Keeping up with March Madness: RSS and streaming video

There’s an old Christmas song called “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” While most people would agree that Christmas is indeed such a time, the most wonderful time of the year for college basketball fans is clearly March Madness—the three-week-long tournament in which 65 of the best men’s college basketball teams compete with one another for the National Championship.

For most sports junkies, the preferred method of getting up-to-date information about the tournament is through cable sports networks, such as ESPN. But in recent years, the Internet has become a favored source for the latest information about the tournament. In fact, the CBS network airs many of the games live on its web site. But what if you can’t get to a television or a computer? Don’t worry, because your Windows Mobile phone can keep you up to date without a problem.

The simplest way to get any tournament news is from a web site such as FoxSports or ESPN. Most major web sites have pages designed specifically for mobile phones. Some mobile phone providers, such as Verizon, provide links from their pre-installed homepage.

However, the biggest problem with using web sites to get the latest score for your favorite team is that you generally have to scroll through several pages of unrelated sports scores (though sometimes it’s nice to catch up on the latest NBA scores or NFL trades). You also have to wait for the various graphics and ads to download, and that can be rather tedious—especially if your mobile network’s speed isn’t exactly behaving itself . That’s where RSS (Really Simple Syndication) readers enter the picture.

One of the most useful programs for sports fans—and other Windows Mobile users—is an RSS reader. RSS is an Internet protocol that allows up-to-date information to be streamed into a device with an Internet connection. Most web browsers support RSS feeds, and Windows Vista includes a program, or gadget, to display RSS feeds on the desktop. There are several Windows Mobile programs that support RSS, and one of the most popular of them is Viigo.

Viigo allows users not only to get the latest news, but also to receive travel information, weather, podcasts, and stocks. And, best of all, it’s free!

To get Viigo:

To use Viigo, you don’t need to create an account; you can receive RSS feeds with a guest account. However, if you create an account, you can receive help from the Viigo web site at Viigo.com. In my experience, being able to report problems and receive assistance from the people who wrote the program is incredibly helpful.

But that’s not really important right now, is it? You need to know whether or not Kansas made it to the next round.

So, if you want to skip account setup, click Menu, and then click Cancel. Otherwise, fill in the form with the necessary data.

Now let’s set up your sports feeds:

If installing the RSS reader seems like a bit more work than you were thinking of when it comes to checking up on scores, or if you wanted to find out scores without letting other people know, most of the major web sites will allow you to sign up for text messages or e-mail updates for individual teams and games.

For some people, simply reading text about games isn’t enough. You need to watch the action as it happens. And that’s where streaming video comes in. If you’re lucky enough to have a computer with a broadband connection, most of the games will be streamed live over the Internet during the tournament. But with a smartphone, things get a bit more complicated.

Many of the sports web sites will have streaming videos available for Windows Mobile devices. However, these are usually limited to short clips. Rarely, if ever, do these sites provide real-time streaming video, mainly because most mobile phones do not have the high-speed connection needed to stream the media effectively. If you want to watch the games on your Windows Mobile phone, as they happen, you will have to spend some money.

One of the most popular options is the Slingbox. The Slingbox is a device that hooks up to your home cable or satellite connection, or to your DVR, and allows you to stream its signal over the Internet to either a computer or your smartphone. However, this requires a broadband-level connection on both ends; if you’re planning on streaming the signal to your Windows Mobile phone, you need either a 3G connection or you need to be hooked up to a wireless broadband network. The Slingbox costs just under $200, and the Windows Mobile software needed to run it costs about $30.

If the cost of the Slingbox is too much for you, and there’s a good chance that it is, there are also online media networks designed specifically for smartphones and, in particular, for Windows Mobile phones. One example of these is HandiTV, which costs around $25. Like the Slingbox, your Windows Mobile phone will require a high-speed 3G or wireless connection to get content. Unlike the Slingbox, your channel selection is limited to only a handful of channels. And, to get additional sports content, you have to pay an extra $10 for the Entertainment Pack.

It is quite amazing to think that, just a few years ago, the only ways to quench your thirst for all things March Madness were to watch it on TV or to listen to it on the radio, which meant that you either stayed home from work or you had to wait until the work day ended to find out the results. Now, with your Windows Mobile phone, you can get up-to-the-minute news and updates—or even watch the games—without ever having to leave your office.

Of course, you don’t need to be a March Madness junkie to take advantage of the programs and devices discussed here. Viigo, and other RSS readers like it, can keep you up to date with the latest news, stock prices, and weather reports. And, if you have a long bus or train commute, or if you often travel on business, streaming video can provide hours of entertainment—and you don’t even need to carry a laptop.