Sports

Nike+ Running iOS app gets photo sharing and auto-pause

Nike's popular fitness and running app for the iPhone, named Nike+ Running, has received an interesting little update bringing with it the ability to take and share photos before, during or after your workouts so your friends can keep you going with likes and cheers. For those wondering what's the big deal with photo sharing, let me just spell it out: seamless implementation.

Having been a user for quite some time, I've always hated having to pause my run manually in order to, say, catch a quick break or answer an important phone call. Not anymore - the new Nike+ Running version 4.4 is clever enough to automatically pause and resume when it detects I stopped running or resumed my workout. More tidbits follow...

NBA 2K14 hits the App Store

If you're into sports and are a fan of basketball and the NBA in particular, the newly-released NBA 2K14 for iOS devices should be on your list for consideration. The game has been published by 2K Games, a Take-Two Interactive subsidiary notable for its recent release of Lucid Games' 2K Drive for the iPhone and iPad.

Of course, it's really an updated version of 2K's ongoing NBA series for the iPhone and iPad, refreshed with the 2013-14 season stats, players, venues and other data (just like EA Sports' FIFA series)...

Vevo and NHL channels hit Germany in international Apple TV push

Although Apple has updated its Apple TV box a few times this year, making it much more useful by enabling a bunch of additional channels, most of the premium content sources are limited to users in the United States due to licensing restrictions. A good example is Netflix, which just rolled out crisp Super HD video streaming that's unfortunately of little use to the folks living outside the 41 Netflix-supported markets around the globe.

It's not just paid streaming services: some of the most popular free channels come region-restricted as well. Take Vevo, for example, which got added to the $99 streamer late-August but did not work in all regions. In a sign that Eddy Cue and his team have been able to negotiate a better deal, Apple TV users in Germany are now reporting sightings of both Vevo and NHL channels on their device...

Apple taps Blue Jays assistant GM to head up App Store sports section

In a somewhat odd move, Apple has hired away the Toronto Blue Jays' assistant manager Jay Sartori for a position on its App Store team. I mean, the company frequently snags top talent from silicon valley, but the MLB?

Apparently, Sartori will be taking over as the manager of the 'sports and entertainment' category in the App Store for the Cupertino company—a major departure from his contract and bargaining duties with the Blue Jays...

Yahoo updates ‘Sportacular Pro’ with iPad support and more

Right now is a great time to be a sports fan. College and pro football are in full swing, and we're on the verge of post-season Major League Baseball and the beginning of the 2013-14 basketball season.

And with so much going on, it's nice to have a sports app around to help you keep up with everything. And while there are several, Yahoo is hoping its big 4.2 update for Sportacular Pro will win you over...

Apple hires Nike’s design director for wearables

It's been barely a little more than a month since news broke of Apple hiring a prominent Nike FuelBand developer and now comes word that Tim Cook has managed to lure away another high-profile Nike executive. Ben Shaffer, Studio Director of Nike's research and development lab dubbed Innovation Kitchen, is working for Apple in unknown capacity.

It certainly doesn't take a genius to figure out Apple hired him for his expertise in wearables. Nike is Fast Company's 2013 most innovative company and the Innovation Kitchen is where Shaffer and his team conceived such wearable smash hits as the popular Nike Fuel Band and the Flyknit shoe...

Apple TV updated with Major League Soccer and Disney Junior channels

It's incredible how different the Apple TV's main menu looks compared to a year ago. There's so many more channels. Just in the last 6 months Apple has added a ton of content including WatchESPN, SkyNews, and more.

And it's not showing any signs of slowing down. Earlier this morning the Cupertino company added two new content channels to the popular set-top box in an over-the-air update: Major League Soccer and Disney Junior...

FIFA 14 is now available in the App Store

After teasing FIFA 14, the latest installment in its long-running soccer franchise, the superpublisher Electronic Arts last week soft-launched the game for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices on the New Zealand App Store - a week ahead of its console release. The game is now available in the US App Store as a free download, per Electronic Arts's promise to switch FIFA games to the prevalent freemium model...

ESPN’s News and Deportes channels added to Apple TV and iOS

Less than 48 hours after Apple added new video content from Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Smithsonian Channel to its $99 Apple TV set-top box, ESPN announced Wednesday it's enabled access to two new channels - News and Deportes - on the Apple TV and iOS devices, through the WatchESPN software for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

This is important because ESPN is a global powerhouse.

Owned as a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation, the U.S.-based cable and satellite television channel is a lot of people's go-to source for all things sports...

EA Sports releases free-to-play Madden NFL 25 for iPhone and iPad

Billed as "an experience 25 years in the making", Madden NFL 25 strives to deliver the most authentic NFL football experience to date on the iPhone, iPod and iPad devices. The game challenges players to build theirUltimate Team of NFL stars and run the show on offense and defense with new and improved touch controls, game modes and more.

And in embracing the freemium trend fully, EA Sports has made the decision to release the game on a free-to-play basis, with in-app purchases ranging from as little as 99 cents to as much as a whopping 99 dollars for an All Madden Bundle pack.

If you're a fan of professional American football this is a no-brainer as the game looks awesome and plays great. I've included a splashy teaser trailer and a couple additional tidbits right after the break...

CBS Sports app updated with new Football GameTracker, Power Rankings and more

With this year's NFL season set to kickoff in less than two weeks, football fans will be happy to hear that CBS has just updated its Sports app with some significant improvements to help them keep track of all the action.

The update, which brings the client to version 6.1, includes a new feature called Football GameTracker, which offers live play-by-play data and current drive play chart. It also adds Power Rankings, Stat Leaders, and more...

Google reportedly eyeing rights to NFL games

The $99 Apple TV set-top box may be the most popular streaming device out there (not if you ask Roku), but Apple's got some catching up to do in terms of content availability. Figuring as much, the company's recently added WatchESPN and HBO Go streaming apps to the Apple TV's home screen. Moreover, we're now hearing that 24/7 Vevo music video streaming via the Apple TV could become a reality as early as later this week.

Apple's strides in the TV space don't resonate well with the Internet giant Google, whose Google TV platform is struggling to catch on with couch potatoes and cable-cutters. According to AllThingsD, this could change as Google's boss Larry Page today met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other execs...