Posted on 01/25/2016 3:03:56 AM PST by Enlightened1
Tablets on New England Patriots' sideline fail, preventing coaches and players from using the devices to review plays.
Microsoft's tablet partnership with the National Football League has not always been smooth.
After Microsoft struck a reported $400 million deal in 2013 with the NFL to have its Surfaces exclusively on team sidelines for reviewing plays, TV commentators kept referring to them as "iPads." At the time, it was said that networks were constantly reminding their talkers that the Surface looks nothing like an iPad and should therefore be referred to by its actual name.
Microsoft suffered another public black eye during the AFC championship game Sunday between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, when the tablets on the Patriots' sidelines apparently failed.
"They're having some trouble with their Microsoft Surface tablets," CBS' sideline reporter Evan Washburn reported during the game. "On the last defensive possession the Patriots' coaches did not have access to those tablets to show pictures to their players. NFL officials have been working at it. Some of those tablets are back in use, but not all of them. A lot of frustration that they didn't have them on that last possession."
The Patriots' tablets were soon restored to working order after the brief interruption, which a Microsoft spokesman blamed on a network connectivity issue.
"Our team on the field has confirmed the issue was not related to the tablets themselves but rather an issue with the network," the company said in a statement. "We worked with our partners who manage the network to ensure the issue was resolved quickly."
The Broncos, who apparently didn't suffer a tablet interruption, were allowed to continue using their tablets because NFL rules require the tablets to be shut down for both teams only if they malfunction before the game begins.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
Ok Mr. Enlightenment. Enlighten us just how an iPad would not suffer the same fate if the network is down. I doubt seriously the NFL runs their stuff over the internet, so please, explain to us how this wouldn’t have happened anyway.
Who gives little kids an IPad to play with? Are these the same parents to tell their children to play with the wine glasses and fine china?
What’s a iPad for other than to play games on? Aside from reading it’s practically useless.
“How come no one else in the entire stadium had network issues?”
did you ask every one of them personally?
“What’s a iPad for other than to play games on? “
and to watch movies. Nothing else. My niece has one. Does nothing but facebook.
With Gates recent stupid comments about bringing Syrian refugees into this country, maybe this was a little Karma backlash.
I have a nice big TV to watch movies on. Why would anyone in their right mind let their kids watch TV on a screen that size when they’ve got a giant one sitting in the living room? I suppose they like taking the kids to the eye doctor every other month.
I remember my first TV back in 1955. And I damn near lost my vision looking at that tiny tube.
I am going to laugh, when the first one gets drilled by a football, or a ployed under by a HB or WR going 20 mph.
Sports Authority Field @ Mile High is a Dead Zone for the Patriots in more ways than one. ;)
can they stay with him and his wife?
is he willing to leave his wife alone in his house with four or five of them?
jerk.
LOL! That’s great!
And the OS has to be locked down as well. The NFL takes very seriously the fact that these tablets cannot be modified to give any team an advantage others may not have through the use of technology. Microsoft told me that the tablet uses the assigned access mode that allows the Surface to run only one application, which in this case is the sideline viewing system. Access to any of the additional Windows features or settings is blocked.
I didn't see a sarcasm tag so that qualifies and perhaps the dumbest post I ever saw here.
The iPad networking is so bad, people I know had to buy the cell phone model. Or whatever it’s called.
That’s just to stay connected. Their phone bills must be through the roof.
I seriously doubt they were on the same network. Even the teams would have their own private networks.
If the network at the stadium during the game was down, then it would have affected many people and not just these few Microsoft tablet. It's sort of like a power outage since they are all on Wifi.
My bet is they had to reboot their Microsoft Surfaces to get them to reconnect to the WiFi. Problem solved! So it was a hardware issue (the Microsoft Tablets) and NOT a network issue.
Again if it's a network, then it affects everyone and not just a few tablets.
Are you serious? Really?
I don’t have any problems with my iPad on WiFi. Not at home and not out on public networks.
I take it you own one. Tell us how useful it is. Convince me why I need to go out and buy one right away. How it will change my life.
Do you have the double network option? If you do, somehow I doubt your declaration.
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