Microsoft, NFL To Debut Surface Tablets On Sidelines At HOF Game

Microsoft and the NFL tonight at the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, will debut new specially designed Surface tablets that will be used on the sidelines, representing a significant advancement of the league's in-game use of digital technology. The tablets will be used for play review with digital photographs, with the photos having the ability to be tagged, expanded or shrunk, or affixed with written notes using a telestrator. The devices, numbering 25 per team, will be locked out of any other functions and will not be accessible to team personnel outside of gameday.

The digital color photos expand well beyond the binders of printed black-and-white play photographs traditionally used on the sidelines. The tablets themselves will have custom protective cases and tougher screens designed to withstand outdoor elements. The digital photo effort has been under development since Microsoft and the NFL signed their broad-based technology partnership in May ’13, and will continue into the regular season.