Olympics on your tablet

If you’ve been facing trouble keeping track of the results or schedules of the London Olympic Games, or want to watch the events when you’re on the go between meetings, your phone or tablet can come to the rescue.

There are a number of apps that can help you keep track of the events live, and there are also apps which add functions such as result tallies, or track the progress of a country or a participant.

Given the huge amount of content available from the Games, it can get a little overwhelming if you just start searching for things on the Net. This is where the apps come in handy—all the content you want has already been brought together in one place and is organized to make finding different kinds of information simple, and easy to access even on the go.

We look at six of the best apps that are keeping track of the Games, and the best website to watch the events live. All the apps are free to download and use.

Reuters’ Olympics London 2012

App Store

This Reuters app doesn’t give you too many options but it is a great way to capture the atmosphere of the Games. The app is updated regularly with photos from live events. These high-resolution pictures are taken by Reuters’ photographers, and instead of simply presenting details like medals and news, the photographs are also turned into

infographics, with information about the results, the games and the athletes.

If you’re not trying to find out who won a particular event or track the progress of a favourite, this is easily the best-looking app around.

Sports Illustrated Live from London 2012

App Store

A constantly updated Sports Illustrated

issue for the Olympics, with live scores, results and medal count. It’s one of the best apps because the live news keeps you up-to-date with the action; at the same time, there is a video recap of the day in London and top photos of the day, along with updates on what to expect the next day. The combination of news and videos is well suited to a tablet.

The app also includes a live Twitter feed with daily features and news stories from Sports Illustrated writers.

Olympic Tennis 2012

App Store/Google Play

This app by the International Tennis Federation has incredibly detailed and regularly updated information about the sport. The app can track live scores, schedules and completed matches, and show updates from different courts simultaneously. It’s updated live, so aside from the games and sets, you can also see the points in the games.

The app also has news updates from the games, and a flow-chart view to track progress through the games. The only thing missing is live video feeds of the matches in progress.

London 2012: Official Results App for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

App Store/Google Play (as London 2012 Results App)

The official app of the London 2012 Olympic Games is incredibly detailed and is loaded with a wide range of information. It is current, with live updates of all the events, and includes an updated list of individual athletes, with their biographies, related news stories and individual performance records.

Users can search by sport or by country to find the athletes they are looking for. You can also select athletes and countries to save to a My Games category, where you can get updates on your favourites easily. You can see the results, calendar, details of sports, medal tables and athlete profiles, or follow specific countries to get their medal tallies.

The only downside is that all the timings are UK time, so you can’t use it to plan your viewing.

London 2012: Official Join In App for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

App Store/Google Play (as London 2012 Join In App)

This is an official pocket guide to the Games for people visiting London. The app is a mobile guide to help people plan and share their Games experience. It helps you find out what’s happening near you, gives you updates on the Games and also has a shared map function so you can find your friends easily if they also have the app.

You can add reminders about events you have tickets for, and it will show you street-level maps to help you reach the venue on time. The app also lists cultural events, free events and celebrations. You can use it to plan your journey and get live updates from the Games too.

CTV Olympics London 2012

App Store/Google Play

The CTV Olympics London 2012 app provides live video coverage from London as well as video highlights and up-to-the-minute breaking news. It also has live commentary, trivia and Olympic Games facts. The app is an easy way to watch videos from the Games, with a lot of added content.

The only catch: Since it is a Canadian TV app, the timings shown are the local time there, so you will have to do the math to figure out when the event you really want to watch is taking place. The app’s trivia and other content is aimed at Canadians, but there are many interesting facts which should interest any fan, regardless of nationality.

YouTube

www.youtube.com/olympic

If you’re not looking for added frills and just want to get to the live videos as fast as possible, the best solution is definitely YouTube. There are highlights when nothing is on, and the site also displays the timings of events in Indian Standard Time.

This has the additional advantage of being accessible from your tablet, phone or computer with equal ease. Because of the focus on videos, additional features, such as medal tallies and athlete progress, can’t be tracked from YouTube. But it’s the best for live videos.

gopal.s@livemint.com