Tennis Gadget Stops Fans Getting Court Out

Getting lost at Wimbledon is about to become a thing of the past - this year an android is in town to help out. If you are imagining a robot from Star Wars then think again: the Seer Android Beta has no arms, no legs and cannot speak.

But nevertheless this little helper will be with users wherever they go, because IBM's latest gizmo resides in your phone.

The application will tell tennis fans exactly where they are in the myriad of grass courts.

Alan Flack from IBM explains further: "By using GPRS and an internal phone compass, your mobile can determine exactly where you are and which court you're looking at.

"Point it at the court you're standing beside and a pop-up window on the screen will give details of who's playing, what the score is, who's next on court and where the nearest food and toilet facilities are.

"For the Wimbledon fortnight we take on about 40 staff who are tennis trained, and they sit courtside with a special application on a laptop."

The application is only available on a small number of T-Mobile phones, but the new Apple iPhone will also have the technology to host the application.

"The penetration of the android isn't huge, but essentially we're talking about the art of the possible," admits Mr Flack.

With a new, retractable roof on Centre Court and the android on fans' phones, this could be the year of the technological Wimbledon.

Usually known for being conservative, the All England Lawn Tennis Club are also getting in on the act.

Fans will be able to log onto a Twitter feed on the Wimbledon website to find out updates on everything from match results to the size of the queue for taxis.