The Masters @ 30K: Inflight Sports Apps Don’t Suck

Posted by Jonathan in MOBILE on 04-11-10    No Comments

HIGH OVER LOUISIANA: Well it’s come to this: The Masters at 30,000 feet.

I have never been part of the mile-high wifi club. It’s blisteringly expensive. Connectivity basically sucks. And I really — REALLY — hate the in flight Skypers: “I’m on a plaane. Yea, Ma. on a plane. Right. At 30,000 feet … 30 thousand…. ON THE PLANE. Ma, I’m ON THE PLANE!!!!”

Spare me.

But now … I am taking it back: once feeble in-flight data access might have found a killer app: In pocket sports apps. I have been staying on top of today’s The Masters here on the flight back from New Orleans to LGA, using the iPhone Masters app. Coverage has been decent. Scores are accurate. Video is not awful. And over all, I could pretty much stay on Lee and Phil battling it out. And — like most american men — stare in at Tiger and wonder what all those chicks must have been like.

And if you think about it, mobile sports apps make a lot of sense for in-flight entertainment. They do not rely on heavy data connections, like most sports web sites. They can run on even the crappiest smart phone. And developers actually get paid to make these apps, so in all they offer a smooth, high-quality high tech sports experience.

Which honestly, is better than what YouTube can deliver.

So next flight out: Toss on the NBA, Masters or MLB app, and you’ll see. These all offer the exact right amount of connectivity, without turning your trip time into a complete gadget fest. I realize this is two things I am liking in the same week. So I must be going soft. But the fact is, smart phone sports apps might just be the sleeper tech pick for sports right now.

Not bad.

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