Sidepodcast has not jumped the shark, I promise. There's a tenuous F1 connection here somewhere.
As we've mentioned several times in the past, the entire Sidepodcast project is built upon the product foundations that Apple have built and we've long since come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be possible to do what we do with anything else.
Later on Wednesday, the entire of the technology world will be looking in the direction of San Francisco, where Apple are holding a media event to launch a new product. The sensible money says it will be a tablet shaped product.
Proceedings kick off at 6pm GMT and we'll be specifically looking for announcements that directly affect what we do including:
Improvements to video quality - Currently the size and quality of our F1 video podcasts are tied directly to what the iPhone will support. Might we see improvements in this area?
Podcasts in the cloud - Will the iTunes eco-system see personal content made available online, and if so will that change how media is consumed?
Tablets everywhere - How portable and affordable will the rumoured device be, and can we make use of one or more of them in a live streaming environment?
Admittedly very little of this is specifically F1 related, but any hardware or software improvements will likely reflect on the kind of Formula 1 coverage Sidepodcast is able to provide this year.
We'll be following the launch via words and pictures on the Endgadget's Live Blog and will keep this post up-to-date with any relevant announcements. If you're interested in joining the fun, we'll be ticking off the rumours with this handy Prediction Score Card and posting updates in the comments too.
Almost since the day Sidepodcast started creating videos, you'll have heard Christine bemoan the lack of a teleprompter. Remembering reams of text, under the pressure of hot studio lights while the cameras are rolling is no-one's idea of fun. Having something to fall back on is often a necessity.
Credit: Sidepodcast
Behind the scenes of the Sidepodcast Christmas special, Christine eyes up the shot. The ProPrompter can be seen above the camera and the GorillaPod legs wrap around the body.
The problem with most teleprompters, is that being somewhat specialist by nature, they have a habit of costing a pretty penny. By way of example, the small model we were looking longingly at was set to cost us £1,800. You can see why we've been putting it off for a while.
Reusing Existing Hardware
Thankfully there's an app for that, and when Bodelin Technologies released ProPrompter (iTunes link) for the iPhone / iPod Touch our quest for an affordable autocue system was over. Coming in at a far more reasonable £5.99, the application allows the iPod to act as a tiny teleprompting system.
True, the screen is a little on the small side for this role, but playback speed is variable, colours are customisable and loading content is straightforward. If nothing else, it's a considerable improvement on holding up sheets of A4 paper and manually swapping them as required. The iPod is mounted atop the camera via a Joby GorillaPod with suction pad attachment and will happily sit there for hours.
Lacking Presentation
It's little improvements such as this gem that make us motivated to create more video content this year. Incidentally, having looked into what other sites are offering in terms of F1 video, a trend we've noticed wherever we look, is the distinct lack of presenters hosting shows.
Neither Autosport TV nor GPUpdate TV seem to offer anything beyond stock footage and a voiceover track (which is almost exclusively male). Can finding an onscreen presenter be that difficult in this day and age? Maybe having a person in front of camera is something else we should be giving USF1 more credit for.
If you're doing any form of podcasting, be it video or audio, we highly recommend the ProPrompter solution. It reuses our existing hardware and the application has already paid for itself in time and effort saved.
FEA in Formula 1 - stress and load mesh modelling at its very best.
The Open University offers distance learning for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. To support courses, a number of educational resources are made available for free via Apple's iTunesU mobile learning solution. This month an engineering and technology podcast relating to Formula 1 has become available.
The course in question is the catchily titled T884 - An Introduction to Finite Element Analysis which relates to a computational modelling and analysis technique known as Finite Element Analysis, or FEA to its friends. FEA is used by F1 teams in a number of design areas in order to optimise the performance of various elements of a racing car, thus the OU descended on the Red Bull Racing factory in Milton Keynes to help explain how these techniques enable them to reach the front of the grid.
Whilst this iTunesU content is primarily offered as supplemental learning material, the course does amount to 17 videos. Included is insight from Lewis Butler who's the senior structural analyst for the team and who offers a detailed look into how a part such as a wheel hub might first be modelled virtually, in order to predict weaknesses or suggest improvements in the design before manufacture.
Much of the footage appears to have been filmed in the teams factory, and a real chassis is used to demonstrate the finer points of the talk, although the sight of Michelin tyres belies its true age. The short video's are provided in both low and high resolution format, and are backed up by PDF transcripts.
I will admit to being considerably out of my depth 10 minutes into the course, but you will get some fantastic insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a Formula 1 team, and you likely won't be so quick to judge a team the next time a loose wheel comes flying from its hub in Hungary.
Computer Aided Design at this level is an incredibly complex subject to cover, but the series is well produced and presented. That a Formula 1 team can see the benefit in putting effort into such a programme speaks volumes and Red Bull should be congratulated for making a largely inaccessible topic more available.
If you haven't taken a look at iTunesU before, it's a recommended destination, and there's no place better to start than the free Finite Element Analysis course from Red Bull and the Open University.
Less than a month ago, the first F1 game for a many a year arrived for the Wii console, and Lukeh provided us with a fantastic review. So good was it, that we went out and purchased the game solely on the man's advice. Lukeh returns today to offer similar insight into a mobile version of F1 2009 for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
This year we have indeed seen the return of F1 to videogames and it was a great return as I so much explained in my previous Wii review. It came just as much as a surprise to myself as it was to many others that an announcement last week confirmed that Formula 1 was indeed coming to iPods worldwide this week. The game weighs in at £3.99 / $6.99 so it’s got a bit of price on it for an iPod app, but is it worth it?
What must be remembered is this is an iPod, not a Playstation Portable or a Nintendo DS or any fully fledged gaming handheld. Whilst the iPod is more than capable of holding its weight with it’s gaming capabilities, it’s never going to include games as detailed as the aforementioned rivals. Nevertheless, I feel that the F1 2009 game for the iPod touch / iPhone is a nifty addition to the series that Codemasters seem willing to build.
First off, the graphics genuinely opened my eyes in surprise. For something so delicate, it really shows off the possibilities of gaming for this format. From the few tracks I’ve played since purchasing the game earlier this evening, everything noticeable from real life tracks is there – the urban classic streets of Monaco, the giant overhead stand of China, the overseeing forests of Spa. It is a visual delight and a true tribute to the power of the iPod/iPhone. When you’re flying down at 200mph it runs smoothly and nothing seems to be out of place, so needless to say this aspect of the app impressed me immensely.
The controls though are where things start to get dodgy. As with most iPod racing races, you use the system’s accelerometer to steer the car with various buttons on screen to accelerate, brake, change camera and use KERS. The initial impressions of the controls came to me with must frustration – the default steering sensitivity is, for lack of a better term, wild. You know how when Formula 1 cars warm up tyres they swing from left to right? That’ll be you initially upon first play. From my own point of view, I would suggest jumping into the options and turning the setting down a little, as it makes the driving a whole lot more tolerable. Furthermore, the default control system both acceleration and brake pedals on the right of the screen, and KERS button on the left. (Obviously it can be adjusted for left hand players.) Whilst others may find this alright, it felt very clumsy to me going to accelerate but finding myself braking instead – luckily an alternative setup of acceleration on the right and brakes on the left can be found in the options, an option I found immediately handier to use. Again, it’s just a personal thing so it may be different for you. In general though, it handles as you’d expect albeit it completely insanely at times, but it’s nothing deal breaking. Just very, very tough.
With 17 tracks and 20 cars you’re not exactly lacking variety
So what will you be getting in terms of content for your £4 or $7? Well I’d better give you a warning now – there is no racing as in 20 cars on a grid racing. The two game modes include Time Trials and Endurance, both seeing you racing in any car of your choice on any track of your choice. Time Trials does what it says on the tin, with your goal simply to set times and see which is fastest. Endurance sees you going out for laps and continually trying to beat them with consistency being the name of the game rather than the more general time trial mode. To be fair, with 17 tracks and 20 cars you’re not exactly lacking variety so there are no complaints there but I’m sure many will have wanted racing. It’s perfectly understandable though why it’s not there though. Your times can also be uploaded to Agon Online, a built in system that uploads your best times and shares them with the world as well as allowing you to browse yourself and view friends’ times.
So, should you buy it? Of course that is not my decision for me to make for you but in my advice I would only buy it if you really want an F1 game on your iPod / iPhone. Visually it is incredible, rivalling what we see on the Wii version of F1 2009 but it is very, very tough with the oversensitive handling and quite unique way of handling the game. Again, it’s what’s to be expected of the iPod and it is impressive considering what small weight the system has but, at £4 / $7, it’s probably recommended for the more advanced players of the system. It’s definitely a promising start though for future installments, just don't expect an easy ride with this app!
Codemasters have managed to sneak a mobile version of their 2009 Wii game into the crowded Apple iPhone marketplace, just in time for Christmas. There was almost no hype, nor expectation surrounding this release, so retailing at £3.99 in the UK, how does it stack up to it's bigger Wii cousin?
I won't even try to pretend that I'm any kind of game reviewer, nor that my abilities on the virtual track are anything to write home about. Lukeh has already promised us a comprehensive review to follow up his popular Wii coverage, so this thread is all about discovering the game as it unfolds before our eyes. A number of people are already downloading the game and this seems like a good place to track our initial findings.
Updated: The game features 10 teams, 20 drivers and 17 circuits from the 2009 Formula 1 championship. These are exactly the same as those found in the Wii version of the game, so you'll find Bourdais, but not Badoer. The biggest drawback is the lack of competitive action, with only Time Trial or Endurance runs available. The first is self explanatory, the latter rewards consistency.
Updated: The gameplay itself is really tough. The steering is hyper sensitive and reaching for the KERS button is a stretch unless you're on a long straight. The action is smooth though, and you can't fault the attention to graphical detail. We paid £30+ for the Wii version of this game, and although that does offer a multiplayer capability, this iPhone version seems much better value for money. Time will tell which edition stands the test of time, and if either stack up to the promise of the PS3 or 360 versions.
Updated: If you need further convincing, Lukeh's full review can be found here.
Whilst Mr C continues to stick by the somewhat flaky Official F1 App, Bassano Clapper has undertaken some investigative reporting into the other motorsport related iPhone/iPod apps. Non-Apple fans look away now, please.
Whilst Bernie doesn't seem to be embracing 21st Century technology for F1, some of us are trying to. The iPhone is a perfect conduit for F1 related info and we were given an Official F1 App this summer. This doesn't come cheap in a store of free and inexpensive timekillers but there are alternatives out there. If you're willing to experiment a little, there are a few gems - as well as a few that are not so polished. I've tried a few of the free F1 apps and these are my thoughts.
F1 2009 - Go Go Go! Lite was the first to reach my device and I was initially impressed. At my fingertips were news articles, championship standings, an F1 calendar as well as team and driver profiles. Once these were browsed I soon figured out what I most wanted from a free F1 app: convenient, up-to-date, F1 related news. This is where Go Go Go! let itself down. All the stories came from one source (gpupdate.net) and sometimes there would be many days without a single update. There's the option to upgrade to the enhanced, paid edition of this app but on this demonstration, I felt no compulsion to try the full version out, even for small price of £1.19.
Formula 1 Live Racing was next on my list. Quite similar in style to the previous app, this ad-supported offering included basic circuit profiles but had the additional bonus of a gallery of some nice, full-screen photos. I had hoped these would be updated as the calendar rolled on, but sadly this was not the case. It promised in-race updates which I never tried because it wasn't on my handset long enough. Nothing terrible here, just not particularly noteworthy.
Verdict: A firm average Formula 1 Live Racing:Download
Eurosport is an eponymous app from the sports channel that has a decent background in Motorsport. Whilst it is not as comprehensive as some of it's rivals, it is executed well. It has regular, bitesized news updates, practice, qualifying & race results as well championship standings. The live lap-by-lap updates are a handy substitute if you can't see the action first hand. However, the biggest selling point of this freebie is probably the fact that F1 is only a small portion of its abilities. It covers MotoGP, World Rally and Touring Cars as well as a handful of other non-petrolhead sports. (They really exist?) The home screen can be customised with any 4 shortcuts to your chosen sporting field as well as an "All Sports" news reel. Verdict: A big thumbs up for this one which has stayed on my handset since it landed
F1 Insider is the final, as well as, my most-clicked F1 app. Simplicity works here, large full screen displays that scroll rather than squeeze in too much info. Countdowns to all the practice and qualifying sessions for the year, as well as the races themselves. It's best redeeming feature is the news feed. This is user defined by allowing you to select (and more importantly, de-select) where you receive your news from. Nine popular F1 News sites are listed; including AUTOSPORT, GrandPrix.com and the BBC F1 pages. Being able to ignore the sites that shall not be mentioned is a nice touch. This feature is essentially a pretty RSS reader that gives you the pages of some of your favourite sites in an iPhone configured page. However, this is the app that I like the most and chose to fork out some hard earned cash (well, just over a pound) for the feature added, paid edition. For £1.19 you also get live qualifying and race updates and a nice feature that let's you tag your favourite driver and team which highlights them in the points haul (for better or worse!). This app does pretty much everything that the others do, but is presented well, has regular, plentiful news updates and for me - it passes the finish line in first place.
Verdict: Passes the finish line in first place F1 Insider:Download
That covers some of the best and worst that the AppStore has to offer, but don't forget to give us your F1 App recommendations, we're always keen to try out more.
It was all going much too well, and then Max came along and ruined it. It was bound to happen on Thursday, because that is never a good day, and now we are left with the repurcussions once more. Bah. Instead, I will talk about other things going on in F1:
There's a lot of talk about iPhone apps at the moment, with the official F1 in high demand, and a new Red Bull one as well. James has a quick rundown of what to expect, and we'll be doing a review of the F1 app shortly. Stay tuned for that.
McLaren have said that it was simply a matter of circumstance that saw the KERS initiative fail. Whitmarsh said the concept was good, but the timing was just a little off. It seems as though the system is officially dead to F1.
We saw a prime example of reporting going wrong yesterday when it was rumoured that the Nurburgring would be naming a grandstand after Vettel. As it turns out, it's a Red Bull package, with fans paying a price to get a special Red Bull themed weekend, hence the name of the grandstand, plus a "free" hat and things like that.
That's all for now. I think we have moved beyond the capabilities of the happy place, and therefore, I will see you in the comments. Maybe.
If you've not managed to catch an episode of the Parade Lap this year, you're missing out. It's a show unlike any other we do. Alex takes the reigns, it feels more like a radio show than a podcast, and it goes out live on a Sunday, one hour before the BBC's race coverage starts.
Last week's show was extra special, as we managed a live link-up with Scott who was hiding out behind the grandstands on Silverstone's main straight.
We could detail the complexities involved in setting up such a scenario, but I think Alex summed it up best in this comment, where he points out:
My favourite part of the show was that:
We were on a live link to Silverstone talking to Scott.
And I was sitting on a second live link.
And I read a question from the comments from Lukeh about Heidfeld’s beard.
And Scott knowing the community so well had already asked Heidfeld about the beard and could answer.
Something about the interconnectedness of it all was pretty mind-blowing.
Here's a snippet of the audio in question:
Two Skype links, one iPhone, a live streaming server and a question about a beard!
We've suffered from so many technical gremlins during live broadcasts in the past, that it's remarkable an event like this could ever happen in the first place. I'm sure the BBC aren't exactly shaking in their boots at our achievements, but we're pretty chuffed it all came to together when we needed it to.
A huge thank you has to go out to everybody who took part on Sunday. It cannot be done without you.
You know it is a slow news day when the daily post reverts to telling you what kind of public holidays are being celebrated on the date in question. Today, 10th June is Portugal Day in... well, Portugal, obviously. I don't know what kind of celebrations take place on a day such as this, but I like it. Anyway, here's some F1 stuff:
FOTA's response to Max's suggestion they fall under the budget scheme and work on the regulations like one big happy family was apparently "not entirely negative." Does that mean they said "no but nice idea"? Or perhaps the FIA are just playing it down for now. Roll on Friday is all I say.
Nick Heidfeld is doing a Jenson (and to a lesser extent a Franck) and offering up a helmet design competition. We had one very happy commenter last week, when Lou picked up third place and a signed Brawn cap, so who wants to win Nick's prize? Tickets to the Nurburgring and a paddock entry.
Mr C got quite excited about the mention of an F1 app in Will Buxton's blog, and wrote an entire post about it. Is it so, can it possibly be, that Bernie is starting to realise there is more to this internet thing than meets the eye?
That should do for now. I am going to quickly abuse my power here to wish my mother a happy birthday (and to provide a reminder to myself to do so in person later in the day), and as per usual, I'll see you in the comments.
If you've been hanging out in the comments over the past 24 hours, you might have concluded that Sidepodcast quite likes the iPhone. A dearth of interesting Formula 1 news has meant we've been getting most of our kicks from technology updates planned by the people in Cupertino.
However, aside from announcements tenuously relating to plans we have for the future of Sidepodcast, there wasn't much to tie the new iPhone back to Formula 1. That was until I read Will Buxton's blog post this evening.
The man discusses the brand new, and more notably the official, F1 Timing Application available for purchase from the App Store. It's a good one, too.
Actually, the first time we heard mention of this thing was during 5Live's race broadcast on Sunday, when David Croft said both he and Anthony Davidson were using it to receive updates in the commentary box. Somehow we promptly forgot to look for it afterwards, but if it's good enough to be used when you're broadcasting live to the nation (and to the six fans who bothered to turn up in Turkey), it's good enough for me.
But what do you get for your money?
I'm Broke but I'm Happy
The software works during all live F1 sessions from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon. You're initially presented with an interactive circuit map that details all driver positions at any stage and you can select an individual driver to focus on. Weather data is continually updated, whilst a timely race order is also present.
Flip the device into landscape mode and you'll get a full screen live map, or hit the info tab for a more typical live timing display similar to that already provided via f1.com.
If a session has already finished, you can watch it back in real-time as often as you like, although data must be downloaded before playback. It probably goes without saying, but although this application runs just fine on the iPod Touch too, you'll still need an internet connection to receive any live updates.
A second screen provides circuit maps for every race on the calendar, current championship standings and driver bio's. A third offers a rather simple text description of any ongoing action (live commenting, it isn't!).
With One Hand in Your Pocket
In the UK the software sells in the App Store for £4.99, although it's not entirely clear if there are further charges to pay on a race-by-race basis.
It will work on current iPhone and iPod Touch models (and presumably also on the 3.0 update due next week). The code has been pulled together by a company called Soft Pauer and although this appears to be their first App Store submission they've done a fine, fine job of developing it.
Of note, the terms and conditions do state that software may collect anonymous data useage statistics, although apparently solely for quality control purposes.
That's pretty much all we know at the moment. We intend to road test the thing properly during the British Grand Prix weekend and will likely report back with details after that. It looks to all the world like it'll be a winner and Formula 1 has just taken a huge step forward in terms of giving fans more access to what's going on during a race.
Nick did point out earlier that this information should really be available on your desktop too, so we're keen to hear more thoughts and opinions on whether you think this is a good thing for F1 fans or not? Would you buy the F1 Timing App, or have you already?
