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What's on your HDTV this week: World Cup, 'Big Brother' and 'The Leftovers'
This week the World Cup moves on from Group play to the Round of 16, and the USMNT can book a trip there with a win or draw against Germany on Thursday (or a loss, if other things happen -- futbol is complicated). In other sportsball news, the NBA Draft is on Thursday night, and with a list full of highly touted prospects plus intriguing free agents like Lebron and Carmelo, it could get very interesting. We're also getting a taste of the rest of summer programming from various networks, but the option we're most excitedly waiting for is HBO's The Leftovers. Also, you may be wondering why we mentioned Big Brother so prominently this week. That's because only now, despite its long run and the wide adoption of HDTV over the last decade, is the voyeuristic reality TV series going to be produced and broadcast in high definition. Check after the break for a list of what's new this week plus a few trailers, and drop a note in the comments if you see any highlights we've missed.
PSA: Fake EA Sports Instagram account phishing for Xbox, Origin logins
It's World Cup season; reigning champions Spain lost in spectacular fashion and FIFA soccer fans may be interested in rectifying that loss to Chile in FIFA 14's Ultimate Team World Cup mode. Unfortunately, Instagram accounts posing as official EA Sports channels are popping up during this period of piqued interest, posting tempting offers for free in-game currency in order to obtain players' Xbox Live and Origin account details.
What's on your HDTV this week: World Cup, 'Fargo' finale, 'True Blood' premiere
Hockey and basketball are over, but now it's time for the global game to take center stage. The World Cup started last week, but the USMNT is only just getting ready for its first game today against Ghana, the country that's knocked it out in the last two tournaments. If you have cable, watching the game in the US is as easy as turning on the TV or opening ESPN's app, but those without should keep an eye on Univision, which is streaming the action from Brazil with no login required. Also of note, the season finales of Orphan Black as well as FX's excellent Fargo and Louie are on the schedule this week. Check after the break for a list of what's new this week plus a few trailers, and drop a note in the comments if you see any highlights we've missed. [Image credit: Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images for adidas]
All the best World Cup apps for iOS
The FIFA World Cup starts today, which means we're at the cusp of a month of soccer (sorry, football) madness. We already showed you how to watch the games live on your iPhone or iPad, but if you can't devote time to actually watching the action as it happens, there's a whole bunch of great apps that can keep you up to date with scores, stats, and news from the event. FIFA Official App If you're not super concerned with the minutia of the teams and players, and just want an easy-to-use interface to check on scores, standings, and talk about your favorite teams, the official FIFA app will be a great fit. It's extremely intuitive, letting you browse between the various tournament stages to check game start times, scores, and the hottest news items relating to each team. There's also a social component that scours Twitter for updates that are relevant to you. theScore theScore is one of the best all-around sports apps on the App Store, and with a new section just for the World Cup, it's once again a stat hound's dream come true. theScore app is all about numbers, so along with scores and customized alerts, you'll also be able to dive deep into not only team stats, but also the performance of each individual player. You can compare stats between players to an impressive degree, and there's also a rich selection of professionally-written news columns and roundups to keep you on top of the tournament's latest chatter. ESPN FC Soccer & World Cup While the WatchESPN is your home for live streams of the games as they happen, ESPN's dedicated World Cup app is a great alternative if you're all about the numbers. You'll get the features you expect, like score updates on all the games, stats, and tournament standings, but since ESPN is FIFA's broadcast partner, you'll also have access to video highlights pulled directly from the network's coverage. Add customized alerts for your favorite teams and a slick, clean interface, and you've got one of the best World Cup experiences around. Onefootball Brasil The Onefootball Brasil app bills itself as the most comprehensive soccer app available, and it's definitely not joking. You'll get all the updates from the tournament -- including stats on teams and individual players -- but you'll also get a ton of behind-the-scenes content like interviews, player profiles, and even a built-in social network widget with live updates. If you want to know absolutely everything about the World Cup as it happens, look no further.
How to watch the World Cup on your iPhone and iPad
Later this afternoon, all of the world's attention will turn towards soccer as the 2014 World Cup kicks off, rather appropriately, in Brazil. The festivities will begin on EPSN with Brazil matching up against Croatia at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Over the next month, there will be 64 games for fans to enjoy. Most of the matches set to air on either ESPN or ESPN2 (a few matches on the weekend will be broadcast on ABC). If you're located in the U.S., there's thankfully no obscene time difference with Brazil as there was last time when the Cup was held in South Africa. As such, most games will kick off between Noon and 6 PM Eastern Time, meaning that most folks stateside will be at work. So what's a soccer fan to do? Well, rest easy my friends. Soccer heads can catch all of the World Cup action live as it happens on ESPN's WatchESPN app available as a free download from the App Store. There is, however, a caveat. Only users with certain cable providers will be able to login and enjoy the streaming action. Pre-approved cable providers include AT&T U-verse, BEK TV, Bright House Networks, Charter, Comcast XFINITY, DISH, Cox, Google Fiber, Midcontinent Communications, Optimum, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Yadtel Telecom, and The Walt Disney Company. That should cover most cable subscribers, but conspicuously absent from the list is DirecTV. You can check out the full World Cup schedule over here on Fifa's website.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for June 10, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Twitter updates its app with one stop World Cup news hub
When the World Cup kicks off this week social media is going to explode with soccer related news stories, jokes, and profane ramblings from bummed out fans. Twitter knows how frustrating wading through the white noise can be, so the social media giant has released a new update for its iOS app aimed directly at World Cup fanatics. When users sign up for a new Twitter account during the World Cup they will be presented with the option of picking their favorite team's logo or country's flag as their profile icon. Once you're inside the app searching the hashtag #WorldCup will bring up two options: Twitters normal unfiltered real time results for the tag or a special Twitter curated World Cup timeline. Twitter's special curated feed is made up of teams, players, coaches, press, and fans watching the games. The feed is separated into three areas: Tweets, Photos, and Matches. Tweets are simply a general collection of missives covering whats happening in the games that day while Photos will show you beautiful real time photography from the days games. Both of those feeds are nice, but the Matches option is what most people will find useful. With Matches users are able to search for tweets related to specific matches. Want to know what the public is thinking about the Brazil-China match on Thursday at 4:00PM? Just click on the icon for that game to be whisked away into the conversation. This update has made Twitter one of the best sources for up to the minute World Cup news. If you're a soccer fanatic who can't get near a TV to watch the big games, this update is the next best thing.
SMITE patch introduces Footballer skins and Hercules revamp
In honor of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, this week's SMITE patch will feature two new football- (soccer-) themed skins for X'balanque: the Jaguar Footballer and Football Star 2014. If you buy the Jaguar Footballer skin before July 12, you get the Football Star 2014 skin for free. In addition, a makeover is in store for Hercules, Champion of Rome. A new official video showcases Hercules' lore, abilities, and gameplay strategies. Check it out, along with one showing off the new X'balanque skins, just after the cut below. [Thanks to Soren for the tip!]
Argue about the offside rule in Portuguese with Rosetta Stone's Futebol app
We're big fans of Football English Soccerball, but even we aren't hardcore enough to be able to discuss the technicalities of the game in Portuguese. Thankfully, and just in time for the World Cup, Rosetta Stone (amongst others) is unveiling a Futebol Edition of its travel app, helping you to say escanteio (corner kick), un meio-campista (midfielder) and por favor, queremos saber onde fica o estádio (excuse me, we're looking for the stadium). The app, which is available for free on iOS and Android will give you tips on navigating public transport, but since all of the data is offline, it won't rinse your data connection as it does so. We've tried the app and it's missing a few practical phrases (o árbitro é um bastardo) but otherwise it's golden.
Take a sunny Street View tour of Brazil's World Cup stadiums
If heading out to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil weighed too heavy on your wallet, Google's latest Maps update might help you experience some of the fútbol magic from the comfort of your own home. With the tournament just days away, the search giant is kicking things off a little early by adding all 12 of Brazil's World Cup stadiums, including the revamped Maracanã, and the vibrantly-colored boulevards that surround them to Street View. For those who managed to grab a ticket, Google's also made sure to update its mobile app with transit data in each of the host cities, as well as indoor maps and turn-by-turn navigation (perfect for those embarking on a dream road trip). If that wasn't enough, Maps now includes Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, letting you explore Latin America whenever the feeling takes you.
Microsoft is getting the Xbox One ready for World Cup action
The World Cup 2014 is one of the hottest topics there is at the moment. Whether you're looking for in-depth coverage or streaming live games, it looks as if everyone has something special planned for the tournament. And, not surprisingly, this includes Microsoft. To go along with the recent announcement of ESPN FC World Cup Essentials, the Redmond-based company has now revealed Destination Brazil, a hub for the Xbox that's set to feature nothing but World Cup content. There will be, among other things, an app dubbed Brazil Now and an original series titled Every Street United.
Xbox One's World Cup app sets its destination for Brazil
Microsoft announced a new sporty app section for Xbox One today called "Destination Brazil," which connects viewers with a couple of nifty tools to enhance their FIFA World Cup viewing experience. Slated to launch Thursday, June 12, Destination Brazil includes a "Brazil Now" app that snaps to the side of the TV screen to update viewers in real-time on match scores, statistics, interactive polls, relevant tweets and more. The Xbox One will also receive an unscripted TV series starring footballers Thierry Henry and Edgar Davids called "Every Street United," which travels the globe to find talented street soccer players. Every Street United debuts on Sunday, June 15 via its Xbox One and Xbox 360 app or through Xbox Video. Microsoft will also distribute videos on Xbox Video from YouTube soccer channel Copa90 and will provide a quick access point to the special World Cup mode within FIFA 14's Ultimate Team section. As a bonus, those that pick up a copy of FIFA 14 or 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil on either system (well, only Xbox 360 for the latter) will receive a special Xbox-branded mini soccer ball to destroy their lamps with, because they're definitely not Lionel Messi or anything. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft and ESPN make vital World Cup info pretty to look at
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, Microsoft is now the latest brand to show how it plans to get in on the tournament's hype. Through a partnership between its Internet Explorer team and ESPN, both parties have teamed up to launch ESPN FC World Cup Essentials. By combining 3D graphics and detailed information pages, this new site aims to do more than just keep you well informed -- it wants to do so in a beautiful and very interactive way. World Cup Essentials, which is part of the recent redesign to ESPN FC, will let you easily browse news and scores coming out of Brazil, and narrow them down by team or specific match. To complement this, there are visuals that make the experience a little more enjoyable; swiping from country to country under "Teams" instantly brings up artwork for key players, among other things.
Major League Soccer has big plans for the World Cup and beyond
On June 12th, most football fans around the globe will have their eyes set on Brazil's Arena de Sao Paulo, where the host nation is set to take on Croatia in the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Here in the States, ESPN has already revealed how it plans to deliver coverage of the world's biggest sporting event, making it easy for you to watch anywhere, anytime. Sure, there are some caveats (namely, you still need to be a pay-TV subscriber to watch games), but the way ESPN intends to bring you content from Brazil will likely still be better than anything we've seen from previous World Cups. And "The World Wide Leader in Sports" won't be the only one. Major League Soccer, too, wants to be a source of info for anything that comes out of the event in South America.
PSA: FIFA 14's World Cup update delayed until tomorrow
For those sitting idly by their consoles, waiting for FIFA 14's Ultimate Team World Cup update, expect it to arrive tomorrow, according to an update on EA's official forums. The update adds a special World Cup mode within FIFA Ultimate Team, the series' card-collecting, squad-building mode. It also offers an offline World Cup kick-off game option for those playing on PS4 or Xbox One, which allows players to use the 32 national teams participating in the tournament this summer. While running its final phase of testing, the developer "encountered unforeseen issues that would affect all users who downloaded the update," and opted to "address them first before release." It anticipated that the World Cup kick-off mode will likely launch "earlier in the day." [Image: EA Sports]
FIFA 14 jets to Brazil with Ultimate Team World Cup mode on May 29
EA Sports announced a free update for FIFA 14 that adds a unique World Cup tournament mode to Ultimate Team, slated to arrive on May 29. The mode offers a separate card-collecting excursion within FIFA 14's Ultimate Team mode in which players gather their World Cup squad to participate in both the online and single-player global tournament. While players won't be able to transfer their current set of Ultimate Team cards to the World Cup mode, all card packs purchased within the tournament set grant players a separate gold-level card pack for their usual FIFA 14 Ultimate Teams. Chemistry for players' World Cup teams is boosted within the mode by each athlete's nationality and confederation affiliation. Additionally, Xbox One and PS4 players will receive an offline FIFA World Cup kick-off mode to play with the 32 national teams participating in the tournament this summer. The Ultimate Team add-on for FIFA 14 is the only way for players to enjoy the World Cup with the correct national team kits, crests and the Estadio do Marcana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on PC and next-gen consoles. EA Sports' other effort to celebrate the global sporting event was with 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, which launched in April for Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: EA Sports]
BBC Sport app brings World Cup streaming to UK Roku boxes
The BBC's desire to launch apps for all manner of connected devices sees it bring sporting coverage to UK Roku boxes at an exciting time. With the 2014 World Cup just a few short weeks away, the Beeb's new Sport app delivers the latest news and highlights on all Roku streaming players (including the new Streaming Stick). More importantly, it also offers live streaming of major sporting events. To help users enjoy the greatest footballing show on earth, the BBC has introduced a dedicated filter option for the tournament, opening access to the 31 games it'll broadcast during its "first 24/7 World Cup."
Sony will give your PlayStation controller a free World Cup makeover
Major sporting events serve as the perfect time for brands to thrust their latest wares in fans' faces. With only weeks until the start of the 2014 World Cup, Sony is maximising its marketing opportunities as one of only six official FIFA Partners by offering PS3 and PS4 owners the opportunity to give their DualShock controllers a World Cup makeover. Sony will set up Customisation Stations in three UK cities where teams of graffiti artists will adorn the controllers with names, numbers and countries completely free of charge. To take advantage of the offer, make your way to the PlayStation Customisation Stations situated in the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham on May 24th, Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester on May 31st or Westfield Stratford City in London on either the 7th or 8th June. All you'll need is your PlayStation controller and an idea of what you want done with it.
The BBC wants you to join it for 'the first 24/7' World Cup
With the greatest footballing show on earth less than a month away, the BBC is looking to whet the British public's appetite with the promise of "the first 24/7" World Cup. Building on the platform that helped it deliver stellar Olympics coverage, the Beeb will deliver 31 live World Cup matches as well as additional reports, news and content across a multitude of platforms, ranging from TV and radio to mobile apps, consoles and connected TVs. In all, the BBC says it will deliver over 160 hours of TV broadcasts from Brazil, which is over 50 percent more than the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Although the BBC must share TV coverage with rival ITV, the public broadcaster will continue to deliver additional coverage both on TV and the web, including the launch of daily "World Cup breakfast" videos that summarise the day's action and what's coming up later that evening. That's in addition to video highlights of every single match, full match replays for BBC TV games, and the streaming of classic matches via World Cup Rewind. All of its video coverage will be available on both the BBC Sport website and iPlayer. If you're wondering what games will be shown where, the BBC will show England's opener against Italy on June 14th at 11pm. ITV has managed to snap up the other two group matches on the 19th and 24th June respectively, suggesting the BBC could be in line to deliver live footage of England's usual knockout stage exit (that's if they get that far).
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil review: Qualifier
The FIFA World Cup is one of the grandest, most cherished sporting events in the world. The quadrennial competition pits teams of the best soccer players on the planet against one another, each representing dozens of nations (hundreds in the qualifying stages). To do the competition justice, a video game would need to elicit how special the World Cup is, especially to nations that hold the sport closer to their hearts (I'm looking at you, everyone but the United States). Purely by virtue of existing as a stand-alone product, you'd think 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil would drive home the event's importance as its own entity outside of soccer. However, EA Sports seemingly spent more time trying to convince us that 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is worthy of being its own $60 retail game than delivering enough to separate it from the main series in a truly meaningful way.
