Adidas has announced that the 2012 AT&T Major League Soccer All-Star Game will be the first professional event to feature the miCoach team-tracking system. The miCoach system will enable soccer fans to view live data related to overall team performance and individual metrics from each player on the field.
Alongside the release of the miCoach SPEED_CELL and adizero F50 soccer cleats, adidias has launched miCoach Soccer in the App Store. The free app syncs with the SPEED_CELL, a fitness sensor that tracks performance metrics such as average speed and total distance, and visualizes the data. miCoach Soccer also allows athletes to use the data to create a virtual avatar and share stats via MiCoach.com or various other social media sites.
Adidas on Friday hoped to bring intelligence to soccer (international football) by bringing out a miCoach-equipped version of its adizero f50 shoes. They contain a sensor in the outsole like Nike+ shoes but have an added level of detail that helps track the on-off pacing of a player on the pitch. They cover basics like average speed and distance but can also single out the frequency and distance of sprints as well as the stride.
Lodsys pulled its attention back over to Android this weekend as multiple Android app developers reported getting notices of alleged infringement. Noble Master Games received one for in-app purchases in its Age of Conquest series. The patent holder has even begun sending notices without verifying its complaints, Droid Gamers saw, and sent a notice to the Trese Brothers regarding Star Traders by mistake.
Lodsys tested its limits on Friday by expanding its lawsuits beyond app developers. A new complaint serving as a preemptive strike against possible patent invalidation has targeted 10 companies, including Adidas, Best Buy, CVS, Sam's Club, and others, accuses them of violating two patents mentioned in Lodsys' campaign to sue iOS app developers for in-app purchases. All but Sam's Club were sued for allegedly copying one patent by having surveys on their websites, while Sam's Club, Black & Decker, and Vitamin Shoppe were sued for just using "feedback soliciting FAQs" or live help chat.
Sennheiser has teamed with Adidas to release a new Adidas Originals line of headphones. The range includes the HD 25, the HD 220 and the CX 310. The HD 25 is a premium headphone set aimed at DJs, while the HD 220 adopt a street style. The CX 310 are an in-ear type earphone.
Samsung has revealed a special edition version of its N150 netbook to coincide with the upcoming kick-off of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Partnering with Adidas, the netbook is glossy white and offset with a colorful World Cup theme. Performance improvements over the standard computer include the inclusion of Bluetooth 3.0.
Samsung and Adidas are teaming up to compete with Apple and Nike's Nike+iPod program, and have today introduced the miCoach workout tracking system. The miCoach system combines the miCoach phone with a heartrate monitor and stride sensor to provide accurate feedback about workout activities. Pricing was not announced, but the miCoach system will be available in Europe mid-March.
