ESPN plugs into iPad, iPod Touch
World's largest sports broadcaster using Apple's popular portable devices to drive play breakdowns, more.
LOS ANGELES--In 2008, Electronic Arts and ESPN announced the Virtual Playbook, a digital meshing of virtual and actual that uses the Xbox 360 and a copy of an EA Sports sim. The tech is used by analysts to demonstrate various offensive and defensive plays. And today, the company's next step in technological advancement emerged. 
According to an Engadget report, Bristol, Connecticut-based ESPN is using Apple's recently released iPad as well as the iPod Touch to manipulate live onscreen content through simple virtual network computing methods.
During a recent tour of the sports broadcaster's facilities, Engadget witnessed a tech demo involving Apple's recent tablet computer, whereby ESPN play analysts broke down plays, squiggly marks and all, using the device. ESPN calls this tool a "telestrator," and the multitouch application allows analysts to draw any number of scribbles on the gadget and have them displayed on live television. Additionally, when space is limited, the iPod Touch can be used in a similar vein as its larger portable cousin.
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