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17 best sports games on Android in 2024
Get in the game from just about anywhere with these fantastic mobile sports titles
Sports apps present an interesting dilemma for game developers, who must choose between skilled adaptation or faithful depictions of real-world games. Fortunately, this versatile genre of app can cater to a bunch of different gameplay loops, be it slow and contemplative experiences or fast-paced tests of reaction time. Whether you want something subdued and stylized or a thrill ride that puts your sleek Android gaming phone to the test, sports games don't disappoint.
Google wants to help you keep score with its new sports widget for Android
The widget would allow you to track ongoing, upcoming, and previous games
If you’re a sports fan, it can be challenging to stay on top of scores when you’re away from the game. Depending on the situation, you might not be able to view a match on your mobile device or quickly open an app to check the score. This is where widgets can come in handy, especially if you can only afford to glance at your display in between your other obligations. Now, Google wants to help you stay updated with a Sports widget of its own.
Sometimes you need more than steadfast weather apps to fish with the best, something to keep track of the mitigating factors that irritate pros and scare newbies away. Fishing apps can assist with the many tasks that anglers deal with, from competitions to record keeping, all from nifty portable Android phones. But, when there are so many to choose from on the Play Store, it can be challenging to know which apps are worthy of your time. So if you're looking to take to the water with confidence as we inch toward summer, AP has collected these great fishing apps in today's roundup to help everyone get started.
How to stream the 2023 U.S. Open Golf Championship
Watch the biggest golf tournament at home or on the go
The 123rd US Open Golf Championship will be played at The Los Angeles Country Club. This is the first time the venue has hosted the event in over 75 years. However, if you can't attend the historic event in person, there are plenty of ways to stream the tournament from home. Just grab one of the best streaming devices before you begin.
Here's why you should try bone conduction headphones
They're useful for a lot more than just cycling
Active noise cancellation is all the rage in the headphone space, putting a premium on the ability to tune out the world and focus on whatever it is you're listening to. But what if you'd rather do the opposite? What if what's happening around you is actually pretty important, like the sound of your kids trying to beat their record for consecutive days without household destruction, or the rolling-coal diesel that's about to turn you and your bike into a greasy smear in its blind spot?The answer is bone conduction headphones. These gadgets rest outside of your ear canal — outside of your ear entirely, for most designs — and vibrate the bones in your head directly to get the sound to your auditory nerve. The upshot: you get to listen to your music (or video, or podcast, what have you) while still being able to listen to the world around you.Listening to bone conduction headphones is a unique experience, one that's both better and worse than conventional earbuds or around-the-ear headphones. In terms of audio fidelity, well, it kinda sucks. There's no way around that: modern audio just isn't designed with this kind of system in mind. A lot of these designs include foam earplugs, allegedly improving the sound… but that pretty much defeats the entire purpose. So audiophiles can pretty much disregard this post; I'm not one, and I'm usually listening to audiobooks, podcasts, background videos, etc.So what's the point? The point is that you can hear all the stuff around you and whatever you're pumping through your headphones, with more or less equal fidelity. It's hard to describe just how big a deal that is to someone who hasn't tried it before. But let me just list out the reasons that I've come to use bone conduction headphones most of the time:Safety: Ask my buddy and former Android Police editor Cam: bone conduction headphones are really the only safe way to listen to something while riding on a bike, short of strapping a massive speaker to your handlebars. Keeping your ears clear for traffic and other hazards is a must. Joggers and dog walkers could also make good use of these headphones.Situational awareness: You might be familiar with some headphones' pass-through audio mode, which uses microphones to digitally allow external sound in along with whatever it is you're listening to. It's like the reverse of active noise cancellation. I've never tried any headphones with pass-through audio that worked even a tiny bit as well as bone conduction headphones. I'm a bit of a clumsy oaf, so I've started wearing them when grocery shopping, just so I can listen to podcasts without stopping and having people slam into my ass with their previously-silent carts. Bonus: I don't have to take them out when going through the checkout.Comfort: North Texas is so humid that you're basically wading through the air for five months out of the year. In such conditions, there's no kind of headphones that don't get sweaty and nasty in your ears. Enter bone conduction headphones, which aren't in your ears. Combined with their handiness for workouts, these designs are fantastic for keeping cool and comfy when it's soupy.There are a few downsides. In addition to the previously-mentioned drop in audio fidelity, bone conduction headphones also let more noise out via their strong vibrations. So they may not be the best choice If you're in close quarters with other people and you don't want to annoy them, as in public transit. They're also not ideal if the sounds around you are so loud that you really should be using hearing protection: obviously, they offer none.
T-Mobile's bringing its freebie subscriber perks to Metro
Starting next week with a subscription to MLB.tv
Metro by T-Mobile has been an Un-carrier subsidiary since 2013, well before its official rebrand. However, Metro customers haven't had the opportunity to participate in any deals through T-Mobile Tuesdays, the rewards program that offers weekly giveaways and savings. Beginning next week, Metro users can finally redeem the same deals as T-Mobile and Sprint customers, starting with a free subscription to MLB.tv.
T-Mobile preparing to offer free MLB.tv subscriptions starting March 30
The boys of summer may look good in magenta
T-Mobile has a contract with Major League Baseball to offer its subscribers free MLB.TV subscriptions through 2023. With another year of pandemic sports on the horizon, fans might be happy to take advantage of the Un-carrier's offer this year which is set to officially become available soon.
YouTube redesigns its sports page to promote highlights, athlete content, live games
Sportsball, but better sorted
Sports fans may flock to linear TV for the big games, but they also have a surprisingly huge appetite for off-air content from a variety of sources. YouTube, with a ton of upstart commentary and story-telling channels to cash in on, continues to fight for its share of consumers' eyes by redesigning youtube.com/sports.
YouTube TV is losing Fox Regional Sports from October 1
An extension took the game into overtime, but the final whistle is about to blow
Back in March, YouTube TV was in danger of losing Fox Regional Sports channels from its service, but a deal was struck with owner Sinclair Broadcast Group that would extend the relationship. Most of its channels remained available long enough to offer regular-season coverage for the NBA, MLB, and NHL, but sadly the extension is coming to an end on October 1
YouTube TV adds NFL Network, plus $11 Sports Plus add-on with RedZone, Fox College Sports, and more
A potentially worthwhile value for sports fans
Read update
- These new channels are now official. NFL Network is indeed a free addition, and the Sports Plus add-on is $10.99 and includes one more channel than we'd thought: Fox Soccer Plus. That's on top of the other six: NFL RedZone, Fox College Sports, GOLTV, MAVTV, Stadium, and TVG. NFL Network and the Sports Plus package are available today.
YouTube TV is apparently about to release another add-on package — this one called Sports Plus. It's said to include seven new networks that you'll get if you pay an unknown amount of extra bucks per month. It also seems that NFL Network will be available for all YouTube TV subscribers, which is nice.
Spotify rolls out Daily Sports curated music-and-podcast playlist
Bangers and sportsball, erry day y'all
Read update
Spotify may be testing or rolling out a new daily playlist which will feature tracks from your favorite artists and genres in addition to sports podcasts. If Daily Sports spreads across to more users, it will join the streaming service's growing list of daily music-and-podcast playlists curated to its users.
How to watch classic (and recent) NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB games for free
Major sports leagues offer up free content during the coronavirus hiatus
The coronavirus pandemic has caused tons of disruption to many industries across the globe, and major professional sports are no different. Public health is the number one priority right now, so the NBA, NHL, and MLB are all suspended for the time being while the US is undergoing a period of self-isolation and social distancing and the NFL is lucky to be in its off-season. This couldn't come at a worse time for sports fans who are stuck at home with little to do, but thankfully the big four sports have made a bunch of classic content free to watch.
The Adidas GMR is a $40 Google Jacquard tag with a FIFA game tie-in
Play real soccer, get good at virtual soccer
Last week, Google's Advanced Technology and Projects unit teased a collaboration centered around its Project Jacquard smart clothing tag featuring sportsgear brand Adidas and video game publisher Electronic Arts. Well, the teasing's over now and what we've got are a new pair of insoles that are meant to get you (or your kids) playing real soccer while also acing virtual soccer in EA Sports FIFA Mobile. Adidas calls it GMR.
Andrew Bell, the artist behind the company Dead Zebra, has been releasing fun Android-themed figures for years. If you just can't get enough of the little bugdroids, or if you haven't purchased any already (you monster!), the company now has 12 more figures available.
There are many fitness tracking apps around to monitor your runs, rides, and other workouts. Over the past few years, several of them have been acquired by athletic apparel and footwear manufacturers, which usually made them part of their overall fitness offering. For instance, Under Amour integrated Map My Fitness and Edomondo into its portfolio, and Asics did the same with Runkeeper. Adidas also went shopping back in 2015, when it bought Runtastic. Two years later, the company shut down its miCoach ecosystem, prompting users to migrate to the newly acquired service. The German brand now pushed the integration further, as it officially renamed Runtastic to Adidas Running.
Plantronics released its first take on the true wireless form factor about a year ago, but the company's efforts weren't well received. I spent a bit of time with the BackBeat Fit 3100 and liked their stable design and sound quality, but noticed a few disconnections. Those became much more noticeable when my husband tried them in a completely open outdoor setting near the sea. With no trees, no buildings, and nothing to bounce the sound around, one of the buds would frequently lose connection and stutter.Now the company is acknowledging the problem and releasing an updated Fit 3150 with better connectivity and battery life. It's also introducing the Fit 3200 with removable noise-isolating eartips, and the tiny Pro 5100. There's also a new sports headset from Plantronics, the BackBeat Fit 6100.All four Plantronics models have a few features in common. First, they all still charge over MicroUSB, a sad and annoying situation. With USB-C charging and even wireless charging present on many competitors' true wireless buds, it's no longer justifiable for Plantronics to stick to MicroUSB.Second, they all offer a "My Tap" feature that lets you customize single or double taps to start a stopwatch, set a timer, play your favorite playlist — all shortcuts that can be handy if you're exercising.And finally, the three true wireless buds let you pick the main bud, as well as use each bud separately in mono mode.
The NBC Sports app has been around for some time now, having amassed more than five million installs. It lets you log in with TV provider credentials to watch — you guessed it — sports content from NBC. Last week, a listing cropped up for a new app with the same name and a very similar description, also published by NBC. It's not clear why both apps exist.
Two weeks ago, Google News got an update to version 5.5, bringing a dark theme option to the app. But since the rollout was slow, we didn't get an official changelog until yesterday. In it, new features were mentioned for sports teams, but they were nowhere to be found. It seems they were dependent on a server-side switch, because it isn't until this morning that these new sports options started showing up for us.
Like clockwork, the latest beta release of the Google app began rolling out just about the time the developers are headed out for the weekend. We've yet to see any live changes on this release, but there are some interesting additions to be found in a teardown. The floating sports tracker bubble appears to have some enhancements coming just in time for the Fall schedule, there are small additions to Collections and Google Assistant for Households, and a previously spotted General settings screen is growing larger
Yes, you read that right: YouTube TV has gone down amidst a major sports game yet again. This last happened during Game 2 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, and it seems like Google's streaming service just isn't built to handle all of the World Cup fans either.