Baller 21

B21, Basketball Clip Board Apps, and the iPad

by Chris Harvey on 04/22/10

I stopped by an Apple Retail Store and finally got my hands on the iPad.  I was also curious to see what this blog, www.baller21.com, looked like and its level of functionality.

In short, the device lived up to the commercial hype and made for impressive browsing and a more comparable laptop/desktop experience than the iPhone because of the larger screen size.

The image above is from a screen shot I took on the iPad (hold the power and home button down at the same time and release).

I didn’t have a lot of play time but found two interesting apps.

1. Star Walk // Interactive Astronomy App.

The Star Walk app functions as a digital compass as you tilt the iPad towards the sky and the “Star Spotter” and “Sky Live” features, among others, will give you a live representation of what’s in space.  Fascinating app! $4.99.

2. Sports Clip Boards // Apps for Basketball, Soccer, and Hockey.

I found two basketball clip board apps and one multi-sport app for basketball, soccer, and hockey called SportsBoard.  Some apps are for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and others are just for the iPad. These apps allow you to move players around, draw lines with your finger, and save or erase work.  $.99 – $1.99.

Imagine a coaching staff with a digital system for note taking, statistics, play calling, and visual instruction.  No need for markers or erasers.  The only issues would be all the sweat dripping on the $499 plus device or an iPad-throwing coach during a frustrating game.

What do you think?

Are these practical apps and the future of coaching or not?

I have no plans on getting an iPad anytime soon but it is a fun device. Still thinking through the practicality and need!

Lastly, I have not invested or made a transition to e-books yet, and still not sure if I will, but the books on the iPad seem much more advanced than the experience on the Kindle or other devices, despite the temporary lack of book options with the iPad.

Anyone have an iPad yet or plan on getting one?