The Apple Sports app has its problems, but it's also a pretty solid option if you want a simple, clean app to see how your favorite team has ruined your weekend this time around. Apple has been steadily updating and improving the iPhone-only app in recent months and now it has another update ready to go, aimed specifically at a couple of sports.

Those sports are NBA and NHL, with Apple's App Store release notes saying that the update is all about the upcoming playoffs. The notes say that fans of the two sports will be able to follow "every matchup with added details on each series and more."

With the playoff series set to begin on April 20, this update arrived in the nick of time, but the playoff support isn't the only reason Sports fans should consider downloading this update.

It's game on

According to those release notes this Sports update also includes "stability and performance enhancements," although we don't yet know what that actually means. We'll be putting the app through its paces to see if those changes address any of the issues we've found with the app to date, though.

As for existing support, the Sports app offers scores and more across the MLS, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, Premier League, NCAA basketball, and many more and is of course free.

Want to take the Sports app for a spin? You can grab it from the App Store right now. Those who already have the app installed can download the update as well, while anyone with automatic updates enabled might already be using it.

More from iMore

• New Apple Sports app revealed, available right now
• Apple Sports app promised star potential, but I'm benching it immediately
• How to use My Sports in Apple News to track your team

The Apple Sports app has been around for a little while now, and while the App Store is already full of apps that offer similar functionality, the clean and fast nature of the app has the potential to make it a must-have for sports fans. Unfortunately, the initial launch had some issues, but a new update goes some way to trying to rectify at least a handful of them.

The new update, the Sports app's first, brings the version number up to 1.1 and adds a couple of new sporting options as well as a change that means final scores are now sorted by league for the first time. That limitation was a complaint from the initial release that Apple has now thankfully fixed, but there are still more that need attention if the Sports app is to take its place on Home Screens everywhere.

Alongside the new score sorting, Apple has added support for March Madness as well as MLB ahead of the new season.

Play ball!

Apple's release notes detail exactly what users of the Sports app can look forward to. The addition of league-based final score sorting is joined by two notable additions.

"Ready for March Madness? Follow the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments for real-time updates," Apple explains, adding "Starting with Opening Day, go deep this MLB season with play-by-play updates, betting odds, box scores, and more for all of your favorite teams." 

The app was initially released last month and displays information across a variety of sports including baseball, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey with big leagues like the Premier League, NBA, MLS, and more included. Stats include the team lineups, scores, standings, and upcoming games while betting odds are also shown where supported.

This new update is a welcome one, but there are still areas where the app lets itself down. Thankfully one annoyance — the fact that soccer lineups weren't ordered correctly — does appear to have been fixed even though it wasn't mentioned in the release notes. That suggests that there might be other improvements as well so be sure to give the app another try if it didn't quite hit the spot for you previously.

The release of the Sports app continued Apple's focus on sporting content and services. The MLS Season Pass offering cost Apple $2.5 billion for a ten-year contract, while the company also teams MLB content as well. There are constant rumors that Apple wants to sign up other sports and leagues, with the Premier League and La Liga just two soccer leagues that have been mentioned in the past. So far, there has been no sign that these deals are likely to happen, however.

Apple was also thought to be keen on bringing the NFL Sunday Ticket to the Apple TV app before the league signed an exclusive deal with YouTube.

As for the Sports app, that's now available for everyone to download via the App Store. It's a free app, as you'd expect, but it is currently only available for the iPhone. There is no iPad or Mac version of the app, but that could change in due course. Apple's upcoming June WWDC event may give Apple a chance to announce versions of the Sports app on other platforms to tie in with the preview of macOS 15 and iPadOS 18, for example.

More from iMore

• New Apple Sports app revealed, available right now
• Apple Sports app promised star potential, but I'm benching it
• How to use My Sports in Apple News to track your team

Every year the Super Bowl is one of the biggest televised events of the year. The big game this year is bound to be a wild one, especially since this football season was already so abnormal, while Rihanna is all set to play the halftime show.

Of course, if you're a regular reader of this site, you're interested in Apple, which means you remember the 1984 commercial that announced the date for when the Macintosh was going to be showcased.

Super Bowl ads are often huge spectacles, with big budgets and sometimes even bigger stars. Some are funny, some are inspirational, but all of them are pretty epic in different ways.

Yet sometimes it can be hard to watch the Super Bowl commercials outside of the U.S., but there are a few options for people looking to see what brands and companies are selling this year.

However, even if someone has no interest in the sport, plenty of people love to watch Super Bowl commercials instead, so with this in mind, we've got some tips to do this if you live outside of the US.

A VPN

VPNs have long been used to get around geo-locking and keep your internet browsing private and secure.

There are a lot of VPNs that could help you get access to CBS All Access (where the game will be streamed) if it's not available in your country. VPNs do cost money via a yearly or monthly subscription, but many also have free-trial periods that you could take advantage of for the big game. ExpressVPN is our pick for the best iPhone and iPad VPN, to protect your IP address while you surf the web.

We also have a list of all the best Super Bowl VPN deals that you can use to stream the big game from anywhere.

YouTube

A bunch of Super Bowl ads end up on YouTube, both before and after the game, and typically they don't end up geo-locked. If you come across any that don't seem to be available in your country, you can always look around on YouTube to see if anybody has reuploaded the video in your country, or use a VPN to access the content.

The ad above is Pepis's spot for the big game this year, and it's already available on YouTube. Lots of Super Bowl ad YouTube playlists get made each and every year following the game, so chances are there's a pretty good bet you can watch the ads if you look hard enough.

With Major League Soccer now available to watch on the Apple TV app as a season pass, you can easily track your favorite teams to see which matches are coming up, alongside watching back any highlights from past matches, and see every MLS regular season, playoff, and cup game live. But with more sport on Apple TV than ever before, it may be time for a dedicated sports app to avoid the potential bloat of the TV app.

It's a smart move by the company to expand its TV efforts into sports, especially with Friday Night Baseball having debuted in 2022 on Apple TV Plus as well. However, there has been criticism by fans of how there isn't a rewind feature in its MLS content to check back at moments you've missed during a match, nor is there SharePlay support to watch matches with family and friends.

The app is at risk of becoming confusing to use, so it seems like the time is right for Apple to bring out a dedicated Sports app to showcase both of these efforts, and what could be coming in the future.

How could a Sports app work?

One of the greatest app designs for me was the first iteration of Game Center in iOS 4.1, where felt was everywhere in its look, but it was fun to use. While it was very skeuomorphic for its time, you knew that this was an app related to gaming on iOS, first and foremost.

A dedicated Sports app should follow something like this - fun is something that's important in Apple's design, from Memoji to the badges you earn when using the Fitness app.

We need something where you can highlight your interests in different kinds of sports, and you'll get a curated list of soccer matches, baseball highlights, and perhaps documentaries on your favorite wrestlers from back in the day.

This could be a great way of avoiding the bloat that Apple's TV app is in danger of having. When you launch it, you've got your pick of movies, TV shows, sports, and the odd Apple Music video highlighting an artist.

When you mix in MLB and MLS, it could be overwhelming to someone who just wants to watch Ted Lasso.

Don't let the TV app repeat what iTunes became

This is how iTunes looked for me on my iMac back in 2009. It's interesting how bloated iTunes became once the App Store launched in 2008 - not only were you managing your apps on your iPhone but buying movies and TV shows, alongside arranging new music to put on your devices as well.

By the time Apple Music arrived to replace it, it felt like a relief, and you could manage your device in Finder on the Mac if you needed to.

Let's see Sports have its own app - to help avoid the potential bloat that the TV app may be facing, and so that users who love sports can have a dedicated app that they can follow and watch matches with, without having to scroll past new Apple TV Plus shows and trailers.

With rumors that Apple is looking at bidding for the rights to the Premier League once they're up for grabs, it could place the company, and a potential sports app, in a great position to showcase the best of English football, and everything else that's sports, all in one place.

You can't be at home on the couch for every game, but technology has given us a way to stay connected to all of our favorite teams no matter where we are. Download a great sports app and stay updated on scores, news, and highlights.

These apps work on the best iPhones and iPads; and some of the best Macs. Be sure to check compatibility before downloading.

The Athletic

If you're looking for in-depth reporting on your favorite sports and teams, you can't go wrong with The Athletic. The premium app (which looks awesome on the iPhone 13 and all of the best iPhones) offers in-depth analysis and exclusive articles from more than 400 full-time local writers. Top-tiered coverage includes the MLB with Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark, NBA with David Aldridge and Shams Charania, NFL with Mike Sando and Michael Lombardi, NHL with Pierre LeBrun and James Mirtle, Fantasy with Jake Ciely and Nando Di Fino, Premier League with David Ornstein and Oliver Kay, NCAA Football with Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman, and NCAA Basketball with Seth Davis and Dana O'Neil.

The app, available for iPhone, iPad, and late-generation Macs, includes podcasts, newsletters, live Q&As, etc.

Bleacher Report: Sports News

Rather than providing its own coverage, Bleacher Report curates all the best sources on the web to get all the news you can about your favorite teams and players. You can open a stream to get scores, stories, videos, and photos from local and national newspapers, blogs, Twitter, etc. You can also share news via Facebook, Twitter, email, and text. Additionally, you can prioritize your alerts so that you read about the teams that are most important to you first.

With a modern interface, Bleacher Report is one of the best-looking sports-related apps in the App Store. The Bleacher Report app works on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and late-generation Macs. There's also an Apple Watch app.

Bleacher Report has you covered if you are looking for sports coverage from multiple angles.

CBS Sports App Scores & News

The CBS Sports app offers scores, highlights, and full access to specific games and leagues like the ESPN app. In addition, free content includes select live events and games, including SEC football, The Masters, PGA Championship & PGA Tour, NCAA basketball, etc.

With a TV provider or Paramount+ login, you can access even more sports content, including the NFL, UEFA Champions & Europa Leagues, Serie A, Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, and NWSL. In addition, the CBS Sports app covers NFL & NCAA football, MLB baseball, NBA, WNBA & NCAA basketball, global soccer & MLS soccer, NHL hockey, PGA Tour golf, tennis, NASCAR, MMA, UFC, WWE, and others.

The CBS Sports app is accessible on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

ESPN: Live Sports & Scores

ESPN has been the US sports leader for many years. It is the place to go for the latest scores, and you can also find your favorite content in-app. On ESPN, you can watch the NFL (Monday Night Football), NBA, MLB, college sports (football, basketball, baseball, softball, and more), golf (The Masters), soccer (UEFA Euro and MLS), tennis (Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open), eSports, and more.

With an ESPN+ subscription, your sports library grows even further with award-winning ESPN+ Originals and other content. ESPN also supports Apple's SharePlay, so you can stream live sports among friends via FaceTime, regardless of the location. Experience the ESPN app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

FOX Sports: Watch Live

The official FOX Sports app has grown significantly over the years as FOX itself has increased its on-air sports offerings. The app now includes content and scores for the MLB, USFL, NASCAR, PBC pay-per-view (boxing), soccer (MLS, EPL, Bundesliga), college sports (football, basketball, baseball, softball, and more), NFL, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac 12, WWE SmackDown, NHRA Formula E and ARCA motorsports, PBA (bowling), Liga MX Soccer, Tennis, Rugby, and others.

Content includes stories, live TV, bonus cams, odds, and, of course, scores. In addition, the app is the official home of the Big Ten Network and its unique programs, including The Journey, B1G Story, and Campus Eats.

Some content requires logging in with your TV provider credentials. For example, the FOX Sports app works on iPhones, iPad, and Apple TVs.

MLB

For years, America's National Pastime has been well-covered by the official MLB app. Ideally suited for anyone willing to pay for a subscription, the app is packed full of information, but even for folks who would rather not pay a dime, there's still a ton to see.

The MLB app offers live games in both video and audio content, enhanced game-day pitch-by-pitch features, archival footage, and more. You can enjoy pitch-by-pitch features with a premium subscription, including realistic ballpark renderings. You can also sort batting, pitching, and fielding statistics and check out archive footage from classic games.

The app is accessible on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and M1 Macs. Use it starting today and immerse yourself in the 2022 season like no other.

NASCAR MOBILE

NASCAR MOBILE is the racing center for all things NASCAR. Featuring live race, qualifying, and practice leaderboards for all NASCAR Series, the app includes many free features such as live on-track and in-car driver cameras, live race broadcast radio, driver comparisons, and more. There are also iOS and iPadOS widgets.

You'll also find exclusive news, video, gallery content, and standings based on schedule, driver, manufacturer, and owner. The app also includes buying tickets to upcoming events and more.

With a premium subscription, you can unlock extra features like an enhanced race day scanner, picture-in-picture video view, and more. NASCAR MOBILE works on iPhone, iPad, and M1 or later Macs.

NBA: Live Games & Scores

The official NBA app is the place to go for the latest news and action, no matter the season. Use the app to check the schedule, scores, stats, and standings, then stay for in-game and post-game highlights.

With NBA League Pass and NBA TV, you can maximize your coverage by adding live and on-demand games based on matching your personal preferences. In addition, with a Pass, you get a customized Mobile View, more custom languages, multiple condensed game formats, and the ability to download games. Pass membership also includes NBA archives, where you can unlock classic games, documentaries, and more.

NBA coverage is subject to blackouts and other restrictions in the U.S. and Canada. The app works on iPhones, iPad, and Apple TVs.

NBC Sports

NBC Sports is the official home for the Olympics, Notre Dame football, NFL Sunday Night Football, etc. The app offers streaming of those events plus the PGA TOUR, Premier League (soccer), NASCAR Monster Energy & Xfinity Series races, French Open (tennis), Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness & Belmont), and the United States Football League (USFL). In addition, dedicated brand experiences are available for the Golf Channel, Olympic Channel, and Telemundo Deportes.

Features include live events, video on demand, full-event replays, push notifications, alternative camera angles, etc. Some content requires a TV subscription.

The NBC Sports app works on iPhones, iPad, and Apple TVs.

NFL

The official NFL app provides news and exclusive coverage of the No. 1 sport in the U.S. With free and paid content, the app features coverage throughout the NFL calendar, from the combines and draft coverage to the annual Super Bowl game. In addition, you can find articles and video highlights featuring the latest stories and breaking news from around the NFL. Other features include up-to-the-minute scoring, in-game highlights, and drive charts.

With cable or satellite authentication, you can unlock NFL Network coverage; a premium NFL Game Pass opens up even more coverage, including the NFL RedZone. The NFL app works on iPhones, iPad, and Apple TVs.

If you're really into the NFL, you can't go wrong with the official NFL app for news and coverage.

NHL

Like hockey? Done deal. The NHL app is your source for everything related to the National Hockey League. Scores, highlights, news — it's all here and with customized alerts. You can follow your favorite teams and players, plus more.

You can also purchase an NHL.TV subscription to get premium access. Live and on-demand games are subject to blackouts and other restrictions. Like all the other sports apps, you can curate everything based on your favorite teams; the app works on Apple mobile devices and Apple TV.

The NHL app is not the official team app for the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs, or Vancouver Canucks.

This app includes scores, news, and chat/messaging capabilities, with US and international leagues covered. In addition, you can unlock the ultimate gaming experience with the Bet Mode.

Apple TV app

It wasn't that long ago when including the Apple TV app on a list like this wouldn't have made any sense. Not anymore. Apple TV is already the home to Friday Night Baseball and in 2023 Apple becomes the exclusive home to MLS. 

The Apple TV app is available across all Apple devices and through smart televisions, including the best Apple TV, of course. Some content may require an Apple TV+ subscription. 

Touchdown time

Many apps mentioned above offer only free content, although a few provide premium content with a subscription. In addition, most of the best sports apps work across multiple Apple devices, including the iPhone and iPad. They're great for tracking news and scores and watching your favorite teams play, live and on-demand. So enjoy what the App Store offers today and start cheering on your favorite team, regardless of the league.

It's next to impossible to pick the perfect bracket for March Madness. However, there are strategies you can use to outsmart others, even if you know very little about college basketball. Whatever approach you use, have fun with it, and good luck!

Using Statistics

One of the reasons behind the popularity of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is the yearly upsets that occur, especially in the first round. Looking back to past tournaments, trends show which pairings are more likely to see an upset than others. For a casual observer, you can use those statistics when making your picks.

As in past years, there are 68 teams in this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Following the completion of the First Four, you'll see four brackets formed of 16 teams each. In the first round, seeds are as follows:

• No. 1 vs. No. 16
• No. 2 vs. No. 15
• No. 3 vs. No. 14
• No. 4 vs. No. 13
• No. 5 vs. No. 12
• No. 6 vs. No. 11
• No. 7 vs. No. 10
• No. 8 vs. No. 9

According to the NCAA, the No. 10 seed has beaten the No. 7 seed a leading 39.3% of the time, versus just 5.7 percent for the No. 15 seed over the No. 2 seed. Since the tournament expanded in 1985, the No. 16 seed has only beaten a No. 1 seed once.

• No. 10 over No. 7, 39.3%
• No. 11 over No. 6, 37.1%
• No. 12 over No. 5, 35.7%
• No. 13 over No. 4, 20.7%
• No. 14 over No. 3, 15.0%
• No. 15 over No. 2, 5.7%
• No. 16 over No. 1, 0.71%

Therefore, when picking your brackets, your best bet is to pick upset wins for the No. 10, No. 11, and No. 12 seeds in a few of the brackets, and avoid picks for the No. 15, No. 15, and No. 16 teams.

By Mascots

Another method for picking tournament winners has nothing to do with brackets and seeds. Instead, it's all about the mascots! Before this year's tournament 304 schools have played an NCAA tournament game since 1985. These teams have been represented by mascots in one of nine categories: Bears, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Miscellaneous, Mythical, Other Animals, People, Weather/Elemental.

Of these, teams with Mythical (58.1%) and Miscellaneous (57.5%) mascots performed better than all others. The biggest losers are teams represented by Bears (46.5%) and Weather/Elemental (47.9%).

Odds and ends

When making your bracket, you should also take some risks by picking a Cinderella team to at least make the Sweet 16. Why? Because it happens nearly every year!

You should also assume that most, if not all, of the No.1 seeds, are going to make it far in the tournament. That's why they are No. 1 seeds, after all. Going back to 1979, 24 of the 41 national championships have been won by a No. 1 seed.

Unsurprisingly, no seed is as successful as the No. 1 seed. They have 24 of the 41 national championships since 1979. Second on this list are No. 2 seeds, which have won the tournament seven times.

Finally, when looking beyond the first round, understand that there's never been a national champion seeded No. 9 through No. 16. The lowest seed to ever win was in 1985 when No. 8 Villanova beat No. 1 Georgetown.

Have fun because the odds aren't in your favor

As the Chicago Tribune explains, you are three quadrillion times more likely to get struck by lightning than to pick the perfect bracket. Therefore, the experts suggest not sweating the early rounds.

Once you get past the first and even second round, start comparing teams based on wins and losses, and even head-to-head matchups. Whatever you do, have fun.

How do you do it?

What recipe do you use when making selections for March Madness? Let us know in the comments below.

Hockey fans already know that the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. You don't want to miss a moment of action with the top teams in the NHL. Whether you're rooting for the Bruins, the Ducks, the Maple Leafs, or the Winnipeg Jets, you can get the scores and watch the games right on your iPhone or iPad with these hockey-friendly sports apps.

• NHL
• theScore
• NBC Sports
• ESPN
• Shnarped

NHL

For all the up-to-date information on the league standings, player stats, and post-game video highlights, you'll want to check in with the official NHL app first. You can listen in to play-by-play audio streaming of the playoffs.

For the low price of $19.99 annually, you can watch live clips of games without any blackout restrictions and get in-game highlights. For $24.99 per month, you can watch full game archives of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the entire regular season. If you're a diehard NHL fan, you're going to want to go all in with NHL.TV.

For all the latest news and coverage of the entire NHL, get the official app of the NHL.

Free -Download now

theScore

theScore is a fantastic social sports app that not only keeps you up to date on all the latest scores and stats but also lets you follow your favorite players, no matter which team they're on. You can find out each player's game stats, injuries, and even see what they're tweeting. You can also customize your notifications to receive up-to-date information on what is most important to you.

theScore is for more than just hockey fans. It covers all major sports categories, including racing, golf, and soccer. You can follow your favorite teams and players across all seasons.

If you think of your favorite teams as "your" teams, get a little more intimate with theScore.

Free -Download now

NBC Sports

NBC Sports is another great source of all your sports news. With a TV subscription, you can stream live events, including Sunday Night Football, Formula 1, Indy Car racing, and or course, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can also stream regional content from certain teams. When it comes time to check out the Olympics, NBC Sports is the perfect way to keep up everything going on and to watch live events in real time. NBC Sports also fully supports AirPlay, so you can watch everything on your Apple TV or other AirPlay-compatible monitors.

Free - Download Now

ESPN

Sports fans will know that ESPN is a great place to find everything about everything when it comes to professional leagues. Whether you're checking in with the Stanley Cup playoffs or keeping track of who's doing what in the NFL, you'll know about it all from ESPN. You can read up on current stories, watch news clips, find out how your favorite teams are doing, and listen to sports talk radio, podcasts, and play-by-play commentary on live games, both internationally and regionally. You'll need a cable subscription to watch games, but you can still get access to a lot of useful content without it.

To keep up to date on all things sports, get the ESPN app and brush up on your news.

Free - Download now

Shnarped

Shnarped is like Instagram for sports fans. You can follow your favorite players and keep track of what other sports fanatics are up to. When you like a video, you can send a "fist bump" to show you care. You can search for specific terms, like "NHL" or "Stanley Cup" to filter specific content. Follow other Shnarped users that have the same likes as you and you'll have hours of immersive sports entertainment without even needing to watch a single game. But that would just be ridiculous.

If you want to find other like-minded sports fans to share photos and videos with, join Shnarped.

Free - Download now

Your favorite?

Do you have a go-to app for keeping up on the NHL and Stanley Cup? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out.

Update April 2018: Added NBC Sports to the list. Go Jets Go!

If you're favorite pastime on January 1 is to plop down in front of the TV with a bunch of snacks and a couple of cold-cold ones, you're not alone. The NCAA celebrates the end of one year and beginning of a new one with a series of bowls, which culminates on New Year's Day with five big games. Whether you're here for the Outback Bowl, the Citrus Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl, you've got a full day of pigskin throwing ahead of you. Here's the best way to watch the games you want on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

ESPN is carrying most the games

While ESPN+ is a streaming service for ESPN that lets you watch live sports for about $5 a month, it's unclear if any of the New Year's Day games are actually going to be live on ESPN+. Since ESPN and ESPN2 channels are separate (and that's where all the games will be shown) from the streaming service, the content is usually different. Sometimes for big events, there may be an exception.

Sign up for ESPN+

You can still stream the games through the ESPN app or from ESPN website.

On iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV, you'll need the ESPN: Live Sports & Scores app.

Free - Download now

For the app, or to watch on your computer via ESPN.com, you'll need your cable subscription login credentials. If you're watching on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, you'll be asked to authenticate your subscription by entering a code that you access via a web browser, so make sure you've got a device that you can access the internet from, like your iPhone, iPad, or computer.

ABC is carrying the Citrus Bowl

The Citrus Bowl is the only game on New Year's Day in 2020 that will not air on one of ESPN's channels. It will broadcast on ABC at 1:00 PM ET. You'll need the ABC app for iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, or you can watch it on your computer at ABC.go.com. You'll need your cable login credentials to watch the Citrus Bowl from both apps or on your computer.

Download now

Or, you could just watch it over-the-air on ABC...

How to watch live broadcast TV on your Apple TV without a cable subscription

Plan your schedule

The first of the bowls starts at 12:00 PM ET and the last one starts at 8:45 PM ET, so you've got a full day ahead of you. Unfortunately, some of the games will overlap (for example, the Outback Bowl and Fiesta Bowl start one-hour apart). Luckily, ESPN on Apple TV lets you watch multiple live channels at the same time (up to four on your screen at once).

Here's a list of the games and their start times. Note that the Citrus Bowl is the only game that is not aired on ESPN. For that game, you'll need to sign in to ABC with your cable subscription.

• Outback Bowl - Auburn vs. Minnesota - 1:00 PM ET - ESPN
• Citrus Bowl - Alabama vs. Michigan - 1:00 PM ET - ABC
• Rose Bowl - Oregon vs. Wisconsin - 5:00 PM ET - ESPN
• Sugar Bowl - Georgia vs.Baylor - 8:45 PM ET - ESPN

What's your game day plan?

How are you planning to watch the various New Year's Day college bowls? Put your game plan in the comments!

Updated for College Bowl 2020.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is almost here and you might be wondering how you stream matches if you don't want to or can't watch them on traditional cable. Fortunately, there are a variety of apps and streaming services available that will let you get your fill of all of the matches that the World Cup has to offer from the the opening matches on June 14 to the final match on July 15.

Here's how you can stream FIFA World Cup 2018.

What's new in streaming the FIFA World Cup 2018?

July 13, 2018: Apple's TV app to offer real-time notifications for World Cup, Wimbledon finals

With the World Cup Final coming up this Sunday, July 15 alongside the Wimbledon Men's Final, Apple will be making it easy to keep track of both matches no matter which one you choose. The TV app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV makes switching between broadcasts easy, the company notes, and the app will also send you real-time score notifications if either match gets really close.

United States

FOX has secured the exclusive English-language broadcasting and streaming rights for the World Cup in the United States, and will broadcast every match on its FOX Sports channels. Those looking to stream the Cup will be able to do so through FOX's official apps, FOX Sports Go, available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as the new iPhone-only Fox Sports app.

If you or someone you know is looking for a Spanish-language stream, Telemundo will be streaming all of the matches through the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app.

You will need some kind of cable subscription to watch the World Cup with these apps.

• FOX Sports Mobile - Download Now
• FOX Sports Go - Download Now
• Telemundo Deportes - En Vivo - Download Now

If you're looking to cut the cord and replace a traditional cable package with an online offering, several of the available over-the-top streaming services offer access to FOX and FS1, the two channels that will broadcast matches in the U.S. Everything from the sports-focused fuboTV to Hulu to YouTube TV all let you access at least one of these channels live.

Note that FOX network content may only be available live in select areas depending on the service, while FS1 is usually available both live and on-demand.

• fuboTV - Download Now
• Sling (Blue or Orange + Blue packages) - Download Now
• DirecTV Now - Download Now
• YouTube TV - Download Now
• Hulu - Download Now
• PlayStation Vue - Download Now

Canada

In Canada, you can stream the entirety of the World Cup, including the final match on July 15, through TSN and RDS. Both have recently introduced digital subscriptions, letting you catch all of the World Cup action directly through either service without having to login through a cable provider. You can get both the TSN Go and RDS apps through the App Store now.

• TSN Go - Download Now
• RDS - Download Now

United Kingdom

In the UK, both the BBC and ITV have broadcast rights for the World Cup. You'll be able to use their respective streaming options, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, to stream the Cup live throughout the tournament.

• BBC iPlayer - Download Now
• ITV Hub - Download Now

Australia

SBS has partnered with Optus to offer World Cup live streaming for customers in Australia. You'll need to download the Optus Sport app in order to watch the Cup on your iPhone or iPad.

• Optus Sport - Download Now

Questions?

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions about streaming the World Cup in the United States.

Update July 2018: Added information about Apple TV's live notifications for World Cup and Wimbledon.

The 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off (literally and figuratively) at 11 a.m. ET June 14, with Saudi Arabia taking on host Russia. And as always, one of the biggest questions we get is about watching live sports over streaming services.

The good news is this: Yes, you can watch live sports on streaming services. And that goes for the World Cup, too.

This year's World Cup (it comes around once every four years) will be streaming on Fox (broadcast), FS1, and on the Fox Sports app.

Watching the World Cup on Fox and FS1

When it comes to the Fox broadcast channel, some services may have it, others might not. It depends on the service itself, and it depends on where you live. PlayStation Vue where I live, for instance, doesn't have access to it. YouTube TV does. So your mileage may vary.

However: After consulting the CordCutters Channel Matrix, we see that every major streaming service carries FS1. So that's covered.

Which streaming services have FS1

See the full CordCutters Channel Matrix

Watching Fox over-the-air

You'll also probably be able to watch Fox with an over-the-air antenna. Frankly, this is my preferred way to watch network channels because the OTA broadcasts look better — they're not as heavily compressed as they are when they're being fed through streaming services.

The key to OTA antennas is to get them as high as possible — on a roof is best, with as few close-by obstructions as possible. You'll also want to make sure it's pointing in the direction of the weakest network signal. To get help with that, we recommend sites like TVFool and AntennaWeb.

If you can't do an outdoor antenna, an indoor model may get the job done. Everyone's circumstances will be different, so you'll want to check things out before the games begin.

See the best antennas for cord-cutters

Watch the FIFA Men's World Cup in the Fox Sports App

If an app is more your thing, Fox has you covered. Do note that at times games being broadcast on Fox or FS1 might not be available in the Fox Sports app. (We'll have to see if that happens with the World Cup, but it most certainly happens with other sports. It's all about licensing.)

Fox Sports app: Android | iOS

The World Cup Schedule

Here's how the first round of the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup breaks down this year. All times are Eastern.

• 11 a.m. (Fox): Russia vs. Saudi Arabia

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Egypt vs. Uruguay
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Morocco vs. Iran
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Portugal vs. Spain

• 6 a.m. (FS1): France vs. Australia
• 9 a.m. (Fox): Argentina vs. Iceland
• Noon (FS1): Peru vs. Denmark
• 3 p.m. (FS1): Croatia vs. Nigeria

• 8 a.m. (Fox): Costa Rica vs. Serbia
• 11 a.m. (FS1): Germany vs. Mexico
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Brazil vs. Switzerland

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Sweden vs. Korea Republic
• 11 a.m. (FS1): Belgium vs. Panama
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Tunisia vs. England

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Colombia vs. Japan
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Poland vs. Senegal
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Russia vs. Egypt

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Portugal vs. Morocco
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Iran vs. Spain

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Denmark vs. Australia
• 11 a.m. (Fox): France vs. Peru
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Argentina vs. Croatia

• 8 a.m. (FS1): Brazil vs. Costa Rica
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Nigeria vs. Iceland
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Serbia vs. Switzerland

Saturday, June 23

• 8 a.m. (Fox): Belgium vs. Tunisia
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Korea Republic vs. Mexico
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Germany vs. Sweden

• 8 a.m. (FS1): England vs. Panama
• 11 a.m. (Fox): Japan vs. Senegal
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Poland vs. Colombia

• 10 a.m. (Fox): Uruguay vs. Russia
• 10 a.m. (FS1): Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Iran vs. Portugal
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Spain vs. Morocco

• 10 a.m. (Fox): Denmark vs. France
• 10 a.m. (FS1): Australia vs. Peru
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Nigeria vs. Argentina
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Iceland vs. Croatia

• 10 a.m. (FS1): Korea Republic vs. Germany
• 10 a.m. (Fox): Mexico vs. Sweden
• 2 p.m. (Fox): Serbia vs. Brazil
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Switzerland vs. Costa Rica

• 10 a.m. (Fox): Senegal vs. Colombia
• 10 a.m. (FS1): Japan vs. Poland
• 2 p.m. (FS1): Panama vs. Tunisia
• 2 p.m. (Fox): England vs. Belgium

Put that accelerometer in your iPhone to work and let it help you improve upon your golf game. There are some pretty cool accessories that help you with your swing and putt, so the next time you slice 'er into the bushes, maybe pick up your iPhone instead of launching your iron down the fairway.

• GolfSense 3D golf swing analyzer
• Game Golf live tracking system
• Arccos Driver performance tracking system
• Zepp Golf 2 3D swing analyzer
• Arccos 360 golf sensor system
• Tittle X Trugolf E6 golf simulator

Do you swing?

Are you an avid golfer looking to improve your game? Do you think these tech accessories are worth the investment? Which accessories do you use to help with your golf swing?

Let us know in the comments below!

Updated April 2018: Updated pricing for every accessory and added the Tittle X Trugolf E6 golf simulator.

Major League Baseball has updated its MLB.com At Bat app to take advantage of a brand new feature in iOS 10.3 that lets you change the app's icon. If you've downloaded iOS 10.3, MLB.com At Bat gives you the option of changing its icon from the standard MLB logo to that of your favorite baseball team.

Here's how you can change the app icon for MLB.com At Bat:

1. Open MLB.com At Bat.
2. Tap More.
3. Tap Settings.

4. Tap Set Home Screen Icon.
5. Tap the team whose logo you'd like to use, either from your favorites, or the rest of the league, sorted by division.
6. Tap OK.

This is a neat little change that is sure to help fans get a little more excited ahead of Opening Day of the professional baseball season next week.

As we gear up for the yearly ritual of college basketball bracket jockeying, the official NCAA March Madness Live app has received a massive update that brings the action to your wrist via Apple Watch support, adds 3D Touch and and Spotlight search support, and much more. The app has even added Airplay and Google-cast integration, so users can easily beam content to other devices.

Here's the full breakdown of what's new in NCAA March Madness Live version 6.0:

• Now available for Apple Watch
• Airplay and Google-cast enabled
• Handoff support
• 3D Touch support
• Spotlight search
• Expanded video content and playlists
• Improved bracket experience and sweepstakes for NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge
• NCAA March Madness Tournament Run now available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

New for iPad:

• Redesigned, immersive live video experience
• New Coke Zero Social Arena experience
• Support for multitasking

If you're interested in checking out all of the latest updates to NCAA March Madness Live before all of the tournament action kicks off later this month, you can grab the app from the App Store link below.

• Free - Download Now

2K Games has launched its basketball simulator, NBA 2K16, for iPhone and iPad. The game packs new rosters of players, as well as new features and improvements over 2K15, such as better graphics and smoother controls and gameplay. 2K16 also features the popular MyCareer mode, and offers more ways to earn the game's Virtual Currency.

Here are the big features to be found in NBA 2K16:

• Full MyCAREER, Blacktop, and Season modes.
• Improved graphics and game performance
• New controls for smoother mobile gameplay
• Earn and enjoy more Virtual Currency
• Euroleague teams now available
• NBA 2K Store offers equipment, courts, VC, updated content, and much more.

Additionally, 2K16 features support for physical game controllers on the iPhone and iPad. You can grab the game from the App Store right now.

• $7.99 - Download Now

Just in time for baseball season, a new baseball scoring app hits the field for BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone. Score More Baseball provides simple scoring for amateurs and youth teams using the Moneyball method.

Score More Baseball allows anyone to use a phone or tablet to accurately score baseball games, using the Moneyball approach to help improve performance. This method enhances all aspects of play. including longer rallies, stranding fewer runners, and score more runs.

Score More Baseball is free to try with a few available pricing options. Teams can get full use of the app for $5 per tournament, $15 monthly, or $50 per year. For more info, check out scoremorebaseball.com or hit up the download link below.

Download Score More Baseball for iOS

Press Release

Mike Kirkup and Brian Zubert, former leaders in BlackBerry's Developer Relations, have joined forces to put "Moneyball" into the pockets of coaches and players with Score More Baseball

Waterloo, ON – March 10, 2015 – Today, the mobile app Score More Baseball launches for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS. Score More Baseball simplifies the scoring of baseball games and brings the power of "Moneyball" to amateur, rec, and youth baseball teams, using the same performance-based approach now used by over a dozen Major League Baseball teams.

Score More Baseball makes baseball scorekeeping so fast and easy that any coach, teammate, or parent can quickly and accurately score the game on their phone or tablet, which then applies the "Moneyball" approach to the team's batting order, helping the team enjoy longer rallies, strand fewer runners, and ultimately, score more runs. All stats are stored in the cloud, allowing the coach and the players to track both their team and individual progress.

The idea for the app was conceived not long after Brian Zubert was laid off from his position at BlackBerry. In his personal time, he'd been doing stat tracking in Microsoft Excel using the "Moneyball" approach with his men's slo-pitch team. "After each game, I used to take the pen and paper scoresheets, try to make sense of what our scorekeeper wrote down, and manually enter all that data into Excel. It took a lot of time, but it was worth it. We went from bottom third of the league in runs scored to top third, in just one season."

Mike Kirkup, who leads the Velocity entrepreneurship program at the University of Waterloo, was actually the person who hired Brian at BlackBerry many years ago and they've remained in close contact ever since. When Brian reached out to Mike in April of last year and pitched him on the idea of Score More Baseball, Mike was hesitant. After Mike talked to every ball player he knew, their enthusiasm for the idea made a believer out of him. In a BBM conversation the day before Mike took off for a Caribbean vacation, Brian asked Mike if he was interested in teaming up on Score More Baseball. "I told him I'd think about it. Turns out, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I came back from that trip with pages full of notes and even some of the first screen designs." Six months later, Score More was in beta with five teams playing indoor baseball.

Today, Score More Baseball marks its launch in Google Play, BlackBerry World, and iOS App Store. Details available at www.scoremorebaseball.com.

Here's a rundown on what's new in version 8.0

• New UI for all 30 team pages & the league-wide scoreboard (iPhone only)
• Player search expanded to include all active and historical MLB player cards (iPhone only)
• Re-designed UI for the newsreader (iPhone & iPad)
• Team-by-team statistical data filters (iPhone only)
• Native resolution to optimize At Bat for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
• Easy access to every game with new team schedule navigation (iPhone only)
• Application available in Spanish language, requires device language set to Spanish (iPhone & iPad)

With spring training just around the corner, the update couldn't have come at a better time. If you'd like to grab MLB At Bat 8.0, you can do so from the source link below.

• Free (optional subscription) - Download

The NFL season is back in full swing and despite the myriad of applications available in the App Store to keep up with what's going on, one of the easiest ways to keep track of your teams schedule is to add it to your iPhone or iPad calendar. Fortunately it's a pretty easy process and here's everything you need to know.

The first thing you need to be familiar with is how to subscribe to calendars in iOS. It's a simple enough process that you'll find outlined in full at the link below.

• How to subscribe to calendars on your iPhone or iPad

Next up you'll need to know where exactly you can find the calendars you need to subscribe to. Our buddies over at Windows Phone Central have a handy link you can use to add the entire NFL schedule to your calendar.

But if you're not interested in the whole league and just want to add your own team, there's an easy way to do that. Head on over to your teams official website – example here for the Seattle Seahawks – and you'll find similar links to use with the instructions linked above.

That should have you covered if you just want to add the games to your iCloud calendar. But, if you're a Google Calendar user and that's what you're syncing to your iPhone and iPad, our pals at Android Central have you covered with a walkthrough on how to add the NFL schedule to that.

• How to add every NFL team schedule to your Google Calendar

Any other tips or links you think are worth sharing? Drop them into the comments below!

The 2014 Formula 1 season is officially here! It may seem like only yesterday we were watching the 2013 Brazilian GP wrap up the season, but a new one is upon us. Rule changes galore, drivers switching teams, it's all shaping up to be one fantastic season. And you can follow it all using your iPhone or iPad.

As much as we might want to be glued to our TV's watching every last minute, it just doesn't happen. But, with a smartphone in our pockets or a tablet in our bags we need never be too far away from the action. It's a shame it often depends on where in the world we are as to the apps available, but let's take a look at a few!

Updated just in time for the new season, the official timing app is now a free download supplemented by in-app purchases. This is an improvement on years past, where you'd have to cough up a substantial amount of cash up front just to download.

It's a little buggy and a little laggy at times, but you're going to get the absolute best F1 data from it of any app out there. Live timings on race day is a particularly awesome thing, and gives you a real second screen experience while you're watching the race. Or keeps you firmly informed if you can't be near a TV or the racetrack. The premium features are unlockable for $10.99 but if you just want the basic news and information it's completely free.

• Download - Official Formula 1 App (Free/$10.99)

In the UK, Sky Sports has the main rights to broadcast coverage, and it's generally doing a pretty good job with it. The good news is Sky also has a healthy supply of mobile apps to complement the TV offering. Sky Sports has a dedicated F1 section with all the news and session timings for each race – though nowhere near as detailed as the official app – and driver bios.

Mobile TV is exactly as it sounds. The advantage to this over Sky Go is that you're not required to have a Sky Sports TV subscription to use it, you sign up for a mobile subscription. Sky Sports F1 is one of the channels included, and the £9.99 a month is worth the outlay for it should you be in need of watching the racing on your phone or tablet a lot this season (you also get access to all other Sky Sports channels for that price.)

• Download - Sky Sports (Free)
• Download - Sky Sports Mobile TV (Free with subscription)

A shout out to the other best app in the UK for following F1, and that's BBC Sport. BBC also has rights to cover the F1, and its BBC Sport app is arguably better than anything Sky has to offer. Video clips, news, radio coverage, all are available here. It's a pretty great all round sports news app, and it'll keep you well informed with all things F1 as well.

• Download - BBC Sport (Free)

For our Canadian friends, TSN Go will be one of the better ways to get your fix. If you're a subscriber to the TV channels through a compatible service you'll be able to watch live TV. If you're not, you'll still be able to keep up with all the news and goings on from the paddock. But it's the mobile access to live TV – complete with commentary from the BBC team of Ben Edwards and David Coulthard – that makes this one a must have for Canadian fans.

• Download - TSN Go (Free)

For American F1 fans, NBC is the place to go for your main source of live action. Fortunately NBC also has a couple of mobile apps that will help you keep up on the go. To get most of the live video content through Sports Live Extra you need to be a cable subscriber of course, but it's at least an option. The app does have some odd interface choices, but you can set reminders for the live coverage so you never miss a session.

• Download - NBC Sports Live Extra (Free with subscriptions)

So, thats just a few of the apps out there to help you get your Formula 1 fix for the 2014 season. If you've got any personal favorites, be sure to share and drop them into the comments below, and let us know if they're specific to any part of the world!

At CES 2014, we checked out Heapsylon, who are working on a lineup of Bluetooth-enabled clothes that are perfect for runners. First up are the socks, which have pressure sensors throughout to determine the efficiency of your strides, as well as an ankle unit to help monitor speed, heart rate, and more. On top of that, Sensoria has a bra and t-shirt with embedded sensors. Though you’ll need to buy a proper monitor to plug into the shirt in order to monitor the data, it’s still all fed back to the Sensoria app on your iOS device.

Fitness freaks can nab any of these on preorder to enjoy substantial discounts; the shirt is currently $59 (rather than $89) and ships by the end of the month, the bra is down from $199 to $149 and ships this week, and a bundle of four pairs of socks with the anklet are going for $199, which will go up to $259 after these start shipping at the end of March.

Those aren’t cheap prices, but the data stands to be considerably more rich than what you’d get from your run-of-the-mill fitness wristband. If you’re thinking of snagging one of these, hit up Sensoria.

We’ve got so much more #CESLive for you, so stay tuned!

2K Games has released NBA 2K14, the latest version of their popular pro basketball game for iOS devices. It's a universal app that runs natively on the iPad and iPhone.

The game features multiplayer support through Game Center, and touts multiple control schemes - "classic" and one-finger control, built for more intuitive play on mobile devices. You can play through multiple NBA seasons, and save your progress to iCloud to pick up later on another device. The game also sports a soundtrack picked by star player LeBron James.

2K Games also deserves a special nod for just making the game available for a single price and not burdening it with wallet-draining in-app purchases.

• $7.99 - Download now

EA has released FIFA 14, the latest in their ongoing series of soccer video games. You direct your team through both season and exhibition play, picking from over 600 licensed teams in 33 leagues. You can buy and trade FIFA players to create the exact team you want. Winning coins in tournaments lets you buy more players.

FIFA 14 features new controls, which EA calls Touch Flow, that let you hold and drag to move players around the field, tap to pass, and swipe to shoot. You can choose to play solo, or play against your friends using FIFA's online multiplayer mode. You can also share your best moments with your friends online right from Instant Replay.

FIFA 14 is a free game that features in-app purchases. EA doesn't exactly have a good track record when it comes to the implementation of in-app purchases in their games, but they are not particularly egregious in FIFA. You do need to pay to unlock Kick Off, Tournament, and Manager Modes, but it's a one-time purchase of $4.99. Online play and Ultimate Team modes are both available with the initial download. FIFA also contains the standard "pay for in-game money" purchases that help upgrade your team, but you can earn that currency through play as well.

FIFA 14 is available as a universal download now on the App Store.

• Free - Download Now

Without fail, every year, we see updated titles to key franchises from EA, with a Madden NFL title being one of them. This year sees a milestone for the Madden series, with Madden 25 being the – you guessed it – 25th release. They've really gone to town on the console versions of the game, and in some regards the mobile version too. It looks incredible, has excellent controls for the touchscreen environment and all the licenses you can shake a stick at. But it's also the single most enraging game experience I've had in a long time. In short, EA has ruined this once great franchise with two 'F' words; freemium and Facebook.

The curse of freemium

I get it; game developers want to make money. That's a good thing, and I want them to make money. Hell, I want to give them money to play great games. EA has taken the decision that the freemium model makes more money for them, but in Madden they've gone too far. Further than Real Racing 3, and much, much further than Plants vs Zombies 2.

To even play a game of football, you either need to spend Madden cash – of which you start the game on a big fat zero – or use up your 'lightning' allowance, or whatever it's actually called. I started out with 10 of these, and it wanted 8 to play a game. You can see where I'm going with this.

If you do choose to use Madden cash to play, it costs 5. The cheapest bundle is for 8 units, and it costs $1.49. Sure, there's ways to get currency without paying, but you get a feel for how the experience is heading from this alone.

Facebook 'integration' gone wrong. Very, very wrong

One such way to get some free currency is to log in to your Facebook account from the game when you begin. I don't have an active Facebook account, but since this is a freemium game I re-activated it just to get the free stuff. Biggest mistake ever.

Since I don't use Facebook anymore, I honestly couldn't care less whether or not it spammed everyone on there to the end of the Earth. But, once you've logged in to your Facebook account, try disconnecting it. Then comes the single worst thing EA has possibly ever done with any of their mobile games.

If you decide you don't want to be connected to Facebook anymore, you can't play the game. Period. Even uninstalling the game and redownloading it from the App Store doesn't cure it, and you get the message you see here. I can no longer play this game on my iPad. Sure, I've downloaded it on my iPhone to continue the pain and suffering, making sure not to connect to Facebook this time. But come on, seriously?

Madden 25 seems to use Facebook as a way to create an account for you to save your progress. Not unheard of. But, the sheer fact that should you decide no longer to use Facebook you're completely unable to play the game at all is astonishing. I want to start over from scratch, no Facebook. So why can't I? This kind of 'integration' is hostile towards the people playing the game, the people who are paying EA to play the game.

One highly disappointed gamer

I love the NFL, and I love Madden. I've loved the Madden games for many, many years, and while I'll continue to play the console versions, this is the end of the road on mobile. That is, unless EA seriously changes how it does its business. Madden 25 isn't a free game enhanced by purchases. Madden 25 is driven by purchases with some elements of a game hidden inside. And then comes the whole Facebook shenanigans.

What's worse still is that EA has already confirmed a freemium future for FIFA Mobile as well. I'm already filling with dread.

It leaves me with only one thing to say; if you want to play Madden on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch go and buy the old versions. Don't waste your time on this one. Maybe even do the same with FIFA. Don't wait for the new one.

Your thoughts

So, if you read this you might not be heading to the App Store to download it. That's perfectly OK, but I still want to know what you think about this whole freemium-gone-mad model EA seems to be employing. Can you still play games this way?

If you have got Madden 25, let me know what you think. Am I getting a little too excited here, or do you share the same avid frustrations?

NFL Pro 2014 is now available, letting people play as their favorite NFL teams in the 2014 NFL season. You can now go through the 2014 NFL season and the Super Bowl, playing both exhibition and season matches along the way. You can control various members of your team, and level them up, devoting the points each player earns to bettering their skills.

There are other new features in NFL Pro 2014, including enhanced graphics and social competition. Share your achievements with your friends and compete for the top spot on the Facebook Leaderboards. Additionally, there are now 200 plays that you can choose from, learn, and edit through Play managment. As in past years, NFL Pro 2014 has in-app purchases for credits and experience that you can use to better your team faster. NFL Pro 2014 is a free, universal download for iPhone and iPad.

• Free - Download Now

Ahead of the All Star game in New York in July, MLB has released a new game into the App Store; MLB Home Run Derby. I love Baseball, despite being British, so as soon as I saw this in the App Store I had to take a look. It's a free download, and bases itself solely around one of the fun-to-watch extras of the All Star weekend, the Home Run Derby. So, a perfect casual game for the Baseball fan? Let's find out.

I'll start with the best part. The graphics are really good. My first thought was that it looks very similar to the gameday view in the main MLB At Bat application. There's only one stadium to play in, Citi Field the host for the All Star game, and it looks fantastic.

With this being the Home Run Derby, you only have to worry about one thing -- hitting it out of the park. There are two different control methods, a drag and release to aim and swing, or aim with your left hand and tap to swing with your right.

Home Run Derby has two different game modes, arcade and The Derby. Arcade mode is playable as many times as you like, and is done against a one minute time limit. You have a series of targets around the ground to aim for to increase your score, and the further you hit the ball the more points you get. Simple. Points means prizes, in the form of coins that are useable in the game to buy certain things with.

The Derby follows the run of the real thing, so 10 outs and you're done. There's no time limit, you just keep going until you're all out of chances. To win, you have to progress through two rounds to get to the final.

That's the good stuff. It's a fun little game to play, and if you hit a bigger home run that 457ft, then you've topped my best so far. The bad stuff is the in-app purchases. Sadly, the overriding feeling is that the game is designed around the purchases, and not the other way around.

The first example; you get three 'tickets' to play the Home Run Derby. Once these are gone, it's a matter of hours before the next ticket arrives. You can make this quicker, and get more tickets, by paying. The in-game currency can be won, but you have to do well in the Home Run Derby several times before you have enough to really buy anything. The green notes aren't won in the arcade mode.

Another example; You start out with one batter. More batters means more tickets to The Derby, and that means paying for them. Again, you either have to play and do well a lot over some time, or stump up the cash. You can improve your batters performance by way of a purchase, but you have to also purchase an additional slot to add this performance boost too. So, a double purchase.

Whether it's your real money or your in-game currency, there is far too much emphasis on having to buy things to progress and ultimately get more out of the game. I'm happy enough slugging away in arcade mode personally, but it's sad that a fun little game feels so held back by the freemium model.

More worrying too is that the App Store listing says "download free for a limited time only." If you think you might want this, I strongly recommend grabbing it right now while it's free. As a paid download I think I'd have a hard time recommending this. If the in-app purchases are overhauled, then it could be a different story.

The Good

• Excellent graphics
• Simple, easy to pick up controls
• Authentic players, stadium and rules

The Bad

• Too much emphasis on in-app purchases tarnishes the experience
• Glitches from time to time where menus stay visible over gameplay
• Apparent limited time offer on free download considering the level of in-app purchases

The Bottom Line

MLB Home Run Derby is a freemium game done wrong. Instead of building a game where in-app purchases boost progress, too often it feels like not paying up hurts. Three goes at the main Derby mode just isn't enough when it takes so long for another ticket to appear to play again. Thankfully, the Arcade mode isn't so constrained and is plenty of fun on its own to play. I like it though, really I do. I just don't like the way the in-app purchases have been implemented.

• Free - Download Now

Saturday May 11 sees the 2013 FA Cup come to a climax, with the final taking place at London's Wembley Stadium. The FA Cup is one of the worlds oldest and greatest football tournaments -- that's the real football by the way, with the round ball -- and draws huge interest from all around the world. In the UK of course, the FA Cup is a massive occasion. We can't all be at the game, or watching on television, but with our iPhones, iPads and even Macs, we can keep up to the minute with all the action. Read on for a selection of the best, though please do bear in mind that some content could be limited to those of us in the UK.

TVCatchup

Without a doubt, TVCatchup is one of, if not the very best way to enjoy the FA Cup final on your iOS device. Compatible with iPhone and iPad, TVCatchup provides slightly delayed live TV coverage of pretty much all of the UK free-to-air TV channels. Since the match is being played out on ITV, TVCatchup will have it all for you. Better yet, it broadcasts the ITV1+1 channel, so if you miss the first half, you get the chance to catch it an hour later. TVCatchup also operates a website, which is handy if you happen to find yourself in front of your Mac and not the TV.

You need to put up with some ads, and be mindful that it's pretty intensive on data, but you'll be able to watch every single minute. TVCatchup does check on first launch that you're using a UK based ISP, so you will need to be local to use it.

• Free - Download Now for iPhone
• Free - Download Now for iPad

TuneIn Radio

One of the best internet radio streaming apps out there, TuneIn Radio needs little introduction. Stations such as BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport will be covering the action live, and TuneIn Radio can access them all. In fact, any radio station, anywhere, that is going to cover the match in someway is likely in the vast catalog of choices in TuneIn Radio. You can pay to get the pro version, or take the free one and some ads.

• Free - Download Now for iPhone
• Free - Download Now for iPad

iTunes

While talking about internet radio, it would be foolish not to mention iTunes on the Mac. It could be easy to overlook, but since it's sat there on your Mac, it's worth making use of. The radio tab is little more than a list of radio stations split down by category, but there's plenty of them. If you're going to find yourself in front of your Mac all day and can't tune in to a video stream, iTunes has you covered for all the stations you'll need to listen to the whole thing live.

BBC Sport

If you haven't the time to take in all the action as it happens, then BBC Sport is a great go-to app to keep up with the latest scores. It's a good app to have all round, but for keeping up with football matches BBC Sport offers a 'videprinter' service, with regular text updates on everything happening at the stadium.

• Free - Download Now

Beyond this selection, here's a few apps that deserve an honorable mention in helping provide that FA Cup Final experience:

• BBC iPlayer Radio (Free) - Download Now
• Official Wigan Athletic (£0.65) - Download Now
• Cityapp for MCFC (Free) - Download Now for iPhone
• Cityapp for MCFC (Free) - Download Now for iPad
• Sky Sports Football Score Centre (Free) - Download Now

So, those are my picks. While I'm hoping to be able to tune in and watch the game live on television, any or all of these apps could come to my rescue if I'm torn away. What are your suggestions? Be sure to share them with us in the comments, and enjoy the game!

EA Sports has just launched its latest iteration of the hugely successful soccer franchise FIFA 13. The new version of FIFA has some nice new features over and above last year’s version but the most significant is the long overdue ability to play against your friends in an online multiplayer mode.

FIFA 13 offers some great soccer gaming features like teams from 30 of the top leagues in the world, 500 officially licensed teams with real player names, management modes and of course the long awaited multi-player. Unfortunately multi-player is done via EA’s own Origin service rather than Apple’s Game Centre but if it works well, who really cares.

FIFA 13 is a universal binary so works great on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, the new iPad, iPod touch 3 (16 GB and above), and iPod touch 4. EA claims that the best gaming experience will be on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or the new iPad; no mention of the iPhone 5 in the write up although they do claim it is compatible.

$6.99 Download Now

It's an exciting time for football (soccer) fans, as the Euro 2012 is well underway, leading up to the final match on July 1. There are a bunch of iOS apps available that can help you stay on top of the action on iPhone and iPad, but here are some of our favorites.

Official UEFA EURO 2012 app

If you're looking for the latest scores, might as well go right to the source, right? The Union of Eurpean Football Associations has cranked out a nicely-polished app with full information on upcoming matches, latest news, and team lineups. You can even buy access to video streams for $9.99 a match, or get a season pass for access to highlights for $9.99 as well. The UEFA Euro 2012 app also lets you set favorite teams so you can quickly access the latest info on your personal picks.

Download Now

Sky Sports for iPad

If, on the other hand, you are willing to shell out for live streams to watch on your iPad, Sky Sport has you covered. With it, you'll be able to access all six Sky Sports channels live, a radio stream, scores, and news on a per-team basis. Existing Sky customers will be able to enjoy matches without having to pay out, and even if you're not, Sky is currently offering access for half off the usual rate. Just keep in mind that this is for folks in the UK; if you're in the U.S., you might want to check out ESPN's similar offer. (Update: A helpful commenter pointed out below that Sky doesn't have live broadcast rights. You'll have to go to BBC's mobile sports site if you want to catch Euro 2012 games live in the UK from your iPhone or iPad. Why they don't have an app is a little mind-boggling.)

Download Now

Euro 2012 Radio

If you'd rather save a dime and some battery life by not streaming video of the matches, there's a great option for audio streams with Euro 2012 Radio. For a buck, you can catch the matches as they happen in Spanish and English broadcasts. A simple team list lets you find who's playing when, either through the alphebized list or a search bar at the top.

Download Now

Bantr

Bantr offers a great social network where you can really get involved with the online community of Euro 2012 fans. In addition to cheering with the crowd (or talking smack) about games that are in progress, you can pick the teams you support, predict outcomes, vote on card penalties, rate players, pick your match favorites, and participate in a wide variety of polls. Despite some long-ish load times, the user interface is really nice,

Download Now

BetFair

Want to put some money on the match? Betfair has created a dedicated betting app for the Euro 2012 finals, providing score updates, odds, and secure transactions. You can place Multiples bets via iPhone across a variety of markets, each with their own specific rules sets. Just remember, all good things in moderation, right?

Download Now

If you're looking for more apps to keep track of scores, we've got some of our favorite soccer apps for iOS over here. How do you intend to be using your iPhone and iPad to follow the Euro 2012 action?

(MLB At Bat 2009 Forum Review by cjvitek For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!)

Okay, I admit it, I am a die hard baseball fan. One of the first apps I bought last year was MLB At Bat, and when I heard it was coming out again, after a brief period of annoyance, I decided to purchase it again.

On a side note, I expect to see many more subscription based or "partial" purchase based apps with the new pricing methods in the app store. I don't think it bodes well.

But anyway, I decided to get the app when I saw that this year it included the MLB Audio - radio broadcasts of the games. As a bonus, you get to choose the stream to listen to!

So how does it stack up?

I must say, very well.

When you start the app, you are presented with a screen showing the days games. The current score and inning are listed, and if you click on a game, you get a short highlight summary at the bottom of the screen (how many outs, who is pitching and batting, on base, etc). You can scroll through the various games. When a game is highlighted, you can click on "audio" and choose from either of the teams radio stream to listen to the game. Unfortunately, you can't have it in the background (curse you iPhone) so you need to stay in the application in order to listen to the stream. If you click the blue arrow, you are taken to what I call the "game" menu.

The game menu is broken down into a variety of screens. The first one, gameday, shows you the current batter, pitch by pitch (with location) action of what is going on. You can also see the fielding situation (including dimensions for each stadium), the box score, the game summary, and of course video highlights (just like last year) by selecting the various tabs at the bottom. The video highlights are supposed to be better quality this year, but I always look at them when I am connected via wifi, so I have no problem with the quality. I wish they had more highlights to choose from (it seems that they are moslty focused on big hits). The video is not HD quality or like watching a movie, but it certainly is okay to watch for a ten-second highlight.

Back on the main screen, there is an additional button for "extras". With Extras, you can look at additional MLB videos (like "A look at the ballparks of the last decade" and fantasy updates"). You can also look at the up to date standings, legal information, or be taken to the MLB.com website in safari. I wish they have other information like leaderboards, player stats, matchup information. It is all available at MLB.com, but I would think it would be easy to have it in the app itself (especially since if you leave the app, the audio stream is lost).

Out of curiosity, I tried watching the game-day play by play, watching a game on TV, and listening on the radio, just to see how it synced up. The radio had the longest lab, the TV was the fastest, but evne then it was only about one pitch behind.

Pros:

• Audio!
• Gameday effects are nice,
• lots of options for "in game" status

Cons:

• Lacking some basic statistical information,
• some video highlights seem to be sparse (for some teams)

Conclusion

All in all, for baseball fans on the road, this is almost a must-have app. The price ($9.99) is not cheap, but it is very reasonable compared to what they charge for Gameday audio online. I wish they have video highlights for every half inning or so, rather than just having (at times) one or two per game. I also wish they have more reference and statistical information. But this is a great app for following a team when you are on the road - just make sure you have your car charger! Most of the stuff I found lacking were things that don't really detract from the app, but rather things that would put the app over the top.

TiPb Forum Review Rating

[MLB At Bat 2009 is available via the iTunes App Store]

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