MLB's Android, BlackBerry apps step up to the plate

MLB At Bat will debut on Android and BlackBerry this season.

(Credit: MLB)

After getting a taste of the big leagues during the playoffs last year, MLB At Bat is officially entering its rookie season on Android and BlackBerry phones.

MLB released the app Wednesday to their respective app stores, Android Marketplace and BlackBerry App World. At Bat was previously only available for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. At Bat for Android and At Bat for BlackBerry includes live streaming audio--both home and away feed choice--scoreboards, box scores, and pitch-by-pitch or play-by-play updates, along with updated video highlight reels. The biggest difference between the version of At Bat available for Android and BlackBerry and the one for the iPhone is that there's no option for live streaming video. iPhone and iPod Touch users get one free live streaming video per week.

The iPhone and iPod Touch At Bat app also got a pre-season tune-up. MLB released an updated version Tuesday, to coincide with the first day of spring training. The price for all three versions of the application is $14.99. That's $5 more than last year, when At Bat for iPhone cost $9.99.

The price hike is due to more content and features being available for the 2010 season; it was released before the regular season begins and includes all news and scores from spring training. New features for the iPhone version of At Bat include a whole season of MLB.TV access for subscribers (last year that feature wasn't rolled out in the mobile app until July), the choice between home and away broadcasts, a video highlight library that's searchable by player or team, push notifications, and favorite team shortcuts. The iPhone version also has the option to do background audio streaming this season. Since the iPhone doesn't run multiple apps simultaneously, if you want to continue listening to a game in the background while checking e-mail or browsing the Web, the audio will automatically be switched to stream through Safari.

During the World Series last year, MLB counted 1.2 million downloads of its At Bat app. And this year the league says it's off to a fast start. After debuting the At Bat 2010 on the App Store Tuesday, MLB says it was the No. 1 paid sports app and No. 3 top paid app overall after just 24 hours.

More screenshots after the jump:

MLB At Bat for BlackBerry.

(Credit: MLB)

At Bat on BlackBerry will have options for both home and away audio feeds.

(Credit: MLB)

At Bat highlight videos on Android.

(Credit: MLB)

[baconstang]

I used it last year to keep track of the Giants when I was out of town. Great app!

[xarophti]

umm, I think that bottom picture labled as "At Bat video highlights on Android" is an iPhone screenshot. I'm no iPhone expert (I'm an Android) but judging by the gray border and the red and yellow circles in the upper left corner...

[coloradopunk]

Its an app emulator being used on a mac computer used to test the app before being put on the market. If you look at the actual interface of the app, the time and signal bar is from android.

[xarophti]

ah, that would explain it. The signal bar DID look Android which I found confusing, but I did say I'm no iPhone expert. All I know of their displays is photos I've seen. I know one person who has one, but I don't see her regularly and haven't studied her device.

[t8Eater]

This article must have been based upon the emulator and the marketing tripe supplied by mlb.com because the installed app does not have all of the functionality described in this article.

I just installed it on my 3g iphone and the play-by-play feature is not present. The screen shot is great, but it is a fantasy. I've sent several emails to mlb.com asking why they continue to run deceptive advertising, but have not received any meaningful response. At least this article pointed out that video streaming (except for 1 game/week) requires a pricey additional subscription. Neither the mlb.com or apple app store advertising make it clear that you won't get to see your team if you just pay the $14.99 for the app. And if you are tempted to pay for the season subscription of mlb.tv, read the fine print very carefully. Virtually all local games are blacked out, and a lot of other games are too. It looks great on paper, but unless you watch primarily out-of-market games on weekdays, you're better off with a cable/dish package.

As a software developer, I understand all too well that the marketing materials often have little in common with the delivered software, but in true 'Dilbert-eque' style, MLB.com continues to provide deceptive and misleading advertising. At least Cnet readers can be aware that a claim from mlb.com has all the legitimacy as a claim from the pointy-haired boss.
Every year mlb.com trots out new stuff, but usually has a difficult time delivering anything of quality. As a Cubs fan, I'm used to early hype followed by the bitter disappointment of reality.

[t8Eater]

forgot to add a note about the statement "iPhone and iPod Touch users get one free live streaming video per week." That was for last year's product called At Bat 2009. The marketing material for this year's product do not make this claim. Hopefully it's an oversight, but with MLB.com, you generally do not get anything extra, and you frequently don't get what you ordered.