REDMOND, Wash., and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2000 — As the 2000-2001 basketball season prepares for tipoff, Microsoft Corp. and Infinite Mobility Inc. today announced that the champion Los Angeles Lakers will standardize on a comprehensive digital scouting solution using Infinite Mobility’s Pocket Hoops on Microsoft® Windows® powered Pocket PC personal digital assistants (PDAs). Pocket Hoops, which takes advantage of the color, touch screen, voice recording and HTML-based Pocket Internet Explorer browser software capabilities of Pocket PCs, offers the Los Angeles Lakers’ scouts an efficient way to track all necessary information for an unlimited number of players, including digitized shot-charts, drop-down ratings, voice recordings, notes and more.
“With Pocket Hoops on Pocket PC, the Los Angeles Lakers organization anticipates that we will be much more efficient in our scouting efforts because we can spend more time watching a game and less time inputting data,”
said Mitch Kupchak, general manager of the Lakers.
“We believe the Pocket Hoops advantage heightens our efficiency in continuing to successfully fill the Lakers roster with the best players available in the world.”
Prior to using Pocket Hoops on Pocket PCs, the Los Angeles Lakers scouts used more conventional scouting methods such as handwritten notes and drawings on court diagrams. Many organizations use this type of system today, which makes the entry of relevant information into the teams’ larger computing systems a time-consuming task. In addition, the ability to easily sort, query, access, share and fully utilize this valuable information does not exist without the Pocket Hoops and Pocket PC advantage.
Pocket Hoops on Pocket PC is a comprehensive mobile solution that addresses these issues through the combination of handheld computing with client/server Web applications that allow recording, tracking, sorting and viewing of player information. Once collected, the data can be synchronized to the Infinite Mobility server via phone line, wireless modem or through the Pocket PC cradle attached to the individual’s personal computer. After synchronization, the information is stored and available companywide to any authorized employee, who can then view, sort, print and query the information.
Windows-powered Pocket PCs offer customers the best way to connect to their most essential information while away from their desk. Versatile enough to satisfy both the personal and business needs of today’s busy mobile professionals, Pocket PCs include a broad range of native business, personal productivity and entertainment applications, yet can easily be expanded to adapt to each customer’s changing needs through a continually growing number of industry-standard hardware and software expansion options. Pocket PCs are shipping today from vendors including Casio Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Symbol Technologies. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/default.asp .
About Infinite Mobility
Infinite Mobility was established in 1997 to assist corporate America in managing information flow to the mobile work force. By focusing on all the elements involved in a
“mobile solution,”
including hardware, software, connectivity, and support and training, Infinite Mobility is dedicated to providing focused solutions that increase user efficiency and effectiveness. Infinite Mobility is riding a wave that is continually 8-12 months ahead of the consumer market; it is from this position that Infinite Mobility can provide the best in solutions for all mobile professionals.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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