FanVision Entertainment’s goal is to provide great in-stadium experiences for fans. Its technology, much of which centers around racing, combines audio, video and data to bring fans a live sporting event unlike any that they’ve experienced before. In the past, FanVision has created products to enhance racing for fans, but its new product, the Legend, is their biggest update of all time.
The Legend combines the capabilities of a scanner with the functionality of a smartphone with a touch screen device. that provides data and information in real-time for car owners. It can be compatible for races in the Sprint Cup Series, IndyCar, NHRA and events at the local track.
Beginning Thursday, fans will be able to pre-order the Legend at Kickstarter.com in time for use at the Daytona 500. Car owners in the driveway also are able to use apps on the Legend to access data under the hood. Professionals can use it to gauge temperature and tire pressure at the track.
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Last year, FanVision acquired a business called Racing Electronics. R.E. has a history of building some of the most reliable equipment used in racing today. The two companies have combined forces in building the Legend, which will do a few things never before seen with racing technology. “We wanted to build something that was open from a technology standpoint,” FanVision CEO Andrew Daines said. “Scanners for the last 20 years or so have been very closed whereas the Legend is an Android device.”
Another large area of upgrade that the Legend presents is its accessibility from racetracks everywhere. The old scanners only worked at certain races, but the Legend will work at thousands of races at hundreds of tracks across the country.
With the Legend being built on the Android platform, it allows racing fans to browse the web, download apps and take pictures on its high-resolution smartphone camera. While the Legend can do almost everything that your average smartphone can do, the creators at FanVision want it to be seen as a useful tool for anyone with an interest in cars. It can be used by fans at the track, gearheads who tinker on their car or racekeeps who are trying to share data, get information off their cars and communicate with each other. “It’s sort of the hub of everything automotive in your life,” Daines said. “That’s how we think of it.”
The Legend is also useful to those who aren’t well versed in racing. Daines explained that going to a race as a new fan can be confusing. The action is far away and nobody is there to explain what’s going on. Even if you do have a friend next to you, it can be so loud at a track that you won’t be able to hear them. “It’s (the Legend) sort of like a museum guide, it’s giving you context,” Daines said. “It’s taking an experience that can be kind of confusing and feel very far away and it’s bringing a lot of context and color to what’s happening.”
It brings context by allowing the user to listen to the radio call of the race. This will provide color commentary and tell you what you’re looking at. It also will provide the leaderboard because a lot of times at a race, the viewer won’t even know who’s winning. On top of this, you can also tune into FOX or NBC for the race broadcast.
It’s also built for seasoned race fans. “For the old timers who know the sport, it’s about customizing the interface,” said Daines. “They will follow very specific stats that they care about.”
The Legend isn’t just for race fans however, it’s also to be used by pit crews and gearheads who go out and have a track day. The biggest benefit for pit crews is the mobility of the handheld device. Crews are used to large tablets and have naturally complained about their size. Built with a five-inch screen, the Legend can do everything that the older tablets could do plus more, but without the size.
As far as those casual drivers who want to go out and have a track day, the Legend has a feature that allows you to mount it on the dashboard and it will provide live video of the road in front of you. You also get a video of yourself which will allow you to perfect your driving. The device can also retrieve data through Bluetooth connection off your everyday street car such as sensors that might go off. “This is the Swiss Army knife for car guys because it will talk to all the sensors at once as opposed to needing one tool for each sensor that you have,” Daines said.
As FanVision goes live with its Kickstarter, according to Daines, it isn’t your usual Kickstarter. The company wants consumers to be able to experience the device. “For those who don’t have the money to buy the device out front, we’re going to give it to them for the weekend so they can try it,” Daines said.
FanVision is also offering tiers for its Kickstarter where you not only get to use the device for a weekend, but you also get a ticket to a participating NASCAR race. Daines added, “That package we hope is compelling and bringing more people to the sport. It’s about us and the product, but it’s also about growing the sport.”