Best apps for the Super Bowl

The Big Game is just a few days away and whether you’re a Giants fan or a Patriots fan, it likely will be a great time filled with adult beverages, tasty snacks, funny commercials (including one from Samsung) and great football. Research shows that many of you will be using a smartphone or tablet during the game, so let’s take a look at some great apps which will help you enjoy the Super Bowl even more.

Preparing for the game

One of my favorite parts of the Super Bowl is that it gives you an excuse to eat all sorts of delicious food that’s probably not good for you but let’s step our games up folks and create bites that are better than your average feedbag. I really like the iCookbook app on the iPad because not only does it have thousands of recipes, it has voice controls in it so you don’t have to worry about getting foodstuff onto your tablet. If you don’t want to pay the $5 for iCookbook, the Epicurious app is always good for finding ideas on what to cook.

If you’re not a football fan and want to sound knowledgeable about the game, there are a wealth of sports-related apps to help you out. ESPN is the biggie in this category and it’s good and available for nearly every single platform. Don’t forget to give Bleacher Report a chance, as it has the expert opinion in there, as well as the fan’s perspective.

If you’re lucky enough to be on the ground in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, you can use your mobile browser and check out Indianapolissuperbowl.com for a list of events going on near the Big Game.

Download the iCookbooks iPad app here (iTunes link).
Download the Epicurious iOS app here (iTunes link), the Android version can be found here.
Download the ESPN iOS app here (iTunes link), the Android version can be found here.

[Photo via Shutterstock, bikeriderlondon]

Watching the game

The best way to experience the Super Bowl (if you’re not there) is with a gigantic television, good friends and with lots of food but sometimes life gets in the way. If you happen to be on the go during the Big Game, you can use Verizon’s NFL Mobile app to watch the spectacle.

This is the first time ever that the Super Bowl has been streamed to a mobile device, so it’s kind of a historic thing. It’s not just the live broadcast of the game, as the NFL Mobile app for Verizon phones will also give you access to additional camera views and live stats. There are a few phones and devices on Verizon which can’t use the app, so go ahead and check out the official page to see if you can get it.

The only legal way to view the Super Bowl on smartphones and tablets will be through this app, although there might be some shadier ways to get it which I won’t mention. We know that Verizon has exclusive rights to NFL Mobile for now but let’s hope the NFL eventually opens this up to multiple carriers.

You can download the NFL Mobile app here.

[Photo via Shutterstock, Jonathan G]

Enhancing the game

Now matter where you’re going to watch the game or who you’re watching it with, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll be using a smartphone or tablet during the game at some point. Sure, you can use these devices to send e-mails, share photos on Instagram but there are also a host of apps and services which can directly tie into the Super Bowl experience.

If you want a chance to win some free Pepsi Max for life, you should check out the IntoNow app. If you watch and tag the NFL Honors show (tonight) and then use the app to tag during the Super Bowl, you could win a ton of Pepsi. IntoNow isn’t the only app which lets you interact with the Big Game’s content, as the Shazam app can be used on multiple Super Bowl commercials and during the game. This will provide live stats, interactive ads and even the chance to win a Toyota Camry.

Talking about the game is always an amazing part of the experience but sometimes you can’t be with your friends or you’re at a viewing party that’s not exactly filled with football fans. Thankfully, the PlayUp app lets you use your smartphone to create chatrooms with fervent fans based around the game. Of course, there’s always Facebook and Twitter to share your thoughts – I use the official Facebook app and love the Tweetbot iPhone Twitter app.

Well, the Big Game is just a few hours away, so let us know some other apps you like. Also, who do you got: Giants or Patriots?

Download IntoNow apps here.
Download the Shazam apps here.
Download the PlayUp iOS app here.
Download the Facebook apps here.
Download the Twitter apps here
Download the Tweetbot iPhone app here.
{Main photo via Shutterstock, David Lee]