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Video: Philips hue and two fun apps stir up FIFA World Cup finals fever
Do you have any of the Philips hue smart lightbulbs installed in your home? If you do, grab your iPhone, pull up the App Store, and grab two apps that promise to get you in the mood for the remaining FIFA World Cup games. Those games are scheduled for Saturday at 4 PM ET to determine the third-place team (host country Brazil vs. The Netherlands) and on Sunday at 3 PM ET to crown the World Cup champion and second-place team (Germany vs. Argentina). The first app is Hue World Cup for Philips hue (US$1.99), which is a "sound and light effects board" that works with the Philips hue bulbs to create a wild mix of light and sound. Select a country, and you can play the national anthem accompanied by a light show featuring that country's flag colors. There are plenty of sound effects to get you in the mood, even if you can't be in Brazil for the last few games: crowd noises, drums, horns, you name it! Developer David Pewzner's OnSwitch for Philips hue and LIFX (free) provides different moods that evoke Iceland, New Mexico, the Sahara, and other light tints. He's added special World Flag effects now, which provide special lighting and sound whenever a goal is scored. Of course, being "that guy" who likes to control everything in his house from his iPhone, I just had to give this setup a try with the Philips hue lightbulbs I have installed. The free OnSwitch app was tested first -- the app provides two sets of country flags. On Saturday, for example, I could use the World Flags 1 set which contains both Red/White/Blue countries (Netherlands) and the Green/Yellow/Blue flag of Brazil. Selecting a flag for the team I'm rooting for lets me know that if I'm running the app when a goal is scored by my team, the lights will flash in a spectrum of colors and I'll hear a horn. The rest of the time, the app cycles the lights between the country's colors -- with the Netherlands, it cycled between red, white and blue. . But it's the Hue World Cup for Philips hue app that is really a lot of fun. You can start off the game with the national anthem of your country's team, accompanied by the flag colors flashing on the lights. There are a number of sound effects you can choose to play, and all of the sounds can be sent to speakers over AirPlay. Crowd noises, horns, drums, clapping -- you name it, they've thought of it. It's probably the closest thing to being at the Estádio Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro for the final. . If you're a football (soccer) fan who already has Philips hue lights, it's time to grab the apps and get ready for this weekend's matches. No Philips hue lights? No problem -- head to your local Apple Store and pick up the Philips hue Connected Bulb Starter Pack for $199.95. Photo: AP Photo/Francois Xavier Marit, Pool
Sony to stream two World Cup matches in 4K at a London cinema
Sporting events are often used as a testbed for new broadcast technologies, and this year's World Cup is no different. The BBC is already piloting 4K transmissions (albeit internally) from Brazil, but Sony has dreams of hitting the big screen. The official World Cup sponsor announced today that it's teaming up with Vue Cinemas to deliver a quarter final match and the final in Ultra High Definition (UHD) live via satellite to Westfield's Vue Multiplex, which'll host events on the 4th and 13th of July. Sony says tickets will be limited, by which it probably means the audience will be full of corporate types, but intends to offer a few to some "lucky fans." We've contacted a representative and will share exactly what we know in due course.
Samsung advertising faux pas hits the World Cup
Samsung has a rather long and comical history of advertising missteps, and with the World Cup upon us, they've struck again. The photo above, originally spotted by AppleInsider, was tweeted out by Samsung and features US Soccer player Landon Donovan holding a Galaxy S 5. The caption reads, "Best of luck to Landon Donovan & the USA team." Only problem is, Landon Donovan didn't make the cut for the U.S. National team for the 2014 World Cup. And speaking of the World Cup, the U.S. National team is slated to take on Germany today at 12 PM Eastern Time. Landon Donovan? He'll be in the ESPN studios as an analyst. Lastly, remember you can catch all the action on your iPhone or iPad via the WatchESPN app, available as a free download from the App Store.
Engadget Daily: an interview with Shuhei Yoshida, a social guide to the World Cup and more!
Today, we sit down with Shuhei Yoshida to discuss PlayStation Now, watch SwiftKey lose its price tag, go hands-on with Mario Maker and explore how to keep up with the World Cup on Facebook, Twitter and Google! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
A quick guide to following World Cup 2014 on Google, Facebook and Twitter
Like a trio of vuvuzelas, the three big internet platforms became a significant part of the World Cup's background noise in 2010. They have even more to offer this time around: Not just a multitude of ways to follow scores and other stats, but also places to go if you want to trumpet your opinions and listen to those of others. So, we've rounded up some of the best advice from Twitter, Facebook and Google on how to get the most out of the new features they're dishing out for Brazil 2014.
London's Tube stations to serve up live World Cup scores alongside train times
There's going to be no escaping the World Cup when travelling on the Tube over the coming weeks. To supplement Virgin Media's WiFi hotspots, which'll let you check scores on your phone, ESPN has linked up with Transport for London (TfL) to bring scrolling news, results and score updates to platform screens and entrances in more than 140 stations. The sports broadcaster is said to have stumped up around £100,000 for the privilege, and will kick off proceedings on June 12th, when hosts Brazil meet Croatia, continuing until July 14th, the day after the World Cup final. If you find yourself heading out in London to catch some of England's late-night matches, you'll almost certainly be reminded of the team's performances (whether they're good or bad) on your way home.
EA spoils World Cup, tells us Germany's going to win it
EA turned its crystal gaze to the other kind of football by offering predictions for the 2014 World Cup, which begins next week. Using the 2014 FIFA World Cup engine, EA simulated the sportsballs and came up with a win for Germany against tournament holders Brazil. As for Team USA, the boys didn't even make it out of the group stage. The Germans ran out 2-1 winners to put a dampener on Brazi's samba, with 35-year old sub Miroslav Klose scoring the crucial goal. If that sounds unlikely, EA genuinely has good form for this kind of thing. Madden sims predicted 8 of the last 11 Super Bowl winners and the 2010 World Cup game correctly picked Spain as eventual champions. On the other hand, EA did predict a close 31-28 win for the Denver Broncos in this year's Bowl, with reality proving just a little different. Also, it thought England would reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2010. Speaking as an Englishman, I could've told you that was a mission so laughably impossible Tom Cruise would've shirked it. [Image: EA]
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.
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.
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.
The BBC's World Cup Rewind will let you stream classic matches 'live'
Like us, you might be unreasonably excited for the start of the 2014 World Cup. The BBC knows this more than anyone, so it's banking on the streaming technology it used for the 2012 London Olympics to deliver full "live" coverage of some of the home nations' biggest World Cup matches from years past. The BBC World Cup Rewind will include the 1966 England vs West Germany World Cup Final, Archie Gemmill's super goal for Scotland against The Netherlands in 1978 and Northern Ireland's famous win against tournament hosts Spain in the 1982 group stages. The Beeb says it will pull out all the stops when broadcasts begin on May 30th by including additional text commentary as well as insight and comments from Gary Lineker and other "special guests." As usual, everything will be available across smartphone, tablet, laptop and connected TVs, letting you experience (or painfully remember) Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' moment as if it happened today.
EA Sports' 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil won't be coming to Xbox One or PlayStation 4
As is the case every four years, FIFA's biggest football competition is about to take place. To celebrate the 2014 tournament, which will be played in Brazil, EA Sports is releasing a title to give fans a chance to virtually experience the World Cup on gaming consoles. While the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil game will be available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, we were surprised to find out that EA Sports won't be bringing it to their next-gen revisions, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Here's what the game's Lead Producer, Mat Prior, told us: When we made the decision we considered a number of factors but most importantly we wanted to create the best game we could that could reach as many people as possible and the way to do that was make our best game yet on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. We gave our team the mandate of setting a laser focus on building the highest quality game for X360 and PS3 they could, and that's exactly what they are doing.
FIFA rolls out iOS and Android apps ahead of 2014 World Cup Final Draw
Now that we know which 32 football nations will be on the quest for global domination in Brazil, FIFA, the sport's governing body, decided it was the right time to release a set of apps for iOS and Android. These official applications, which are free of charge, provide fans with access to a ton of footie-related stuff, including news, videos, photos and match results from nearly 200 leagues. The FIFA app also lets you mark up to three national teams, clubs and competitions as favorites, allowing easy access to information from those followed the most. Better yet, FIFA's going to be using its new mobile ware to stream the 2014 World Cup Final Draw on December 6th, so you'll be able to see in real-time what road lies ahead for your country.
Brazil's World Cup host cities first in line to get 4G upgrades
Well, it looks like folks in Brazil that live in one of the twelve host cities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup now have another reason to be glad their city was chosen. The Brazilian government has just announced that those cities will be the first in line to get 4G service when the country's long overdue network upgrades eventually begin. Unfortunately, it's still not clear exactly when that will happen -- a government official only said that companies will go through a bidding process to win the contract for the network, which should presumably roll out sometime before the World Cup kicks off in three years' time.
