Weekly Review April 13th

2012 BK Dirt Season Commercial : Supercross Addicts

Houston SX Bet

Racers Start Early

Many of the best moto racers will say that the started at a very young age.  Imagine starting your kid on a bike just after he was able to walk!  That's what the new Strider Bike allows your child to do.  This bike has no pedals, no gears, and no brake.  It will change the way you think about getting your kiddo on a bike for the first time.

The Strider is designed to allow the rider to run and glide while on the bike.  It is natural reaction for a child to put their feet down while trying to steady themselves on a bike.  The Strider allows this.  On bikes with training wheels, there is too much tip and reliance on the training wheels.  With no training wheels, pedals, or brakes, your child is in control of everything with their feet.  More control leads to more confidence. Your lil one will love going their own speed at home or racing at the track.  The Strider is a great way to train for dirtbikes or for just learning how to ride a bike.  This slick bike will take the place of those boring trikes and training wheels.  Those are for babies....you have a Big Kid!

Action Sport Cameras and Live Events

The Industry Leaders : Contour, GoPro, Liquid Image

Technology and Action Sports have been growing wildly over the last couple years.  People are able to share their experiences with millions of other people and everyone can share a moment.  That is what it is all about. A moment.  Technology has almost caught up with life. You used to have had to be at an event to experience it. Then it evolved to being able to relive an event via recordings.  Very quickly we are watching THAT change.

With the rapidly evolving technology that has married actions sports, I see a whole new experience on the horizon.  GoPro, Contour and Liquid Image are all working on wi-fi technology with their cameras.  These industry leaders have allowed everyone to relive and share amazing moments.  From sky diving to nascar, skateboarding to dirt biking the dunes..... these tiny cameras can capture shots that we never knew existed a few years ago.  With the introduction of wi-fi to these cameras, we can now check the image on a smart phone.  Ok, so that's cool.....what's that really mean?

I see it as a step towards a new experience.  Imagine being at a major action sport event.  SnoCross, MotoCross, Nascar, The Olympics.  Imagine being able to view what the athletes see via your smart phone.  You choose the way you experience the event.  Watch from the stands, ride along with a rider, check alternative angles from the track, or be live in the pits.  I think that it will change the way that you watch these sports at the live event.  I imagine all of this being accessible whether you are at the event or not.  You could be on a train commuting home from work as you ride with Shawn White at the Winter X Games.....live!

While this technology is just coming out, it won't be long before you control your programming.  The biggest question and challenge will be for the sponsors and advertisers... how do you commercialize when you no longer own the media channel?  That will be one to watch.

  

Liquid Image's "Ego" camera

Watch out GoPro and Contour, there is a new adventure camera coming to the market in June.  Liquid Image will be releasing their Ego video camera in the Spring.  The camera will record video in 1080 HD, take 12mp stills, and will have a 136 degree lens.  It will also allow you to stream LIVE to a smart phone via wifi.  Now, these features are nothing new for the evolving extreme sport camera industry. GoPro has already announced and Contour has already introduced live streaming.  The fact that Ego is waterproof is nothing that hasn't been done before either..... so whats the hype?  The Ego will come in 5 colors, be 1/2 the price of the current cameras, and is 1/2 the size.  It's lighter, smaller, and cheaper.  I think those are 3 reasons that Liquid Image is going to shake the industry when it is released.  Suggested retail on the Ego will be only $150.