Wilson X Connected Football (Photo : Twitter)
The National Football League's (NFL) 2016 season kicks off in about a month between the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Wilson Sporting Goods Company is expanding its product line of smart gear with the Wilson X Connected Football, just in time for the September 7 regular season opener. The century-old company recently previewed its smart football and mobile app that measures the oval ball's top speed, approximate distance, and spiral efficiency.
Wilson just previewed the smart football in New York City. It showed off the pigskin at a 3,000 square foot (279 square meter) room at high-end event space Lightbox, which was less than 10 percent of a football field's size.
The unofficial saying of the Internet of Things (IoT) product is that "the stadium is everywhere". In other words, people can toss the leather ball in a home or office and pretend it is a Hail Mary pass during the last play of the championship game.
The Wilson X includes a mobile app that allows users to see some interesting statistics. Wilson claims that the passing stats include data that even pro players have never accessed.
Fox Sports sportscaster Gus Johnson is the voice of the bundled app.
Wilson also launched its smart basketball earlier this year. A small sensor inside the round ball keeps track of shots that the basketball player made or missed.
Wilson explains that gyroscopes would be too power-draining for the connected football, according to The Verge. Bluetooth transmits data to the user's smartphone.
Kevin Murphy is Wilson's general manager of team sports. He explained that the oblong ball's battery will last for more than 20,000 throws. That is equal to throwing the football non-stop for almost 21 full days.
The sporting equipment's sensors are in sleep mode most of the time. Football fans must hold the ball upright for two seconds then flip it to wake it up. This prevents battery draining when the ball turns in a gym bag or car trunk.
The menu screen of the connected football's app shows what the user's friends are doing with their sports ball. An avatar can also include NFL team logos and football jerseys.
The Wilson X Connected Football and app hits retail stores on September 8. It will cost $199.
In related news "Madden Ultimate Team 17" will let NFL fans add today's stars and yesterday's legends on their team like fantasy football. The game's features will include Solo Challenges, H2H Unlimited Events, Trade Block, and Alternate Uniforms, according to EA Sports.
Here's Wilson's smart football at CES 2016:
