Thanks to the Team Stream app sports fans have been able to stream all of the coverage they could ask for on their smartphones. Tablet owners on the other hand have not had such a privilege, until now. Team Stream HD is available now for iPad.

Team Stream comes courtesy of Bleacher Report, “the Web’s fifth largest sports media destination with more than 22 million monthly unique users.” With the app, users can receive their own personal sports news reports. Similar to Flipboard, Team Stream searches the web and services like Twitter to collect and deliver information on whatever teams and sports the user wants. So whether one wants the latest scoops on college football, professional golf or local MMA tournaments they can find them with Team Stream.

The extra screen size of the iPad makes navigation easier while showing more of an article at once. The “HTML5 Experience” means no photo or video content is lost. Team Stream HD is a free download on the App Store.

FREE!

Team Stream HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-12-21 :: Category: Sports

The Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL is a clever little gadget that combined with the MiCoach Soccer app should give athletes and novices alike some added motivation to exercise even more than usual.

As the photo demonstrates, the Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL is tiny. Packed inside that green exterior is some rather impressive technology. The chip measures the average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, steps and stride rates of the user at any time. Average speeds and maximum speeds are recorded every second and every five seconds respectively while distance is also tracked at high intensity levels. All the more impressively, it easily stores up to 7 hours of information so there’s no need to sync it up too frequently. It’s a very clever piece of kit.

Intelligent technology isn’t much use if it’s not easy to use though. Fortunately, the Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL is very simple to set up. While I had some minor difficulties getting the chip to sync up with my iPhone for the first time, I suspect this was more down to user error as a second attempt took me seconds to get it synced. Once synced, there are two choices as to how to attach the Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL to a shoe. With the relevant Adidas boot (such as the Adidas F50 AdiZero that I had available to test it with), there’s a cavity space in the sole of the shoe to put the chip in.

Users aren’t restricted to these boots though as there’s also a clip to attack it to the laces of any trainer or soccer cleat. Immediately, it feels very secure although I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable doing so if I was running through mud or rocky terrarin as I’d be worried that I might damage it. There is the option to pick up other running shoes that include the cavity space, something that I suspect I’ll be doing once the Spring and outdoors exercising returns.

Once the hardware side of things has been tackled, it’s exceptionally easy to use the chip alongside the MiCoach Soccer and MiCoach Running apps that I tested it out with. It’s the kind of device that just works for tracking statistics. No great amount of interaction is needed unless the user wants to dabble. While the MiCoach Running app can be used simply to track data and performance before uploading to the MiCoach.com site, it’s the MiCoach Soccer app that’s most interesting.

MiCoach Soccer is a game that uses real life performances to enhance an in-game avatar and thus improve the skillset of the player within the game. It’s a street football game that reminded me of the FIFA Street series on consoles but with the added incentive of using the stats earned from actually exercising. Players take the role of one avatar in a match of 4 on 4, with the ability to use power ups such as slowing time down or benefiting from energy boosts. Throughout, the general ability and statistics of the avatar are boosted according to how the user performs in real life. It’s a neat move and one that’s set to extend to Tennis, Football and Basketball versions in the future too.

While such an app probably won’t be the sole encouragement for many, it’s a nice addition to an increasing wave of exercise gamification products. The Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL itself is a very neat piece of kit that I was impressed with. For soccer players, the Adidas F50 AdiZero boot is the ideal inclusion to the package but it’s not essential for those who just want to reap the benefits of a device that tracks their performance.

The Adidas miCoach SPEED_CELL is available now direct from Adidas priced at $70.

The MiCoach Soccer and MiCoach Running apps are available now on the App Store for free.

FREE!

miCoach Soccer

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-02 :: Category: Sports

FREE!

miCoach Running

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-02 :: Category: Sports

Whether it’s football season or March Madness, it seems like there is always something going on in the world of sports for rabid fans to follow. Luckily for them, the new PlayUp app, “the first social network app for sports fans,” is here to help these people stay connected all through their mobile devices. It’s like having a sports bar anywhere.

PlayUp tracks stats and real-time scores from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and college football and basketball games. International leagues like the English Premier League Soccer and Australian Rules Football are represented as well. Fans of a particular team can track their progress and interact with other fans in chat rooms while games are on. Soon users will also be able to answer trivia questions and play other games through the app. They have to do something during the off season.

PlayUp is currently available for free on the App Store. It sounds like the next best thing to having a portable tailgate party.

FREE!

PlayUp - Where Sport Gets Social

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-10-02 :: Category: Sports

I’ve never really been one for direct competition. I tend to prefer working with a team as opposed to fighting against other people, it’s just how I operate I suppose. But even I have to admit Spin Island might be on to something here. Their new app, iBeatThat, is something akin to a social networking YouTube hybrid with a decidedly “Top that!” vibe. Competitive types (read: normal people) will no doubt eat this stuff up.

The overall premise is simple: users pick a “real world activity” such as snowboarding, basketball, etc… and take a video of themselves doing something impressive in that category. Once that’s done, they can upload the clip through the app and see what happens. Which is to say, other users can view the video and rate it or even attempt to one-up the feat and see what the community thinks of their own attempt. They can also issue direct challenges to people on their friends list.

Would-be daredevils or “physical activity” enthusiasts will no doubt get plenty of use out of iBeatThat. And they can give it a spin right now for free. Just remember to play it safe, folks. Don’t go getting seriously injured out there for the sake of fleeting notoriety.

FREE!

iBeatThat

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-11-03 :: Category: Sports

It’d be amazing to see into the future. While it’s not quite possible just yet, sports fans can at least use apps like Accuscore to see the latest statistical forecasts for numerous games and the players participating in them. Renowned for offering the most comprehensive and accurate forecasting engine anywhere, Accuscore is so effective that many top sports media companies use it such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports, Sporting News and The Wall Street Journal.

The app offers forecasts for the NFL, MLB, NCAA, College Football & Basketball, NHL and the NBA. Included in the free app are the forecasted winner, winning percentage for each team, forecasted player statistics and 1 free tip per day that projects margin of victory, total points scored in the game and who will win.

For an extra fee, further details are unlocked for those who need even more information on their respective game.

Accuscore is out now for all iOS devices.

FREE!

Accuscore

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-09-06 :: Category: Sports

We’ve all been there. Two sports events are on at once and it’s a judgement call to figure out which one to watch and which one to just keep an eye on the score of. While sometimes it’s the obvious game with the two big leading teams against each other, other times it’s a more subtle David and Goliath style conflict that turns out to be the more exciting game. How to figure out which one as soon as possible though? Maybe Thuuz will be able to help there.

It’s an app that, using some unique and mysterious algorithms, figures out the excitement of each game in real-time then rates it on a scale of 0-100. Users pick their favorite sports, teams and players, set their excitement threshold and then the app gets to work.

Currently monitoring a wide variety of sports such as NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Soccer, Cricket, Rugby as well as college sports like Football and Basketball, this app should have sports fans pretty covered for figuring out what to watch.

Further functionality is offered with the ability to watch live games when in the US as well as track down the nearest sports bar to catch the action.

It’s a free app so give it a shot and why not report back on how it’s gone. Initial feedback is looking pretty darn promising. Finally, this predicament could be solved!

FREE!

Thuuz

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-09-13 :: Category: Sports

Football season is about to be upon us! This is opposed to football news season, where young men playing a dangerous game for well below market value are scolded for being caught taking extra money or selling their awards, and where billionaires argue with millionaires about how they should properly divide pennies amongst themselves. No, the time for actual gridiron-crunching football is just about on us! OneLouder, developers of TweetCaster, have introduced a new kind of Twitter app to help football fans take in all the analysis, commentary, and even the snark that is posted on Twitter about their favorite sport.

SportCaster offers 5 sections for users to explore: Conversation, where users can get the latest tweets from analysts, experts, and athletes, and filter by specific terms to focus on specific comments. By default, general experts are listed, though users can also add experts and fans for specific teams as well. There’s a scoreboard view to keep abreast on all the latest scores, and can click on a specific game to get the latest tweets from experts on both teams. The Schedule view allows users to look in advance at teams’ games, and to view the chatter about the two teams. Standings is just a basic view of the recent standings and rankings of each league. Finally, there’s a Fantasy section, where users can search for information and advice that will help benefit their fantasy football teams.

This isn’t just an app for tweet consumption without contribution, though. Twitter is all about conversation, and sharing, so SportCaster includes options to reply and retweet tweets discovered in the app. Right now, SportCaster only supports pro and college football, but over the next year as the other pro and college leagues start up, they will be added to the app as well. SportCaster is available now for iOS and for Android.

FREE!

SportCaster: Football, Hockey, Basketball, Scores, Twitter, Fantasy News

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-31 :: Category: Sports

Extra Innings, the national chain of indoor baseball and softball training facilities, launched a new app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Called Extra Innings Mobile Instructor, it allows users to record and upload video–assumably of sports performances–and then provide a commentary using a “white board” technique. The videos an then be sent to the trainers at Extra Innings for professional analysis, with a 48 hour turnaround time. These instructors include many ex Major and Minor League ball players, so the feedback could prove invaluable.

Video submissions and subsequent analysis will cost from $14.99 for three submissions to $74.99 for up to 18 video submissions. The application here to coaches and parents seems obvious, but softball and baseball players could up their game on their own as well, using this app.

“This is groundbreaking within the industry,” said Extra Innings’ founder Rob Nash. “Whether you’re a parent with little knowledge of baseball looking to give your child a leg up or an elite player who is having a bad day during a tournament, our instructors can help improve any player’s game. Additionally, if players are already receiving personal instruction at an Extra Innings facility, these videos will make in-person instruction sessions more effective.”

Available now in the App Store, Extra Innings may be the groundbreaking app many kids and Minor League hopefuls have been waiting for.

$4.99

Extra Innings Mobile Instructor

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-08-04 :: Category: Sports

There are few things in the sporting world quite as satisfying as scoring a three pointer in basketball. That’s coming from a Brit in a country where basketball has never quite taken off; however, years of NBA Jam has kept me enthralled by the sport. Slam Dunk Basketball taps into that satisfaction with its simple yet addictive style of gameplay – simply flick or tap to unleash the ball and try to throw it through the hoop.

Players are given 90 seconds to score as many points as possible with time added for scoring clean shots and scoring multiple shots in a row. Powerups are also unleashed with the more points scored adding an exciting new side to things. Slam Dunk Basketball is a freemium game so it’s free to play but credits can be bought to unlock new levels and new ball types. A huge array of achievements also encourage players to keep playing.

Slam Dunk Basketball is a simple basketball game but at this price, that’s exactly what anyone could want. It makes for the ideal game to play on a daily commute in short bursts and it’s impressive how addictive it is to keep improving upon the high score.

Slam Dunk Basketball is out now as an Universal app and it’s a free download with in-app purchases available.

FREE!

Slam Dunk Basketball

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-07-04 :: Category: Games

iQuarterback 2 has seen success on the iPad, having gotten all the way up to #2 on the iPad App Store free chart. However, iPhone and iPod touch owners have been shut out of the target-hitting football gameplay until now. But no longer! iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition is now available for iPhone and iPod touch. The reason for a separate app, instead of a universal update is in large part due to high scores. As FuzzyCube Software’s Jeff Ruediger has explained to me, there was some concern with the fairness of the high score lists if one universal app was released; one version may have a scoring advantage over the other. The iPad version makes it easier to hit targets accurately, although the iPhone version makes it easier to quickly hit a target on a different side of the field. Instead of utilizing separate leaderboards, a different version was released, although this means that experience and fame won’t carry over from the iPad version. The game is still free to play, with the ability to purchase additional Fame that go toward powerups; as well, the ads can be disabled for only $0.99. iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition is available for free, and requires a third-generation or better device.

FREE!

iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-06-16 :: Category: Games

Rather popular snowboarding game, Snowboard Hero, has had its first update and it’s a bit of a big one.

The main new additions come in the form of two new characters, Monica and Kurt, as well as two new tracks in the form of Death Ridge and Ice God’s realm. There’s also the inclusion of 24 extra events and 12 new achievements to boot too!

Smaller bonuses come in the form of new and unique ‘Uberboards’ for each character which sets all stats such as speed, agility, boost and jump to the maximum number. Players can also purchase more credits via an in-app purchase so as to buy new equipment and more tricks within the item shop.

It’s a pretty impressive first update for a game that was already respectable enough to gain 3.5 stars from us when Phillip reviewed it in April.

The update is available now for all existing owners, otherwise Snowboard Hero is priced at $4.99.

$2.99

Snowboard Hero

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Our Rating: :: NO SSX BUT NOT BAD
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-03-30 :: Category: Games

As the advert loves to state, Red Bull gives you wings. It also now gives you a global sports, cultural and lifestyle magazine by the name of The Red Bulletin.

This new app for the iPad promises high end magazine content with up to an hour of video and animation throughout. It features numerous interviews with artists and athletes such as baseball star Tim Lincecum as well as features on the likes of art work from Banksy. Other subjects such as base jumping and formula 1 motor racing also feature.

It’s a new venture for the drinks company and it certainly makes for a pretty impressive looking magazine with the issue designed specially for iPad owners, taking advantage of the technology behind the device.

The Red Bulletin app also gives access to the international issue which contains a feast of the best stories from all the print editions as well as the exclusive content.

Best of all, it’s a free app for iPad owners enabling them to gain a free issue for the month of June.

It’s out now in English, German and Polish.

FREE!

The Red Bulletin

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-04-11 :: Category: News

WBA Champion David Haye is a bit of a hero in my fair isles of Britain thanks to his ability to defeat pretty much any other boxer in his path. So it’s quite exciting to see a game focused around David Haye.

David Haye’s Knockout is a new game to rise from the ashes of the sad closure of Bizarre Creations (famous for The Club, Blur and James Bond 007: Blood Stone on an array of different consoles). It’s a boxing title but not one solely focused on brute strength as some careful manoevres and strategies are needed to truly succeed.

Developers, Grubby Hands, promise that David Haye’s Knockout will be easy to learn but tough to master, offering just as much emphasis on evading and defending as on defeating the opponent. The graphical style also looks appealing, offering some great arty graphics rather than a more typical, photorealistic appearance, and the game even offers its own ‘Matrix Mode’ whereby players can perform moves in slow motion, thus feeling more in control.

Plus, dirtier players can feel smug as they taunt and trash-talk their opponent by shaking their phone. Ideal stress relief!

It’s out now, priced at $2.99.

$0.99

David Haye's Knockout

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-06-10 :: Category: Games