As America rolls into the football season, there are bound to be those who are wondering how they are going to tailgate at their favorite games while watching others. Technology and sports have been coming together since both existed but there can be no debate that in the last few years the two fields have partnered in brand new ways. Whether talking about following your favorite team or watching whatever’s on there are ways to do both these days.

Twitter and the NFL’s New York Giants have already formed a partnership that will allow fans to feel like they are part of the game more. What happens, however if you are in the MetLife Stadium parking lot and you want to watch the pre-game? What if you’re also an AT&T (News - Alert) customer who has just found out that you no longer have access to ESPN 3D? If you have the new Dish Network Tailgater you won’t miss a thing. The Tailgater is actually a portable satellite dish that weighs in at about 10 pounds and is encased in a 10-sided durable plastic shell that comes complete with a carrying handle.

This portability allows you to take the Tailgater with you whether you are parking yourself in your team’s parking lot or out in the great outdoors. Just because you are camping doesn’t mean you can’t also catch the big game. The housing for the Tailgater allows the dish to rotate inside the box, meaning that it will always be able to sync with the satellite so you don’t have to work to find the perfect angle. 

The device comes with 50 feet of coaxial cable so that you have plenty of cord to link to the television that is sitting back in the trailer. The device also needs a power source that can provide 110 volts of power in order to run properly.

The Tailgater also can hook up to the 211k HD Solo receiver meaning that you can get your games and pre-games in stunning high definition. The Tailgater is priced at $350 and the HD receiver comes with an additional $149.99 tag (News - Alert). Current Dish Network subscribers can get their antenna activated for as little as $7 a month and can easily deactivate when the season or camping trip is over.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO… follow us on Twitter