The ShowGirl

  (2:23 PM)

Welcome to The Show! Manish will be here shortly. Send in those MOBILE ESPN questions now.

Manish Jha

  (2:31 PM)

Hello ESPN fans.

Kevin ()Albany, NY()

So, what exactly does this do?

Ben (Oakland)

What is ESPN Mobile?

Manish Jha

  (2:32 PM)

Mobile ESPN is a wireless sports service where you get the handset and the mobile service directly from ESPN and it's designed from the ground up to serve sports fans.

Rob (New Brunswick, NJ)

What is the service going to be like? Are you using new towers or someone elses?

Manish Jha

  (2:33 PM)

The service rides on the Sprint network, and the inaugural handset is custom designed by Sanyo for ESPN.

Roy being Roy (Toledo, Ohio)

How much? That's the big question

Manish Jha

  (2:34 PM)

Service plans, including voice and content start at $65 and the inaugural handset with lots of bells and whistles is $399.

Help

How do I convince my wife to get this for me for Christmas? She already says I watch too much sports.

Manish Jha

  (2:34 PM)

We have some holiday promotions coming in the next couple of days. For more info, go to MobileESPN.com

Manish Jha

  (2:35 PM)

You wife is going to love this because with Mobile ESPN, you'll be able to go shopping with your wife and do all the things that she wants you to do while you're usually sitting on the couch, but now, you'll be able to take your ESPN connection with you, anytime, anywhere!

Roy being Roy (Toledo, Ohio)

So if I have Verizon... will I be unable to get this?

Manish Jha

  (2:36 PM)

You will have to sign up for service with ESPN and get the Sanyo MVP phone.

Ian (Ann Arbor)

Hey Manish. Any special ring tones on this baby? Take Me Out To The Ballgame ... fight songs, etc. I expect they're all in there?

Manish Jha

  (2:37 PM)

All of the above, Ian!

Marty

Does it come in other colors other than black?

Manish Jha

  (2:37 PM)

Not at this time.

Matt (Grand Rapids)

Are you going to offer just the mobile ESPN service to other phone providers ... like Nextel?

Manish Jha

  (2:39 PM)

Because we want to deliver the best possible experience, we have to manage all of the technology directly ourselves, that's why you have to come to Mobile ESPN to get the service. You can't get this experience from any other phone provider.

Christine (Fresno,CA)

Is it available in all areas?

Manish Jha

  (2:40 PM)

It's available nationally through MobileESPN.com and in four cities through Best Buy stores -- Austin, San Antonio, Minneapolis and Reno. Coming Feb 5, 2006, it will be available at Best Buy stores nationwide.

Widmer (Portland, OR)

How is than any different than the phone I've already got that can surf the web and is MUCH cheaper?

Manish Jha

  (2:42 PM)

If you compare a data pricing from the major carriers along with the voice bundles of the other carriers, our price is in the same ballpark. The experience -- both the ease of use and the bredth and depth of coverage content -- is significantly superior than what is in the marketplace.

Jason (Scarsdale NY)

does it have bluetooth?

Manish Jha

  (2:42 PM)

Not in this device.

Manish Jha

  (2:43 PM)

Later in 2006, we'll have devices that have Bluetooth.

D-Train

Will it ever be available in team colors?

Manish Jha

  (2:43 PM)

That's something that we are looking at, but no plans to offer at this time.

Manish Jha

  (2:44 PM)

But, of course, you can personalize the inside phone screen.

Pete (Dallas)

Hey Manish. I'm a big fantasy football guy, I'm wondering if you can tell me more about the phone capabilities from that aspect. Thanks.

Manish Jha

  (2:45 PM)

We have integrated the ESPN.com fantasy and personalization engine into Mobile ESPN and we will be rolling out increasing capability for you to get to know information about your fantasy team and control your trades, etc. in the coming months.

3FF (Arlington, VA)

why buy it? I have a tv and watch espn, i have a computer and log onto espn.com ...what does this thing offer?

Manish Jha

  (2:47 PM)

We have all found ourselves in situations where there is a big game on and we can't get to a TV or computer. For instance, at my son's friends b'day party on a Saturday afternoon when all of the college football games are going on, or when you are sitting in a meeting, or you are at your cousin's wedding and all the other sorts of things that you have to do get in the way with your ability to stay in touch. That's why you need Mobile ESPN.

Michael (Portland, ME)

I fee the need...the need for FLB on my phone!

Ryan (Buckhead)

Damn thats nice from a fantasy aspect

Paul Wellington

How much ESPN.com content is available on the phone?

Manish Jha

  (2:48 PM)

A lot of it -- scores, stats, columnists, player info, fantasy (as I mentioned earlier). It's the closest thing to having ESPN.com on your phone ... plus a whole lot more.

Paulie

Does it come preloaded with numbers for Jennie Finch and Anna Kournikova?

Manish Jha

  (2:49 PM)

(laughs) No .... but you can download the Anna K. ESPN The Magazine cover!

Joe D.

Is this like the iPod in that there will be more "generations" and new versions? Should I wait a year for a new model?

Manish Jha

  (2:50 PM)

Why wait when you can be the first one on your block or in your fantasy league to be up to the minute?

JP (Austin)

Manish, I have a suggestion! Maybe you could work out with the leagues a way to download highlights .. just like music fans download songs .. how cool would that be?

Manish Jha

  (2:52 PM)

There are a bunch of highlights available from a variety of leagues and conferences already. You can set up preferences so that your favorite highlights rise to the top of the menu automatically.

tom* (parkville, md)

Can you monitor or participate in chats like this one from Mobile ESPN?

Manish Jha

  (2:53 PM)

Not yet. But, you can vote in SportsNation polls.

J.J. (Johnstown)

What about the latest edition of Sportscenter, NFL live, Baseball tonight etc.

Manish Jha

  (2:53 PM)

Clips from many ESPN shows are available on Mobile ESPN.

Parker Lewis (Santa Clara, CA)

The biggest complaint to me with the mobile web is speed. How fast is uploading time, to move from page to page. After all, up to the minute updates won't help if it takes minutes to download!

Manish Jha

  (2:55 PM)

The Sanyo MVP handset takes advantage of the latest technology that the "EVDO Network" from Sprint has to offer. Video downloads and navigating the content is lightning fast.

Jason (Music City)

Will there be extra fees on top of monthly service rates to check scores? Since this is the primary goal of the application, I thought it might be included.

Manish Jha

  (2:57 PM)

Virtually all of the content features and bundles of voice units are included in the pricing.

Ben (Oakland)

Is it like a mobile bottom line?

Manish Jha

  (2:58 PM)

Mobile bottomline is one of the components of the service, but it's really like having ESPN in your pocket.

jose (miami)

will we have up to date scores

Manish Jha

  (2:59 PM)

Absolutely.

Manish Jha

  (2:59 PM)

Up to date scores, stats, fantasy injury information, etc. are a crucial element of Mobile ESPN.

Mike (Tallahassee)

Manish, I assume you have been using the phone for awhile, what features do you use the most?

Manish Jha

  (3:03 PM)

Hey Mike, I use my Mobile ESPN more than I ever used a phone for sports because one click gets me into my personalized news, information and stats. Two of my favorite features are the REAL TIME scores and video highlights of games in progress.

Jason (Scarsdale NY)

what if we're an insider. do we get access via mobile?

Manish Jha

  (3:05 PM)

Most of the ESPN.com Insider content is available with the basic Mobile ESPN package.

Manish Jha

  (3:05 PM)

Alright everybody, thanks for the questions and suggestions today. To see all of the features we have to offer, check out http://www.mobileespn.com

Manish Jha

  (3:05 PM)

Thanks!