scores

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iPhone
• App Store
• update
• app

ESPN launches new SportsCenter app for real-time, personalized news & scores

ESPN is launching a new app today called ESPN SportsCenter, which actually replaces the old ScoreCenter app with a redesign and all new features. The app does much of what the old app did, offering real-time updates on scores for the biggest sporting events of the day, as well as breaking news, analysis, notifications, and more. You’ll also be able to add your favorite teams to customize your experience and the new app introduces a new Favorites feature for quickly accessing news and scores for the teams you want to keep up with most often.

The new ESPN SportsCenter app also includes a new Clubhouses feature that includes all content for every team and league, an Inbox for getting personalized content such as news and alerts, and enhanced game pages that feature “New native sharing and one-click GameCast access.” Also new in the app is ESPN Now, a feature that lets users get real-time scores and updates from social networks.

In addition, the new SportsCenter app has been given a number of enhancements to search and overall performance.

The free ESPN SportsCenter app is available for iPhone now.

What’s New in Version 4.0.0

– ScoreCenter is now SportsCenter
– Speed: Faster than Calvin Johnson going deep
– Favorites: Your team news and scores in an instant
– Clubhouses: Content central for every team and league under the sun
– ESPN Now: Your one-stop-shop for real-time scores and social updates
– Inbox: A dedicated home for personalized content from news to alerts to scores
– Enhanced Game Pages: New native sharing and one-click GameCast access
– Search: Easily navigate to teams, leagues, and sports to view content or add to favorites

• AAPL Company
• iOS
• Apple News
• iTunes
• video games

Game Center now allows developers to give cheats the red card

If you take your iOS games seriously enough to make it to the top of the Game Center Leaderboard, it can be annoying to see someone cheat their way past you with a Leaderboard hack. Previously, all developers could do about it was ask Apple to deal with the issue – but new features in iOS 7 make it possible for developers combat cheaters themselves.  We previously told you about all these new anti-cheater features for developers, but today Apple reminds devs in an update that they now have the ability to delete fake scores and block known cheaters altogether.

You can now view and manage the top 100 scores and usernames for all of your Game Center leaderboards. Protect your legitimate players by signing in to iTunes Connect to delete fake scores or block players that post fake scores. You can also restore scores and players within the same time period.

iOS 7 introduced a number of new developer tools to help block Leaderboard spam, including the ability to set realistic maximum scores and reject unsigned submissions. This latest addition goes one step further in allowing developers to directly zap fake scores after the event. Apple this week added a description of exactly how developers can combat fraud on leaderboards in its developer documentation:

After you have apps available in the App Store or Mac App Store, iTunes Connect gives you access to 30 days of scores posted to your apps’ leaderboards. If you determine that players are able to generate fraudulent scores, you can remove these scores from a leaderboard or even block individual players from posting scores. You can manage active leaderboards as follows:

• View the top 100 scores for a given leaderboard or grouped game leaderboard.
• Delete a specific leaderboard score from a leaderboard.
• Restore a specific score to a leaderboard.
• Block a player from posting scores to a given leaderboard. This deletes all scores on the leaderboard for that player.
• Restore a player and the player’s most recent score posted before being blocked.

iTunes Connect maintains 30 days of leaderboard entries for your review: scores older than 30 days cannot be removed from a leaderboard; scores removed or players blocked cannot be restored more than 30 days after they are removed.

For instructions on how to do this, Apple refers developers to the Managing Game Center Leaderboard Activity section in the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iPad
• iPad mini
• App Store
• update

WatchESPN app updated for iOS 7, adds ‘Live Toolbar’ that lets you stream two videos at once

ESPN has updated its WatchESPN app for iOS today with a new feature called “Live Toolbar” that allows users to multitask while continuing to watch live programming. Rather than having to leave the live stream of whatever event you’re watching at the time, the new live toolbar will allow you to keep up with scores, browse upcoming events, and even watch video highlights or a second video stream. Perhaps the most notable new feature is the ability to watch a second video next to live programming when rotating the device into landscape mode:

Top Videos: Watch multiple things at once! Keep up with the latest news and highlights right alongside the live ESPN programming you’re watching. Rotate your device while watching two videos.

The new live toolbar feature is only rolling out to users on iPad and iPad mini, and will also let users “switch to additional ESPN programming without exiting the video” and follow scores of additional games while watching live programming.

Version 1.7 of the WatchESPN app also includes iOS 7 support, more events from “ESPN on ABC”, and ESPN3 access for users connecting from a college or military network.

Apple just recently added the watch ESPN service, alongside HBOGo and a handful of others, to the AppleTV.

What’s New in Version 1.7

Introducing the WatchESPN Live Toolbar on iPad! Now you can keep up with news, scores and on-demand video from your favorite sporting events while watching live programming on ESPN.

The live toolbar includes:
– Live TV Lineup: See what’s on ESPN’s networks and switch to additional ESPN programming without exiting the video.
– Scores: Follow additional games while watching your game on ESPN. Launch video highlights at the conclusion of an event (where available).
– Top Videos: Watch multiple things at once! Keep up with the latest news and highlights right alongside the live ESPN programming you’re watching. Rotate your device while watching two videos.

*The Live Toolbar is available on iPad and iPad Mini only.

Also new in 1.7:
– Users connecting from a college or military network now get access to ESPN3 events automatically!
– WatchESPN is now compatible with iOS7.
– “ESPN on ABC” events will now appear in the WatchESPN app. Selecting these events will bring you into the WatchABC app.

*WatchESPN 1.7 requires iOS 6 or above.