By Yaara Lancet, MakeUseOf – August 02, 2012 at 09:31PM
Every four years, we all become sports experts. The Olympic Games give many of us a chance and a motivation to watch sports events we otherwise have no contact with, and the upcoming London 2012 Games are no different. Pretty soon we’ll find ourselves watching judo, swimming, gymnastics and cycling, after not being in touch with these sports for almost four years. If you’re anything like me, you probably find yourself learning the rules all over again every four years, sometime having to watch several matches before you can pick them up again.
Well, surprise surprise, there’s an app for that! Curly’s Pocket Guide to Sports is a beautiful iOS app that lays out rules and interesting facts about dozens of different sports, most of them Olympic, which means you can now start watching any event already knowing exactly how points are scored, how things are done, and why the heck this guy won and not the other. For only $0.99, this is a true steal.
Everything You Need To Know About Sports
Curly’s Pocket Guide is arranged as packs of cards, each card or pack representing a different line of sports. As if made especially for the summer Olympics, the app includes almost any sport you’ll find in the games, and gives simple and concise summaries of everything you need to know about each sport.
You can browse the different cards to find the sport you want to learn about, or tap the search icon on the top right for as-you-type search.
If you’re not sure what you want to learn about next, the app features random “Did you know?” question which sometimes pop up when you browse the cards. These questions are always intriguing, prompting you to tap the card and learn more about this specific sport and its interesting facts.
Sports that include different disciplines or different events are represented by packs or cards. For example, if you choose swimming, you’ll find different cards for butterfly, backstroke, medleys, etc. This way you can focus on the exact event you’re watching at the moment, learning its own format and rules.
When you tap a card, all the basic yet important information about your chosen discipline will appear in an easy to read format. The information is organized under convenient headlines, and even includes images when text is not enough.
Aside from the rules, the most fun aspect of Curly’s Pocket Guide is the trivia. Each card you look at includes fascinating facts about relevant records, contestants, etc. If you find a fact you really like, you can instantly share it with your friends through the app. For example, I found out that Olympic swimmers travel as fast as a hippo while doing the backstroke. If that’s not worth sharing on Twitter, I don’t know what is.
Enjoy The Games!
All in all, Curly’s is the perfect companion for the upcoming Olympics, and for any other time you find yourself watching an sports event you don’t know enough about. In about 5 minutes, you can turn from clueless to expert, and impress all your friends with your brilliant knowhow.
Excited about London 2012? Here are more places to find useful information:
- 7 Best Websites To Follow The 2012 Olympic Schedule And Latest News
- Make The Best Out Of The London 2012 Olympics With These Smartphone Apps
- BC Will Stream The Entire Olympics Live
- Facebook Launches London 2012 Hub For Easy Updates From Athletes, Teams & Sports
Any other great sources of information we should know about? Share in the comments!