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Patriots Coach Bill Belichick on Microsoft Surface: 'I Just Can't Take It Anymore' (techcrunch.com)
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not happy with the Surface tablet provided to him via a deal between Microsoft and the NFL. Not only has he physically thrown the tablets at things, but he has verbally expressed his negative opinions of them. TechCrunch reports: When asked about the Patriots' headsets malfunctioning during last weeks game, Belichick instead took the time to let everyone know he's "done with the tablets." While he didn't go into too much detail on the tablets, Belichick essentially said that Microsoft's surface tablets are too "undependable," and there "isn't enough consistency in their performance." In terms of the rest of the sideline technology like headsets, Belichick is essentially fed up with the fact that everything always malfunctions and is impossible to fix during games. So why is the sideline technology so hard to get right? The tablets (as well as the headphones and all other sideline technology) are owned and maintained by the NFL. That means it gets delivered to teams literally hours before the game and taken away when it ends. This makes it hard for teams to test for issues before a game and to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. Belichick's full rant can be read here, which reads in part: "As you probably noticed, I'm done with the tablets. They're just too undependable for me. I'm going to stick with (paper) pictures, which several of our other coaches do, as well, because there just isn't enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. I just can't take it anymore..."
Maybe, just maybe, if cheaters like Mr. Belichick didn't exist in this league, the NFL wouldn't need to lock down their equipment.
The problems that have been announced almost invariably revolve around the connectivity provided in the stadium, rather than the tablets themselves. This is an NFL problem.. iPad, Surface, Galaxy Tab, whatever.. not going to be different until the NFL forces teams and stadiums to provide adequate connectivity.
But why? Why use something other than a grease pen on a white board? These aren't software developers, and I don't think there is a pressing need for technology on the sidelines besides the sponsorship deals. And maybe 3M can sponsor them or something.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Agreed. I get it that there are such a thing as "plays", which should really be called "gambits", but the game breaks down to: throw the ball, catch the ball, run. Less technology* getting in the way of throwing the ball, catching the ball, and running is a good thing.
Yes, yes, with the obvious exception of replay footage to double-check what refs can't necessarily see.
"Oh no... he found the
When you have a tablet, you can do things like punch in what defense the other team just used to provide statistical analysis of what the next best play is, or what kind of defense to run if your opponent is doing X often. These are things a coach can know, or have on paper, but the ability to quickly look things up for an effective response or plan is probably very beneficial.
What I don't know, however, is why they would need "connectivity." Why do you need wi-fi operating your iPad or Surface if you have all of the relevant info on the device? If they don't have all the relevant info on the device, what do they need it for?
I'm glad someone said it. This is the problem with these luddite jocks when it comes to technology - they blame the thing closest to them instead of trying to figure out what the actual problem is. They spent so much time smashing beer cans on their foreheads that they didn't bother to learn much else.
Seriously, it's game/sport.
Don't be so naive. It's a business.
Why use something other than a grease pen on a white board?
Because it's technology! It's the cool thing to do because everything is better with technology.
Stop trying to hold us back. Technology is the answer to everything. Didn't you see the trouble the guy in England had to go through to get his wi-fi tea kettle to work? Think of how much easier putting a pot of water on the stove would have been rather than the 11 hours he spent fiddling with technology. The horror!
Don't forget the polished turd which is Ford's infotainment system is known by engineers. Think of how much better it is to look away from the road to figure which part of a screen needs to be pressed to change the song rather than reaching out and touching a physical button. Technology for the win!
And don't get me started on the Internet of Things. It's the greatest. Why, devices hooked to the net, such as refrigerators or toasters, can be used as part of massive botnets. Isn't that great? Who wants, or needs, a refrigerator which isn't connected to everything? Think of how much easier it is to take down a web site you don't like when everything's connected to the internet.
Woo hoo! Three cheers for technology.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Whiney Bill Bellicheat is having trouble receiving a WIFI signal from both the legal league feed and the illegal installed cameras and mics in the visiting teams locker room. Get over it.
First it was a sport, then it was a business, now it is a joke.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Not much of rant either. Logical complaints that he wants the crap to work.
Touchscreens existed 10 years ago, but tablets weren't tablets. They were laptops with swivel (or fold-around) screens and resistive touchscreens that required a stylus (and didn't have multitouch) - they had to be convertible into a traditional laptop, as tablet mode was only useful for specialty applications like checklists, and various other kinds of checklists. The touch screen wasn't a touch interface, but a touch-based mouse-mover on a 100% desktop OS, and it was every bit as easy to use as that sounds.
Before the iPad, a lot of companies tried to make tablets, but they were, as the poster stated, widely known not to be very useful.
but I have to say that coaches like Belichick are the reason why the NFL feels the need to take such precautions. If they didn't, some coach would get the idea to use spotters and/or directional mics to eavesdrop on opposing teams and send the information to the coach, who would then relay it to the men on the field.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I agree with your sentiment, it's almost certainly a wifi issue. Because Wifi sucks... a lot.
WiFi works ok for me, whether it's low latency gaming or high volume HD streaming, maybe you are doing something wrong?
'Low' latency is still higher compared to cable and might be ok for you, but that really depends on your definition of low latency gaming, too. But this is not why WiFi sucks big time.
I developed a wireless device that delivered wifi video to devices and it was a huge pain in the ass. You just had to accept that reliability and range would be shit, especially in a busy environment. How many times has Steve Jobs chastised the audience that they wouldn't get to see a demo if they didn't turn off their wifi?
Congestion problems can be solved if you design your solution to fit the application, rather than what most people get wrong, they run a consumer grade AP for their industrial app then wonder why it's drops out all the time.
This is not a problem of consumer grade or industrial ap. The problem is the shared medium. And it doesn't distinguish between consumer grade and business grade. If the spectrum is overused the connectivity degrades fast as more and more collisions happen. That is not a problem if the only reachable access point is yours and has only one active client. In denser populated areas (residential, commercial or industrial) it makes all WiFi a pain and less reliable. I have already seen places with more than 100 APs in reach, all competing on the limited frequencies available. Every AP works at the legal limit to get heared by its clients and tries to drown out the others. In this situation business grade hardware gives you a few metres more reliable connects, but nothing more. Welcome to town where wired networking wins as long as it is switched.