Digital World Cup
Posted by Natalie Burch | July 8, 2010
(Editor’s Note: Welcome our new intern, Natalie Burch, to Denuology! She’ll be checking in each week with a post on digital culture, her time here, and the thrill of getting our lunch orders in working at Denuo.)
This is a bittersweet post to write, because my two favorite teams, the United States and South Korea were both ousted in the Round of 16, but the World Cup is still awesome. Like many Americans, I don’t follow soccer year round, but, every four years, I live and breathe the World Cup. This year’s tournament has been especially exciting, mostly because my seven roommates and I collectively decided to take our World Cup enthusiasm to the next level. For example, I don’t want to take all of the credit for South Korea’s opening win against Greece, but my friends (one is from Seoul) and I did wake up at 5:30 AM on the day of the game to put Korean flags around my college campus, sing the Korean national anthem, and eat kimchi. So, I’d say around 50% credit is appropriate. Despite these losses, however, I remain committed to the tournament, in part because, I still have about 10 of the World Cup iPhone Apps on my phone, and some of them are really cool. Lest they go to waste, I have redirected my allegiance to Germany (I’m of German descent?) and the Netherlands (I like their orange jerseys.) So even though my excitement for the World Cup is, sadly, a bit on the downswing, I have a reason to use some great apps. Here are my five favorites (in descending order):
ESPN Mobile TV, powered by MobiTV: When I realized that I would be on a train for the England vs. Germany match, I searched for a solution and came up with MobiTV. Usually, MobiTV only provides downloadable clips of already-aired TV shows, but for the 2010 World Cup, it has combined forces with ESPN to create live viewing experience for $9.99 a month. At first I was skeptical about how AT&T’s 3G network would handle live, streaming TV, but I was pleasantly surprised. During the entire, ninety minute match, MobiTV only had to re-buffer once and the picture was clear. This app is more consistent than my regular service!
Vuvuzela: Forget discounted goals and imaginary offside calls – the most controversial aspect of the 2010 World Cup has been the constant noise of the Vuvuzela. Thanks to this horrible sound of a fog horn mixed with bees mixed with the screams of a thousand banchees, it’s impossible to hear the crowd’s traditional chants and songs, which have always been an integral part of the World Cup. While I detest the use of Vuvuzelas in the stadiums, I do love the Vuvuzela App, which brings the horrifying sound right to your phone. It isn’t practical and you can’t play any games, but it’s hilarious and great for annoying/scaring people. Get it now – it’s free.
Visa App, powered by AP Sports: Visa wins the “Best App by a Big Sponsor” award. This App excels at aggregating information about the tournament and individual teams. AP provides news, stats, current and past information about the draw, pictures, and video. Visa places links to its “Gooooal!” ad campaign on YouTube, which shows different people’s reactions to their team scoring and has a video of the famous announcer, Adres Cantor. The app’s is structure is intuitive and Visa contributes content rather than just slapping its name on a random app. (It’s also free.)
FIFA 10, powered by EA: This app is really cool, and it’s sponsored by Adidas and FIFA, which lends it an air of authenticity. The graphics are great, but the small screen makes maneuvering the players a bit challenging. One neat feature is that it allows you to play in all of the different world leagues, including MLS, the Premier League and Bundesliga, which will encourage engagement with the game all year round and keep the FIFA World Cup on people’s minds, even after the 2010 World Cup ends. Smart play by FIFA, but as far as the consumer goes, it’s expensive at $6.99.
ESPN 2010 FIFA World Cup: The best part of this app is that it has the option to view the tournament bracket. It’s hard to get a sense of the tournament if you only look at stand-alone matches and not the entire bracket, so this is very helpful. Another good feature is that you can sign in and create a competitive bracket, which I didn’t do, but looks pretty cool. Also, while the basic app is free, ESPN can make money off of a $7.99 upgrade which has enticing features like live audio and video highlights (both of which, however, are rendered unnecessary if you already have the MobiTV app.)
Of the many World Cup apps that I have, I would highly recommend these five. Each one is a positive addition to the digital World Cup experience, some useful, others just fun.
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