sports

Can a computer company design a torch? Yes, according to the committee behind the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, which has selected a design by China-headquartered PC manufacturer Lenovo as the model for the games' iconic torch. According to a press conference on Thursday morning hosted by Lenovo, which is also a worldwide sponsor of the Olympics, the design was chosen from over 300 contenders.

According to Lenovo, the torch design took ten months and was the product of more than 30 engineers and design specialists. The end result, called "The Cloud of Promise," incorporates elements of both … Read more

It was bound to happen, wasn't it? Zander Urquhart, a personal trainer from Glasgow, has reportedly come up with an official exercise regimen based on playing the Wii.

It's not as silly as it may sound. Research has suggested that digital games can help people lose weight, and at least one blogger says he lost several pounds playing Wii Sports 30 minutes a day. According to Newlaunches, a study by Liverpool John Moores University reports that 12.2 hours of Wii playing each week can burn 1,830 calories.

We have no personal knowledge of how well it … Read more

Football-loving couch potatoes rejoice: here's a new way for you to get your NFL fix on during the tragically long off-season. SI.com, the online arm of Sports Illustrated, will be launching a new video portal, NFL Draft FilmRoom, so that you'll have access to video highlights of each of the college football players who have been selected to the NFL's 2007 draft. (If you're not a football fan, FYI, this is a huge deal.)

The picks for the '07 NFL Draft will be announced on April 28 and 29 in NYC.

The power behind this … Read more

Well, the NCAA tournament is winding to a close, which means that it must be just about time for baseball season. And because Steve Jobs is eager to take over your whole life, including your sports-watching experiences, you're going to be able to get your MLB fix at the iTunes Store this season. Apple will be selling 25-minute daily recaps of the season for $1.99 (or $7.99 for a month's worth) and two featured full-length games each week, also for $1.99 (or $19.99 for a "season pass"). A selection of "classic&… Read more

CircleUp, the RSVP-like service that launched at Demo 2007 a few months ago, has announced a partnership with e7 Sports, a management service for small sports teams. CircleUp will be added to the list of tools coaches can use to elicit responses from a bevy of parents and players about things such as uniform sizing and carpools. It's the mailing list re-done, this time with a centralized way to see other people's responses.

If you find yourself trudging through massive e-mail threads and having to hit reply-all, CircleUp would likely be more helpful. The service provides some simple … Read more

Among the parade of green cars at the 77th International Motor-Show in Geneva, specialty sports car manufacturer Morgan announced that it's building a fuel-cell sports car with zero emissions and a wooden chassis. Fans can expect to see the car make its debut at next year's show.

The LifeCar, as Pocket-lint noticed, will run on oxygen taken from the air and hydrogen. Water vapor will be the only byproduct of the car's fuel cell, which is being designed by QinetiQ.

The car is "a wholly British partnership," according to Morgan, with funding from the U.… Read more

Sonny "Molasses Hands" Frankfort. Lou "250 Rushing Yards Before Dinner" Melvin. Morton "Grass Stains" Phillips. Max "Banana Legs" Shaughnessy. These are the legends of backyard football, and now your name can join them in the pantheon of leisure sports.

The foam Virtual Distance Football, available from the Discovery Store, measures how far you can huck a Nerf-like football. The ball's "advanced sensor technology" calculates the in-air yardage of your pass, then displays it on an LCD screen right on the ball.

Unfortunately, the ball does not calculate "yards … Read more

3D cinema might be considered a corny 1970s gimmick these days, but the National Basketball Association is hoping you'll be willing to shake off that attitude in time for the NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas this Sunday. The league has partnered with digital-cinema group PACE for live 3D broadcasts of Saturday night's pre-show event as well as Sunday night's game. And, yes, you do have to wear special glasses to see it in full. Thankfully, they're a little less geeky than the red-and-blue lenses so frequently associated with 3D cinema (they're almost indistinguishable from … Read more

In case you don't know yet, Wii workouts are the hottest fitness strategy since...Dance Dance Revolution. And, naturally, there are a whole host of entrepreneurs trying to capitalize on the possibility that Wii "athletes" might be willing to shell out some extra cash for Wii-centric fitness equipment.

One blogger even dreamed up a prototype for Wii Weights, a Wii-branded version of those strap-on wrist weights that you occasionally see people using at the gym. The thinking behind 'em is that it'll make your Wii Tennis workout a little more strenuous, and maybe help you lose … Read more