on the network's news and information shows, such as "SportsCenter," directly from the Cisco TelePresence system in Phoenix back to ESPN's studio in Bristol, Conn.
•    With the implementation of TelePresence in ESPN broadcast operations, the sports network will be able to deliver a higher level of interactive sports broadcasting for major events happening across the globe.
•    During NBA All-Star, Cisco will deploy two Cisco TelePresence units at the Phoenix Convention Center and one at U.S. Airways Center for the All-Star Game activities. One of the Cisco TelePresence systems will be located directly on the show floor at the All-Star Jam Session allowing fans to interact "face-to-face" with NBA stars from the Convention Center green room and backstage at the arena.
•    Fans will be able to participate in trivia contests and interact with current NBA players and legends, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, Toronto Raptors' Jason Kapono and former Phoenix Suns' legend Dan Majerle, throughout the weekend via the Cisco TelePresence systems at NBA Jam Session.
•    In addition to TelePresence, the NBA will utilize the Cisco® wireless press center for real-time mobile media reporting on multiple All-Star events happening in Phoenix. And as an official technology partner of the NBA, Cisco digital signage, part of the Cisco Digital Media System, will be on-site to provide All-Star programming content and live updates of the NBA Jam Session Trivia contest.

Steve Hellmuth, executive vice president of technology and operations, NBA
"Cisco has been helping the NBA stay connected since 2007 and we're thrilled to extend this interaction to our fans by bringing Cisco TelePresence to the Jam Session show floor. We will be able to provide our fans with unprecedented access to both current NBA players and legends."

Ed Erhardt, president of customer marketing and sales, ESPN
"ESPN is working with Cisco to enhance the NBA All-Star viewing experience for basketball fans. Thanks to Cisco, we'll be able to offer our audience a closer look at the All-Star Game with exclusive interviews via Cisco TelePresence."

Alan Cohen, vice president, enterprise marketing, Cisco "By deploying Cisco TelePresence directly on the NBA Jam Session show floor, we are bridging the gap between athletes and fans, giving basketball enthusiasts a virtual pass to the arena with a unique ability to interact with players in new ways that were not possible at previous marquee sporting events. Building on our relationship with the NBA, we're bringing fans closer to the game, from the boardroom to the locker room."

Related Links:

• Cisco Sports Web Site
• NBA All-Star Weekend Web Site
• ESPN.com NBA All-Star coverage
• Cisco Video - Collaboration and Innovation: Bringing Fans Closer to the Game
• Cisco Video - Houston Rockets Center Yao Ming Using Cisco TelePresence to Field Press Inquiries
• Cisco Videos - The Human Network Effect in Sports
• Cisco Photos - Phoenix Suns Forward Grant Hill Reaches Global Fans with Cisco TelePresence

Sony announced GPS functionality for its Sony PSP gaming platform. While the GPS accessory was released in Japan in late 2006, this marks the "demo" launch (at CES) of the product in North America. It was simply a demo at CES, but Sony reps said they expect the product to ship sometime this year.

The GPS device will load map data from an included UMD that's region specific. Updated or additional country maps can be purchased and downloaded to a Memory Stick. The GPS will work with the older/original PlayStation Portable as well as the newer PSP-2000. Pretty amazing that the Sony PSP can now do gaming (obviously), Skype calls, and now GPS. The large screen should do nicely with GPS navigation, so TomTom and Garmin may need to be concerned since they are mostly one-trick GPS ponies. Though I doubt the first rev of the Sony PSP GPS software will include turn-by-turn text-to-speech naming of streets.

For those of us with smaller wrists, Mio has done what should seem obvious to any watch company -- design watches for those smaller wrists!

The MIO Sport Select Petite is designed for fitness enthusiasts -- and includes all of the features of MIO's great Sport Select watch. It comes with one interchangeable, two-tone petite watch strap in grey/black. (Additional watch straps are also available.)

It's the perfect workout companion with personalized heart rate display and calculation of calories burned. I don't have to guess what's going on -- I can simply glance at my wrist and know I'm in the zone.

(Let me state here again how great the Mio ZonePlus is for exercise and cardio workouts -- looks good too.)

The MIO Sport Select Petite features:

• ECG accurate heart rate without a chest strap
• Personalized percent of maximum heart rate display
• Counts calories burned during exercise
• Interchangeable two-tone watch strap in petite length of only 8 1/2 inches (specifically designed for slender wrists smaller than 6 3/4 inches)

MSRP: $129.99

www.miowatch.com

This is really cool!

Wild Planet's Water Talkies is an underwater talking toy that makes it possible to chat up your friends underwater.

Haven't tested the "unique design projects your voice clearly up to 15 feet" claim, but this is really cool.

Wild Planet has lots of other really cool water and pool toys and gadgets for those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer -- enjoy them while you can!

Price: $11.96 

www.shopwildplanet.com

Sure your cardio workout generates a good healthy sweat, but are you maximizing your heart’s potential? Are you making the most out of your workout -- raising your cardio and elevating your well-being?

Mio's new Zone Plus will tell you if you are. Customizable heart rate target zones help you maximize workouts; you get ECG-accurate heart rate measurement anytime, anywhere -- and without the chest strap typical of so many other heart rate monitors!

You can increase workout efficiency with customizable percentage of maximum heart rate target zones and alarms that will tell you when you are in and out of the target zone. (No personal trainer needed.)

Check out these extensive timer and training features:

• 12 or 24 hour clock option
• Date and alarm clock
• 100 Hours stopwatch
• Interval/ count down timer of 99h59m59s (settable to the second)
• 16 lap timers each up to 99m59s
• 16 lap memory
• Average lap time
• Total time of all laps
• Average heart rate of all laps
• Average heart rate of each lap

How much more data do you need to get fit?

Price: $99.99

www.miowatch.com