It’s officially time to Samba as the FIFA World Cup 2014 is underway in tropical Brazil. If, like all true football fans, you have waited four long years to watch countries battle it out, you wouldn’t want to miss a single moment of the beautiful game. But, with unusual match timings and a deluge of information from all media, it can be a bit tough to keep track while on IST. So we reviewed four apps that will help you stay on top of your game.
FIFAThe official app of the organising committee of the World Cup the FIFA app is a favourite among many for its extremely clean user interface. It warns you before kick off – so you can catch that snooze in between games – and you can customise your alerts to keep you posted about everything from half-time scores to red cards. News updates, Group standings and even pictures of the stadiums in this tournament are just a swipe away, but the best part of the app is the live commentary that lets you stay updated even if you can’t watch the match live. For the hardcore fans, this app also lets you play McDonalds FIFA fantasy football through it.
Appiness Quotient – K
Outlet - Play Store, App Store
Price – Free
Yahoo! SportsA super simplified display is the USP of this app that has many fans for its clean user interface, although some might find the tabs display for the match schedule resembling an Excel spreadsheet a tad too much – who wants to be reminded of work, while at play! It gives you all the news you need related to the teams you want to follow, along with live scores and the though there are ads, its integrated well, and doesn’t distract too much. And when you’re not following match updates, you can play ‘World Soccer Pick ‘Em’ against Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho – although you will need a Yahoo! ID for this.
Appiness Quotient – J
Outlet - Play Store, App Store
Price – Free
Jalvasco World CupOne of the lesser-known apps that is a pick for the pros, Jalvasco lets users control the amount of information they receive, limiting it just to favourite teams, or even classifying them into groups. With plenty of news, videos and photos, a history section with trivia about previous tournaments, and even an interactive section about all the stadiums across Brazil, it’s a great option for those looking for more than just score updates. The bright green and yellow color theme could get a bit tiring, and the flickering ad at the bottom is slightly distracting – but overall its a pretty decent companion to the World Cup.
Appiness Quotient – K
Outlet - Play Store, App Store
Price – Free
LivescoreProbably the most basic of the apps available today, Livescore keeps it minimalistic, giving you just the score updates of the match currently in progress. But the details are limited to just players from both teams, yellow and red cards, and other essentials. If you’re tired of the information overload, then this might be the app for you. But if you’re hungry for more, this one will leave you scouring the net or looking for other apps. The drab grey and white colours don’t help either!
Appiness Quotient – I
Outlet - Play Store, App Store
Price – Free