Watch out 94Fifty. Your smart basketball is getting some competition. Today, Wilson is getting into the mix with a new leather roundball that is laden with sensors to track your game. The sporting goods company is no stranger to sporting gear of all kinds but the Wilson X Connected Basketball steps them squarely into the Internet of Things world.
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We have already seen an iOS connected system from ShotTracker which uses a small sensor that attaches to your basketball hoop to track data. 94Fifty’s product also uses additional add-ons to get the job done. Wilson’s new X Connected Basketball stands out for its lack of babysitting: no sold-seperately sensors and a long lasting battery are welcome features of this orange.
Wilson states that you’ll be able to get around 100,000 shots up with the ball before battery runs dead. While there isn’t an official replacement program or battery recharge system, Wilson predicts that it will take years for someone to get up that many shots.
The basketball itself is designed after the popular Evolution model that is used in high school gyms across the country. Inside is a Bluetooth sensor, low-power processor and an accelerometer that record data. These sensors, in partnership with free iOS app (Android coming at a later date), help to track makes and misses based on the movement of the ball.
There are some downfalls to the sensorless net system – close range shots are not going to track, as well as those that don’t hit the ground. It requires that bounce to notify the system that an action has occurred. The Wilson X is solely focused on shooting drills – you won’t find any ball handling or other activities on the software.
Wilson’s new X Connected Basketball is available for purchase today for $200 in men’s and women’s varieties.
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