With the 2016 Olympics just about to begin, here are three mobile/cellular apps to help you have the best experience.


The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held later today, Friday, 5 August, and over the next two weeks, most of us will be stealing time away for our normal schedule, try to watch some of the events. However, even with the best effort, keeping on top of it all can be a challenge, as event are occurring simultaneously, and for some of them, such as the 100m and 200m dash, within 10–20 seconds, they are done.

As expected, there are dozens of apps that will be provide news on the Olympics, be they news or sports apps, for example, that will include the results of events in its updates, to apps dedicated to the Olympics, and will become dormant once the games have ended. Below we highlight three mobile/cellular applications that could help us to have the best Olympics experience, regardless of whether we will be witnessing it remotely, or on site in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio 2016 mobile app

How best to keep abreast of the latest results whilst on the go? The official app for the 2016 Olympics promises to help by providing the event schedule for all of the sports and competition results in real time. To round out the app, details on the various sports that are tested at the Olympics, along with information on all of the venues, just in case you are (or plan to be) in Rio de Janeiro!

Supported platforms: iPhone;  Android;  Windows Phone

Price:  Free

YouTube

In addition to the Running Man, cat, makeup, cooking, and music videos so many of us frequent on YouTube, and similar to what obtained in 2012, some of the events of the 2016 Olympics will be live streamed, so you can witness the happenings in Rio even if you are not home to watch them on TV. Further, if you happened to miss the live streaming, scores of highlights will also be uploaded to the YouTube channels of official broadcasters for the Games, so that we can catch up without the pressure.

The YouTube app, which is still one of the most downloaded and used apps, is also available, just in case you cannot wait until you get home to catch up.

Supported platforms: iPhone;  Android;

Price:  Free

Brazil Travel Guide

For those is us lucky enough to be in Brazil during the 2016 Summer Olympics, a travel guide could be invaluable. Brazil Travel Guide app is one of many available in app stores today. Some of them are for specific cities, but this one covers over 100 cities in Brazil including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Sao Paulo. For many of us, visiting Brazil will be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and so we might want to cover as much ground as possible!

In addition to maps and a sightseeing section with all major monuments in each city, the app also has an eating out section with the best restaurants, bars, pubs and nightlife for the cities covered. It also includes phrasebook with useful basic Portuguese to help users get around..

Supported platforms:  iPhone; Android

Cost:  Free

 

Image credit:  Brian Godfrey (flickr)

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