Palm Heads to the Big Leagues

Posted By: PR Saturday, June 16, 2001 1:43:42 PM

The San Francisco Giants and Palm, Inc. have installed three beaming stations at Pacific Bell Park. Handheld users can now keep score and track the game more closely than ever before when they visit a beaming station and get a scoring application and the latest Giants and visiting team statistics and roster for their Palm Powered handhelds.

Users will receive a scorekeeping application and other information like statistics, rosters, lineups, pitching match-ups and biographies for easy reference during the game. The beaming stations work with any Palm OS based device, including those from Palm, Handspring, Sony, IBM, Kyocera and Symbol.

The beaming stations, developed by WideRay Corporation of San Francisco, contain three small servers that deliver broadband, custom information. This includes TurboStats ScoreKeeper and information provided by the Giants Today section of the San Francisco Chronicle. Beaming stations will be updated before each home series, enabling fans to receive the latest statistical information on the team. In the near future, a collector series of electronic player cards also will be available.

Beaming stations were installed in three locations around the ballpark, including on the AAA Club Level near section 219, on the Promenade Level near the 2nd and King pedestrian ramp, and in the Field Club Lounge. In addition, a scoreboard video will run during select Giants homegames to help educate fans about how to use the beaming stations and how to keep score.

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Palm already had a prescence there, and this is hardly.....

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/16/2001 2:57:44 PM #

a first. Sony Metreon has had beaming stations for a long time. Unforunatly, those don't work with Clie's, and neither do the ones at Pac Bell. Too bad Sony Users.

RE: Palm already had a prescence there, and this is hardly.....

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/16/2001 4:43:38 PM #

What do the beaming stations at the Metreon do? Where are they?

RE: Palm already had a prescence there, and this is hardly.....

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/16/2001 9:38:16 PM #

Across from the playground / Imax ticket counters in the 1st floor hallway. They look like some kinda video screen, but actually have a small infared port next to them.

Unfortunately, the wideray app pretty much sucks -- just static pages of information about resturants and such. The only cool part is a listing of movies and times at the Metreon (but I already get this via Vindigo).

RE: Palm already had a prescence there, and this is hardly.....

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/17/2001 2:55:05 AM #

Wow, I can just hear the "Dork" taunts. Info about resturants? Walk the two feet and look for yourself. Movie listings? Walk around the corner and look. If that's really all there is, that's just about the most useless app I've ever seen.

Scorepad a much better handheld scoring program

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/16/2001 5:04:42 PM #

I've tried both Scorepad and Scorekeeper, and think that Scorepad is a much better application. I'm sorry to see that the Giants are going with Scorekeeper.

How about beaming stations in retail stores?!

palmcoder @ 6/16/2001 9:45:05 PM #

Why, oh why, hasn't Palm already setup beaming stations in retail stores like Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, etc??

Believe it or not, most Palm users don't know how to install new applications on their PDA, much less know where to find new apps on the web. Several of the people I work with use Palm-powered devices, but only us geeks in engineering have ever installed apps on them.

Seems like this would be a great way to get palm users to try out new applications. Beaming stations would greatly simplify the process (select from a list of apps, place your Palm-powered device within range, and *poof* it's installed.) Gone are the days of (1) download zip, (2) find the PRC, (3) run the inappropriately named "install tool", (4) HotSync again because the "install tool" didn't actually install the app (!!).

Palm/PalmGear/Handango could manage the stations remotely and cycle in new applications on a period basis.

-pc-

RE: How about beaming stations in retail stores?!

MadMax @ 6/16/2001 10:02:18 PM #

I spoke with the folks at WideRay while I was at PacBell Park back on June 4th (they were demoing the unit downstairs in the Field Club Lounge). They said they're already setup at Volvo dealerships. The idea is that, a consumer can get technical stats, options, & reviews of the cars. They hope to be in grocery stores with sale items as well as "beamed coupons".
Personally, I think this is what Palm needs, even though its not necessarily developed by Palm; just a good business idea by some crafty people around The Valley. ...Maybe I'll be able to find a book in less than 30 minutes the next time I visit a Borders Bookstore.

The Road Warrior

RE: How about beaming stations in retail stores?!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/17/2001 1:48:35 AM #

This is a really good idea, I notice Handandgo is selling software bundles in retail stores, they should look into your suggestion it would be good for demo apps targeted to novice users....
-sam

lets see more of this

dennis aucoin @ 6/18/2001 7:33:34 AM #

wouldn't it be nice to have this at all of the parks. even the minors!

Sweet

Derek @ 6/18/2001 10:44:39 AM #

Hella cool. My Giants expierence now goes even sweeter.

Beaming Stations

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/19/2001 3:49:38 PM #

On a recent trip to New York, I saw some billboards that beamed info. I didn't have my palm with so I don't know how well they work, but I do know that I hardly realized theey were there. You pretty much have to stop and stand in the middle of a busy sidewalk while it beams to you. They aren't too practical, so I hope they made some improvements wth these.

palms downunder

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/21/2001 12:01:54 AM #

Here in australia pda's are gradually taking off, but as yet I only know one other person (besides myself) that has one. How's this for a backwards attitude-a salesman in a local shop which sells pda's told me he doesn't think they'll take off, I just laughed and told him to check out the 'net.

TurboStats ScoreKeeper is much better than Scorepad

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/18/2001 1:53:03 AM #

Having heard lots of complaints about Scorepad and it's weak PC software and poor tech support it's easy to see why Palm choose TurboStats ScoreKeeper. TurboStats ScoreKeeper is easier to use, is extremely reliable and has a terrific PC program you can import data into. The PC software allows you to print fully customized reports, charts, computerized batting orders, situational diagramming, plan games and print lineup cards. It will even let you make last minute changes to the stats after the game has been imported. TurboStats has been around for almost 10 years and was the first game based Windows stat program. Visit their website www.turbostats.com for more info.