Live Baseball Browser 2006

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ivanx.com/lbb/' target='_blank'>http://www.ivanx.com/lbb/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"With Live Baseball Browser 2006, you can listen to or watch live baseball games and highlight clips with your Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone, PDA, or SmartPhone (coming soon)."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20060723-LBB2006.gif" /><br /><br />Are you a big baseball fan? Do you have an MLB.com streaming subscription? If so, you'll want to check this handy little application out -- it makes it easy to browse to the audio or video for the game of your choice. This is actually a rewrite of a <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41772">product from last year</a>; amongst other improvements, this is a native Pocket PC application, has a much better UI, and even has links to the free MLB.com highlight clips that can be watched without a subscription. Now that I'm a regular EVDO user, I will have to give this a try -- I'll report back, hopefully with a QUICK LOOK, when I get a chance. If you want to check it out, there's a free trial, and it costs $19.99 for the 2006 season.

[Joseph Moon]

This is a great little app. It used to be free... Which was really cool since MLB should make enable their web site for PDA/IE browsers. If they would do that there would be no need for this program.

So, with that in mind - I am personally a bit upset with them releasing this new version IN THE MIDDLE of the baseball season and asking $19 a year for it... That is $19 on top of the $9 for the MLB subscription. It is kinda like saying their app is more important than the MLB subscription in itself.

They would probably sell more units if they would drop the price point down to say, $5 - which I would pay... But for $19, I can tell you that I will opt out from continuing to use this program... It is a matter of principal - and I personally am a huge baseball fan... In fact, I am a out of town fan who loves this app because it provides me with the home town feed over my smartphone.

Again, I am a guy who believes in principals... And there are too many principals being broken in this application/cost.

By the way - during the trial, you get about 6 free feeds. If the feed should disconnect during the game, you will be charged for another feed just to re-connect to the same game.

Joseph...

[Janak Parekh]

Joseph,

Useful feedback. I'll point the developer to your post.

--janak

p.s. It's "principle". ;)

[Ivan X]

Hi Joseph, I'm the developer of Live Baseball Browser 2006.

Thanks for your kind words. I am glad that you like Live Baseball Browser!

I did want to respond to a couple of things you said. The Pocket PC version of Live Baseball Browser 2006 has been available since May 1 at the same price. It was never free -- those who used it were expected to purchase a registration code, even though version 1.0 didn't require it for unrestricted use. I always made clear through emails and on the web site that a future release would require the registration code.

Version 1.1, which does require the code, was what I had hoped all along to release at the beginning of the year. However, the season had started, and I wasn't finished, so I delivered what I had so baseball fans wouldn't have to wait. I don't know when you began using LBB, but if you were using 1.0, I think of this as a late charge for the whole season, not a new charge for the remainder of it.

As for the cost of the application relative to the MLB subscription...of course, only you can decide if the price is justified. However, keep in mind that Live Baseball Browser also permits watching video, for which a subscription is currently $50, and was $90 not long ago. I realize you don't need that, but the ability is there. I hadn't thought of a lower-priced version for audio-only subscriptions; I'll consider it for next year.

Thanks for the comment about the disconnecting stream costing you a trial play. I hadn't considered it. I could make it so if you play the same stream again, it won't deduct. Good suggestion!

Best,
Ivan.

Live Baseball Browser 2006
live baseball in the palm of your hand
http://www.ivanx.com

[Joseph Moon]

Ivan -

I apologize for the inaccurate information I posted earlier. I purchased my Treo 700w about 2 months ago and loaded it with a bunch of applications to try out. As the trials eneded, I made the decision to either purchase or discard the application. My mistake in the assumption of the cost.

As for the video vs. audio. I see your point. I have not watched the video on it - nor do I have the video subscription from MLB. To me, the MLB video is a bit overpriced for low quality jittery video... But that is me, others may find that price to be very fair... I just look at the cost of the subscription for either MLB audio, MLB video, XM Radio, Cable/Satelitte TV and the MLB Extra Bases and decided that maybe I should just buy season tickets! After all, not many people can watch/listen to all 160 games.

In your case, you have a great little application. It does fill a nitch. And as a programmer myself, I would believe that others would find the program to have value and I would also try to make a buck off of it. I don't blame you for that at all... I just think the $19 - even for a full season - just to listen to the audio feeds of my one favorative team while I am walking the dog is a bit much. Release a audio only version at a reduced cost and I would probably be more inclined to go forward with it.

Again, that is me. I am one person in hundreds - so don't just base your decision on my feedback. Maybe others in this forum can share their feelings as well.

Joseph...

[Ivan X]

No worries, Joseph, and I certainly appreciate your comments about LBB!

Incidentally, some users say the MLB.com video actually looks better (that is, if you're connected via Wi-Fi) on the smaller screen than it does on a computer screen. You could always try out the clips (which do not require a subscription) to see if those work for you, though the EVDO connection might (or might not) make them choppy.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions about Live Baseball Browser 2006.

Best,
Ivan.

Live Baseball Browser 2006
live baseball in the palm of your hanad
http://www.ivanx.com

[humblethorn]

I have to agree, $20 for software to play my $9 subscription is just too much. I had the old program which ran well but I could not get the new version to work at all before my 4 tries had expired. I'm pretty remote (http://loriandpaul.hopedenver.com) and only have GPRS access when away from home so that probably played into my problems. The original version did run well while it was available (despite my poor connections) and I would recommend anyone who has a media subscription to mlb.com to give it a try - especially if you paid the $90 price tag at the beginning of the year.

I do hold out hope for the way things are going however, and expect that this will not be an issue years to come (perhaps even as soon as this NFL season - fingers crossed). The subscription content providers are aware of the growing number of mobile users and Windows Media and Pocket Explorer are growing more and more friendly to the streaming web. From that perspective, if this program is only good for one year, it could explain the $20 price tag.

[Ivan X]

Humblethorn,

If you would like more trial uses, please contact me directly at [email protected] and I will help you out.

Best,
Ivan.

Live Baseball Browser
live baseball in the palm of your hand
http://www.livebaseballbrowser.com

[Ivan X]

I thought I'd mention that the new version of LBB (1.1.6, free update) does not count resuming an interrupted game as one of your tries -- thanks for mentioning that issue. Also, the registration code, if purchased after 7/15/06, is now valid through 7/15/07, rather than the end of the year.

Best,
Ivan.

Live Baseball Browser 2006
live baseball in the palm of your hand
http://www.livebaseballbrowser.com

[Joseph Moon]

Ivan -

You do have a great program filling a void that currentlt exists due to PIE... But please be aware that time is running out for you to make a profit on your efforts. As the previous poster stated, MS is making some improvements to PIE as content providers are juicing up their sites to make them more enjoyable to PDA and such...

I found this morning that my XM Radio subscription does allow me to access their content online - which makes the MLB games accessible that way as well at no additional charge...

But the drawback is that the games move from channel to channel during the course of the week... It is a drag having to find my game with their poor menu/schedule listing.

This is where your program fits the bill... I am sure that if you threw a $5 Audio version at us - alot of us would not think twice about it... I am sure you would get 4 out of 5 possible subscribers... But if you push for $20... You might get 1 or even 2 people in 5... Do the math, you'll may come out ahead with the $5 version!

Anyway, I wish you success - I think you were very brave and innovative on this one - I hope it works out well for you and that you continue to create useful apps for the mobile world...

Joseph...

[PhilR8]

I found this morning that my XM Radio subscription does allow me to access their content online - which makes the MLB games accessible that way as well at no additional charge...

But the drawback is that the games move from channel to channel during the course of the week... It is a drag having to find my game with their poor menu/schedule listing.


Joseph...

I use minixm.com on my PPC-6700 and the baseball channels are not listed, and also are not available when you log onto xm.com from a normal pc. You gotta subscribe to mlb.com's Gameday Audio package to listen to MLB games on the radio from your pc or portable device.

LBB lets you do this - you can choose Gameday audio (if you subscribe) or MLB.tv video (once again, if you subscribe, and it's seperate from the Gameday Audio).

XM Mini is awesome - but it can't be used for baseball. On my 6700, LBB is the only way I can listen/watch baseball. I haven't bought it yet, but am seriously thinking about it. I just wish it worked a little better on my EV-DO connection.

[dgroomes]

I went to the home page for Live Baseball Browser and its gone... Is this temporary? I'd really like to buy it.

Dave in FL

[Janak Parekh]

I went to the home page for Live Baseball Browser and its gone... Is this temporary? I'd really like to buy it.
There's an email address on the previous page of this discussion -- maybe you want to shoot an email to him and see what's up?

--janak

[Joseph Moon]

Ivan -

Since we are entering the final month of the baseball season - would you be interested in offering a September special price deal?

Joseph...

[Joseph Moon]

MLB 2007 started yesterday... A whole new season... Does anyone know about a 2007 version of the Live Baseball Browser?

Joseph...

[Joseph Moon]

Well, I just discovered that LBB has been shutdown... It seems MLB wants to control who can listen to a ball game...

Ya know, it pisses me off to no end... MLB automatically renewed my subscription this year - and charges my credit card... Something I wish I had the control over...

Next, I can log on to any web browser in the world and listen to any ball game I want... But when it comes to my overpriced internet access via the wireless device I hang on my hip... NO WAY!!!! You can't listen to the ball game unless we can use pop ups to bother you while you sit in front of a computer...

What the FRICK is this Fagot world coming to... I remember seeing my grandfather enjoy listening to a ballgame on the radio... It was a long time ago... But if his radio could get the signal, he had game. Now - it Pay for this and get that, pay for that and get this... It is BS... I am so sick of being monitored, scructinized, evaluated and hustled to pay for this and that to get what was once free in this damn country... Freedom is now no longer free... Freedom is costing us - and the only way to pay for it is with the freedoms you currently have...

Damn it... this sucks...

I'm also sorry that the last few times I have posted on this site was with a rant... But I am tired of this crap...

Joseph...