Major League Baseball's At Bat for the iPhone and iPod Touch is one of my all-time favorites. I've sung its praises before, so I'll spare you the details. Just know that At Bat brings real-time stats, streaming audio and video of pro baseball games to your iPhone and iPod touch. Last month they added in-app purchases that let you grab a live game for $0.99US.

Now that the post season has begun, they've improved the app again. You can watch live post season games through the World Series with 7 camera angles to choose from. Or you can watch a split screen of four camera angles simultaneously. Admittedly, those four screens are tiny on an iPhone's screen but it's still fun. Switching from one angle to another is quick and simple.

At Bat costs $9.99 per season and is completely worth it. I use it every day to watch games, get stats, read stories, check standings and more. There's a free "lite" version as well [iTunes link], which provides real-time scores and schedules.

It's no secret that one of my favorite iPhone apps is Major League Baseball's At Bat [iTunes link]. Last season it provided real-time statistics and video clips from games across the league. This season, it added live video streaming of full games as well as Game Day audio. At first the video streams were free, then MLB switched the model to feature one free game of the day, and the others were available to MLB.TV subscribers.

Frankly I thought that was a bummer, as I don't want to pay a monthly fee for baseball. They must have read my mind, because version 1.4 was released this week with in-app purchasing. Users can buy any live video stream for $0.99US. Hooray! No more MLB.TV.

I've gushed over this app before, so I'll keep it short this time. Not only is it a great experience for fans, the developers seem on top of what we want. Each update is significantly better than the last.

Now if only the NFL and the PGA would create something as good.

My all-time favorite iPhone app, MLB's At Bat [App Store link], is all new for the 2009 baseball season. For the uninitiated, At Bat provides nearly real-time statistics for ongoing games, including scoring, current batter and pitcher, stats, the count at the plate ... even video clips from a game that's in progress.

Late last year they added MLB Gameday for pitch-by-pitch updates, and the full '09 version (when it launches) will extend that with support for Gameday audio. You'll be able to listen to the home or away broadcast of any game. That's great.

For now, you can download At Bat Lite, which includes scores from pre-season games as well as news from throughout the league before opening day. As a baseball fan, I love At Bat. It's worth the $5US price tag many times over.

[Via Macworld]

Apple released a new iPhone ad last night, and I know of at least one person that will like this one. They're continuing to show off the App Store, and just like last time, they are featuring an individual application. The MLB (At Bat) application is the lucky player for this edition.

The narrator says, "It can be a score checker, a live pitch updater, or video highlight player. But any way you cut it, it's officially a game changer."

The new commercial is called "Game Changer" and can be viewed from the iPhone ads website.

Thanks to Jack and others for the tip!

When the App Store opened, I went nuts and downloaded a slew of apps. Two weeks later, I listed the 8 I decided to keep, including Major League Baseball's (MLB) At Bat [App Store link]. This week, At Bat has dropped in price from $4.99US to $2.99US.

It's on sale because it will "expire" when the current season ends (Go, Sox!), meaning you'll have to purchase a new version for 2009. Still, if you're a fan and into the post-season, I encourage you to buy it. It's my hands-down favorite iPhone application.

While using At Bat, I realized how an application's features and benefits affect its longevity. Specifically, the features attract your attention, while the benefits grab you for good.

Here's an example. At Bat provides nearly real-time statistics for ongoing games, including scoring, current batter and pitcher, stats, the count at the plate ... even video clips from a game that's in progress.

You can identify your favorite team to keep their score highlighted, and enjoy an integrated version of MLB Gameday, which provides pitch-by-pitch information and so much more. All of this is presented in an attractive, readable UI.

Those are the features.

The benefit is a feeling of connectedness, even participation, and that's why At Bat is a keeper. As a die-hard baseball fan, I want to watch every game. I know the stats, the players, the standings; who's playing well, who's on injured reserve and who's in a slump. It's tremendously fun to watch a baseball game on a summer evening and get lost in the drama of it all.

However, life interferes (can you say "toddlers"?) and I sometimes miss a game. Yet, those live stats and video clips alleviate the feeling of missing the game, and that's worth a lot more than $2.99 to me.

The same can be said of other applications. Twitterrific [App Store link] puts 1,000 friends in your pocket (leave your adolescent joke in the comments, please). At any time, I can share a funny picture, observation or idea with my buddies, and get a reply just as easily. Those are the features. The benefit is the comfort of friendship.

The benefit of FileMagnet [App Store link] is peace of mind. Yes, I've got that PDF for the meeting. Yes, I've got the photo I have to show my boss. Phew.

Others that I've eliminated went in the other direction - all feature. Cro-Mag Rally's [App Store link] accelerometer-based steering got boring after 10 minutes.

One of my favorite iPhone/iPod touch applications, Major League Baseball's At Bat [App Store link] has been updated to version 1.2 with great new features.

For the unfamiliar, At Bat provides up-to-the-minute statistics on ongoing baseball games, including the count at the plate, pitching and batter statistics ... even video clips of a game that's in progress. It's a little treasure for baseball fans (like me) who can't always watch the day's game.

Version 1.2 adds cool "Gameday" features, including pitch-by-pitch updates (speed, call, even placement over the plate), full box scores (both teams), a player card for each member of the roster with oodles of information and a game summary that sorts the action into top plays and runs.

At $4.99US, At Bat is a must-have for all fans of Major League Baseball, and sits easily among my top three applications. Go, Sox!