PDAs Bring Sports Fans Closer To Athletes

Mobile-phone maker Ericsson wants to help sports fans get up-close and personal with the athletes they love, and even the ones they love to hate.

Ericsson's Event System software lets spectators watch a game from the players' and referees' point of view via PDAs. Ericsson is testing the system using Compaq Ipaq handheld computers at various sporting events in Sweden. Athletes and referees would wear small cameras that transmit live video of what they see during a game to PDAs. Players would wear sensors, too, to transmit real-time biotelemetry, such as a player's heart rate. Spectators also could access team rosters and player stats, initiate live Internet chats, and get logistical data about the arena--including a map to the bathroom.

In an interview with Reuters in Stockholm, Sweden, Lars Brindt, the Ericsson business manager responsible for the Event System project, says the system could be used at any major concert or sporting event, and can support up to 500 PDAs and at least 10 independent video streams, Internet chats, and notification services.

The National Football League, which brought live scenes from the field to TV viewers by positioning a camera on officials, says it has no immediate plans to make the transmission available via PDAs.