iLounge

NBC Universal has officially launched two universal iOS apps to allow users in the U.S. to follow coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games. NBC Olympics (free) will provide users with news, video clips and photos for every sport and information on all Team USA athletes, along with social media integration to follow favourite sports, teams and athletes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as well as engage with other fans. The app provides real-time results and schedules, medal counts, and TV and online listings as well as a second screen experience for users following the NBC televised nightly Primetime Show. Push Notifications will provide breaking news, programming reminders, and results for selected team sand athletes.

NBC Olympics Live Extra (free) is a universal app that will provide live viewing of the 2012 London Olympic Summer games for verified cable, satellite and telco customers, complete with alternate camera views and full replays. Users can similarly follow their favourite events and sports and receive Push Notifications to be reminded of event start times. Users can browse by event, watch simulcasts of Olympic programming from NBC television cable channels and access DVR capabilities for most live streams and all full event replays. Users of the NBC Olympics Live Extra app must verify an existing cable, satellite or telco subscription at a tier that includes both CNBC and MSNBC to get access to the full collection of live stream content. Both of the NBC Olympics apps require iOS 5.0 or later, with video features accessible only to users in the U.S. and certain U.S. territories.

The National Hockey League has updated the NHL GameCenter app for iOS adding new features to provide users with expanded coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The latest update features complete round-by-round coverage of the playoffs via enhanced series views as well as with expanded highlights of Stanley Cup Playoff games. Users can view free NHL Playoff videos with commentary, highlights and top moments as well as view free Cisco NHL Live video content and listen to free live game radio during the Playoffs. New Playoff game alerts are also now available for each series matchup and the update also adds general performance enhancements. NHL GameCenter 2011-2012 is available from the App Store as a free download; an NHL GameCenter subscription is required to access premium content beyond the free Playoff features.

MLB.com has relaunched its MLB.com at Bat iOS app for the 2012 season as a single free universal app for both the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, implementing in-app subscriptions for paid features. In prior seasons, MLB provided separate apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad, sold individually for $15 each, requiring fans to either choose to use the app on a single platform or purchase both individually. The 2012 version of the app is now packaged into a single universal app available as a free download; rather than requiring payment up front for the app users can instead sign up for an At Bat 12 subscription via in-app purchase or simply log in to their MLB.com account to use their existing MLB.TV Premium subscription.

The At Bat 12 subscription is priced at $15 for the entire season or $3 per month and provides live game day audio with no blackouts for any home or away broadcast, pitch tracking, league stats and in-game highlights. Subscribers can also watch a live stream of the selected Game of the Day and access Live Lookins on other games in progress. MLB.TV Premium subscribers can also view live and on-demand video of any out-of-market game simply by logging into their MLB.com account, although the usual blackout restrictions apply; MLB.TV Basic subscribers must still purchase an At Bat 12 subscription separately, however. The MLB.com At Bat app can also be used without a subscription to track up to the minute scores, and access news, game schedules, team rosters, venue information and tickets and promotions. MLB.com At Bat requires an iPhone 3GS/4/4S, third- or fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad running iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Following up on the original Nike+ product line—notably including the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, sneakers, and compatible heart rate monitors—Nike today announced two new Nike+ products, which will leverage upgraded footwear and iOS applications to provide more sophisticated workout tracking experiences. Nike+ Basketball will deliver information and measurements on how high, how hard and how quickly players play each game, in turn providing additional motivation and feedback. Nike+ Training is focused on making users’ daily workout experiences more enjoyable by combining gaming and high-intensity fitness activities.

Unlike the original Nike+ Sensor, which could be slipped into any Nike+ sneaker—or attached in a pouch to non-Nike sneakers—these new Nike+ models require a new Nike+ Pressure Sensor technology found in upcoming Nike+ enabled shoes. The new shoes will collect information about users’ movements, send the information wirelessly to iOS devices, and allow apps to translate the data into information about the user’s workout or game. Nike plans to debut the first Nike+ Pressure Sensor shoes on June 29, 2012; details on the applications themselves are not yet available, and it is unclear whether Nike will be working with Apple to update the Nike+ app built into iOS, or will release one or more standalone Nike+ applications.

The NFL has released three official iOS apps for this year’s Super Bowl XLVI. Super Bowl XLVI Official NFL Game Program (free) for iPad has been updated for this year’s event packing over 400MB of exclusive NFL video and other multimedia content plus additional interactive content chronicling the Giants’ and Patriots’ road to the championship, along with memories of past Super Bowls and key moments from the 2011 season. This app is for the iPad only and requires iOS 4.3 or later.

The SB SLVI Guide is a free universal app designed for those attending the event in person, providing a detailed guide to local restaurants, nightlife and official Super Bowl events, along with a 3D map of Indianopolis and an interactive 3D map of Lucas Oil Stadium for game day. The app also provides a connection to NFL Huddle to follow the social media buzz around the event and features to mark your parking spot and help find the right seating section in the stadium. This universal app requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Lastly, the Super Bowl XLVI Commemorative App ($3) for the iPad provides in-depth content for fans of the Super Bowl series including each team’s road to Super Bowl XLVI, a breakdown of the game, written recaps and key stats and bonus feature content including all-time, all-star teams and Super Bowl history. This Commemorative app will also be updated with additional bonus features once the game is over to include official video highlights of the game along with interviews, pictures, animated plays, stadium shots and more. The app is iPad only, requires iOS 4.3 and is currently on sale for a pre-game discount price of $3.

The National Hockey League has released NHL Hardest Shot, a new iPhone app designed to measure the speed of slapshots, challenging aspiring hockey pros to put their strength and power to the test. The app uses a sound and speed measurement system to track the puck and instantly measure the speed for standard 20ft and 40ft shooting distances. Players simply need to choose their distance, ensure that the target is a solid surface and place the phone off to the side between the shooting position and the target. Users can also challenge their friends and post their best results to Facebook and Twitter. The app also provides a video library including an instructional video on how to take the best slapshots and clips of some of the hardest slapshots in the history of the NHL. NHL Hardest Shot is available from the App Store for $2.