Filed under: Gear
Well look what we have here - a previously unannounced netbook from portable computer maker Ubisurfer. No specifications are listed, so at first, a $250 netbook doesn't appear to be all that special. But this one comes with a year of free 3G access (as long as you stay under 30 hours/month.) The machine is apparently so new, that the manufacturer and Tiger Direct (who listed it in their most recent catalog) have not had the time to put it on their site.
Best of all, there is no contract, no credit check and no activation fees. I'm guessing you are looking at something that runs a dedicated operating system and limited app support. The machine runs on a CDMA network, so it's either on Sprint, Verizon or Cricket.
The UK version of this machine runs off Windows CE or Linux, and has a measly 8" 800x480 screen, the U.S. one is listed as having a 10" screen. Still, assuming it runs something other than Windows CE, $250 for a laptop and 30 hours/month of access is not that hard to justify.$250 Ubisurfer netbook comes with one year of free 3G access originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Friday, October 1, 2010
Snowbird Delivers for Subaru Freeski Championships
..... Salt Lake City, Utah (Ski Press)-The 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour came to a close today, on Snowbird?s North Baldy venue at the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships. The crowd surpassed Saturday?s semi-final by two fold; there were rows upon rows of dug out snow benches, the smell of burgers on travel grills and the random toots from horns and megaphones, all in support of the remaining athletes that have made it through the Tour gauntlet. The Super-Finals, were a collection of the top five women and 12 men from the Finals, and it was definitely a stomp to win situation on North Baldy, considering the level of skiers in the mix. For the men, an East coaster won, Lars Chickering-Ayers, of Mad River Glen, Vermont, skied a fast, aggressive line, getting huge air off of Flying Squirrel Cliff and then straight-lining it to a double-drop in the Amphitheater, earning him a combined score of 125.57. Following Chickering-Ayers in second was Drew Stoecklein, of Snowbird, Utah, with 121.37, in third was Oakley White-Allen, of Snowbird, Utah, with 119.5, in fourth, Nick ''little buddy'' Greener, of Snowbird, Utah, with 117.5, which also earned him the coveted Backcountry.com Sickbird Award. For the overall Tour standings, Arne Backstrom, of Squaw Valley, California, who took ninth today, hung onto to his season-long Tour Leader title, winning the coveted McConkey Cup. Of those that stomped hardest and landed, for the women, Angel Collinson, of Snowbird, Utah, was the definite leader, earning a combined score of 104.23. Collinson?s aggressive skiing and strategic double cliff drop in Amphitheater, not only earned her the top spot for today, but also was enough to push into the lead for overall Tour points, who also took third in Revelstoke, Canada and fourth in Crested Butte. Colorado. ?I went for it, because this isn?t about winning, it?s about skiing,? said Collinson of what she was thinking before dropping in. For her stellar skiing, Collinson was awarded the McConkey Cup, in honor of the man who not only pioneered big mountain skiing, but also started the International Freeskier Association. As we approach the one-year anniversary this week of the sports founding father's untimely death, it is only fitting that the overall championship award be dedicated to none other than Saucer Boy. "He is the overall, leader and inspiration of freeskiing," said Event Director Bryan Barlow, "It was Shane's vision to create a freeskiing competition, to bring the world's best skier to one place and demonstrate the progression."His legacy will continue to live on through the spirit of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and through the athletes that earn his Cup. We know he?d be proud of the progression all the athletes displayed today.? For a complete results, photos, videos, athlete profiles and more, please visit�www.freeskiingworldtour.com
The Soul of the Sport
?The Olympics are where sports go to die,? says Mike Haney, president of Windells Academy. We?re at The Meeting 6, a convergence of ski and snowboard athletes, brands, filmmakers, and journalists. It?s Saturday, and we?re talking about Ski Halfpipe as it?s being considered for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. So far, the proposal has made it past the International Ski Federation [FIS], and is headed to the International Olympic Committee [IOC], who has the final say on whether Ski Halfpipe will be added as a sport.Looking around the room, a number of ski industry heavy-hitters were listening and chiming in: Matt Swanson, sports marketing manager for Oakley; Tim Windell, former pro snowboarder and founder of Windells Academy; Steele Spence, former X Games competitor and current AFP judge; Jen Hudak, five-time X Games medalist in halfpipe skiing. So, when Haney made a controversial statement about the biggest athletic stage in the world, people had a lot to say.?The writing is on the wall?look back to the Salt Lake Games, where Jonny Moseley did the Dinner Roll and ended up getting fourth place for going inverted,? said Tim Windell. The way that mogul skiing is rated often limits progression on the jumping side? in order to complete bigger tricks, you need less speed, not more. Jen Hudak, a former moguls skier, says that since the fastest time wins, athletes often throw quick, simple tricks like backflips and heli's. Moseley's game changing Dinner Roll landed him fourth place because he finished four long seconds behind the bronze medal.Windell also referenced the Vancouver games, where Jeret ?Speedy? Peterson completed his signature ?Hurricane? (five flips, three spins)?the hardest move ever attempted, let alone landed, in either a World Cup or Olympic competition. His prize? Silver medal; second place; runner-up. Why? Windell agues that the judges underestimated the difficulty of the trick, even though it was one of the most progressive aerials maneuvers witnessed to date. Maybe they weren?t trained in how to judge tricks of this nature. Maybe they frowned upon the risk involved with such a move. Whatever the reason, Windell believes that the heart and soul of both moguls and aerials have been limited by the rules and regulations set forth by the Olympics, and he?s worried the same could happen to halfpipe skiing.Jen Hudak disagrees. ?The spirit of the sport will die when we let it die,? she says. As for the judging format, she?s on board. ?I think that FIS has a very effective judging format, which allows for progression. In halfpipe, the current format typically has two judges for overall impression, one judge for amplitude, one for degree of difficulty and one for execution. Each of the 5 judges controls 20% of the score. The system is clear and simple.? For now, skiing?s main stage is the X Games, where events like slopestyle and big air, along with halfpipe, see some of the biggest names in the sport?Simon Dumont, Bobby Brown, TJ Schiller, Grete Eliassen, and Sarah Burke. Hudak, who won halfpipe in X Games and Euro X last year, says that the Olympics are her ultimate goal; that she?ll work harder than she has before to make it there. Others say that X Games is too young, that it has the potential to become what the Olympics are for many athletes?the pinnacle of their career.So, are the Olympics truly where sports go to die? Do the rules set forth by FIS hold back the spirit of the sports? Or do they protect the athletes and ensure that a mainstream audience can appreciate the athletic accomplishments? One thing was clear: most people in the room, athletes and brands alike, were excited to see ski halfpipe make it to the Olympic stage. From there, it?s up to the athletes and sponsors of the Olympics to make sure the integrity of the sports is preserved. According to Jen Hudak, ?The sport is ready, the athletes are ready, and the world is ready. It will take things to the next level.?
Florida Jury Awards Church Group Skier Nearly $5 Million
Tampa, FL - A Tampa jury this week awarded a teen injured on a Florida church group ski trip to a North Carolina resort nearly $5 million in a lawsuit over injuries sustained in 2003.
The unnamed boy, who was 14 at the time of the incident, traveled to Beech Mountain ski area with members of the Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., in Dec. 2003. According to testimony in the lawsuit, the Plaintiff's mother was granted assurances that he would receive instruction on the slopes.
The jury found that the church group, however, did not require instruction prior to boarding the lift. The Plaintiff, who had no prior skiing experience, found himself on an advanced slope and crashed into another unidentified skier at an estimated 55 m.p.h.
As a result of the incident, the teen sustained vertebral fractures and lost nerve control in his left leg and left him with a drop foot. He now walks with a limp and the muscles of his left leg have atrophied.
The jury found the church 95 percent responsible for the incident, and the Plaintiff's mother five percent liable. The jury ordered the church to pay $4.75 million to the Plaintiff, who is now 20 years old and resides outside of Florida.
Information from the Tampa Tribune www.tbo.comPowered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
The unnamed boy, who was 14 at the time of the incident, traveled to Beech Mountain ski area with members of the Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., in Dec. 2003. According to testimony in the lawsuit, the Plaintiff's mother was granted assurances that he would receive instruction on the slopes.
The jury found that the church group, however, did not require instruction prior to boarding the lift. The Plaintiff, who had no prior skiing experience, found himself on an advanced slope and crashed into another unidentified skier at an estimated 55 m.p.h.
As a result of the incident, the teen sustained vertebral fractures and lost nerve control in his left leg and left him with a drop foot. He now walks with a limp and the muscles of his left leg have atrophied.
The jury found the church 95 percent responsible for the incident, and the Plaintiff's mother five percent liable. The jury ordered the church to pay $4.75 million to the Plaintiff, who is now 20 years old and resides outside of Florida.
Information from the Tampa Tribune www.tbo.comPowered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
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