Filed under: iPhone, App Store
MLB At Bat for iPhone
We've been running running a few App Store roundups covering applications announced for the iPhone App Store, but as TUAW's resident seamhead I can't help but call one out for special attention. It was demoed at the WWDC keynote and now Macworld has a close look at the upcoming MLB At Bat application. It will be available at launch and provide near real time "wireless score access and in-game highlights for every game on the MLB schedule" for only $4.99 for the rest of the season. Apparently the video highlights will be available in two versions: one high-bandwidth version for wifi and a lower bandwidth version for EDGE (they haven't said which version the 3G iPhone will load). For the future they're looking into bringing the Gameday service to the iPhone which opens the possibility of Gameday Audio. For the real baseball fanatics out there this would be an absolutely killer app, especially for those of us away from our home team's broadcast area. Imagine being able to listen to any game on your iPhone from anywhere; that's close to baseball nirvana. And though things are looking rather bad at the moment: Go 'Stos!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tiger66 said 5:23PM on 6-19-2008
This would be awesome if the NFL would do it too.
It would be a sports fan dream!
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mmendoza27 said 5:28PM on 6-19-2008
I completely second that!! I can't remember how many times I would open fumbleview.com to check scores or what was happening in a football game. I would buy a football version for $4.99 for the whole season.
Jose said 5:41PM on 6-19-2008
All sports for that matter, NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA, etc..... Now if only the Dodgers, Lakers, Niners, and Trojans would make it worth streaming! LOL
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dagamer34 said 5:52PM on 6-19-2008
The NBA and NFL need to get on the ball!
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Tony Ward said 8:03PM on 6-19-2008
MLB is the one breaking new ground?! This must be the apocalypse. (Well, so much for needing the new iPhone). Stick Gameday Audio into this app and I am one HAPPY Cubs fan.
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sticky_bit said 5:58PM on 6-19-2008
hmmm, wonder if they might offer a package deal for current MLB.TV subscribers. I'm already getting sms alerts with links to video updates in addition to my ability to watch games live in my laptop... why would pay an extra $4.99 for a service I am already getting?
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atticus said 6:34PM on 6-19-2008
This is probably the App I'm most excited about. I'm hoping it's as good as it sounds.
Oh, and go O's! Let's sweep the 'Stros tonight!
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Mat Lu said 6:58PM on 6-19-2008
Oh so close to comment deletion :)
Galley said 6:49PM on 6-19-2008
I can already tell this will be my most-used app.
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Jason Martin said 6:55PM on 6-19-2008
This is great! I had hoped that MLB.com would release this for free, but I knew that was unlikely. So is the $4.99 price for the rest of the season mean that we will have to pay again for subsequent seasons? That seems to be MLB.com's modus operandi, but I wonder how that would be implemented. Regardless, having live video and Gameday service (i.e. the real-time box score feature) would indeed make it a killer app, although I doubt they will extend it to Gameday Audio at this price. Rather, they may set up a way to access the existing Gameday Audio and perhaps MLB.TV subscriptions through the app or through Safari.
Go Stros! Get back on track!
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Zimmie said 12:00AM on 6-20-2008
It would be implemented exactly how the game companies keep selling Madden over and over and over and over to people. MLB'08.app, MLB'09.app, MLB'10.app ...
Completely separate apps on the store running the same engine, just with a different data feed source. I just hope they *stop* selling a given year's app when its season is over. Imagine the complaints they would get from people who download MLB'08 in 2009.
The Rude Bellman said 10:03PM on 6-19-2008
This is awesome and it's about time. MLB websites are an overloaded jumble of garbage and their downloadable schedule requires one to jump through hoops to get it on iCal. I downloaded a Lakers schedule in one click and drag but an Angels schedule is impossible to get on my iPhone and the instructions require about ten steps to get it there. I said screw it.
$4.99 is a reasonable enough price and in fact it's actually about three dollars less than I paid for a beer at the game last night.
I'll wait and see what the app actually looks like before I get to happy but it's good that they're trying.
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Hard of Hearing said 10:01PM on 6-19-2008
I'm a die-hard baseball fan. But I'd just as soon pirate this thing than put another cent into Bud $elig's dirty pockets.
Once a used-car salesman, always a used-car salesman.
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Darrell said 12:18AM on 6-20-2008
Woo Hoo!
Another Houston Astros man/fan.
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br8thw8 said 11:09AM on 6-20-2008
I'm also excited to get this app!! Now I can earn more brownie points with the wife by going out shopping while the game is on. ;^) And the $4.99 is reasonable. Now it is time for the NFL to step up.
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John V. said 9:39AM on 6-20-2008
This would be great... if I wasn't a Mariners fan. Good god! I can't bear to listen or watch this season. I might pay $4.99 to not get updates!
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Clifford said 10:01AM on 6-20-2008
I'll buy this in a heartbeat for the video highlights. But right now I'm using http://sportstap.mobi
Sure, it's a web app -- but you have to be connected to get the current game score anyways. It covers most major sports with a nice, clean interface.
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TMoney said 10:13AM on 6-20-2008
Another 'Stros fan! woot
although at the end of the article you said "Go 'Stos!"
are yes, they have been suckin it lately...they always seems to go in these horrible slumps every damn year....I have a love/hate relationship =)
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Rajesh said 12:24AM on 6-21-2008
I have both T-Mobile Dash and iPhone (unlocked), I compared these options for my windows mobile and decided to use my SlingBox with my DTV sports subscription over paying extra for game day audio.
I would make iPhone every day phone once sling player and push emails are available.
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cuban321 said 3:28PM on 6-22-2008
woohoo astros!
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