The Good
- Excellent live video without commercials
- Constant race updates
- Twitter integration
The Bad
- Glitch in the standings tab
- Slow response
Purchase at iTunes
The official Versus Tour de France app (US$14.99) may be pricey, but we’ve been loving the live video. The app isn’t without its faults, however, so some may question whether the Versus app is worth the high price tag.
Live Tour de France video without commercials
The main benefit of the Versus app is the live Tour de France video. Each stage is covered live and the app includes access to on-demand video for all the completed stages.
It’s important to note that the live video is not the same as what you’ll see on the Versus channel on television. For one thing, there are no commercials -- nice! The television coverage is riddled with commercials, so I actually prefer the video from the app. The announcers are not the same, as well. Phil Liggett is the main commentator on television, but there is a separate announcer for the app video. I've never been able to catch his name, but he does a good job.
The live Tour de France video is fantastic if you view it over WiFi. The video loads quickly and there are no stops, stutters, or buffering pauses. Audio and video quality is excellent. The story isn’t quite as positive for those with 3G connections. The video still loads relatively quickly and we didn’t encounter any annoying buffering pauses, but the video quality is pretty murky.
It’s tough to pick out individual riders in the peloton and it's even hard to see facial expressions during interviews.
The Versus app doesn’t support live video streaming over the EDGE network, so you’ll need 3G or WiFi.
Pros and cons of the Tour de France app
There are other benefits to the Versus Tour de France app. If you can’t watch the live video, there are constant text updates as well. During the race, the updates section is refreshed every two to three minutes with the latest news. The Versus app is also integrated with Twitter, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest Tweets from the riders, teams, and media figures.
The Tour de France app also supports push notifications, so it will send out breaking news alerts for the race. You can elect to receive alerts when the live video begins or when the stage concludes. Versus also includes GPS tracking so you can see where the riders are in the stage and how much territory is left to cover. This feature worked well and the elevation profile is especially helpful.
Other features include rider and stage profiles, a Tour de France calendar, and a standings area. It was in the standings tab that the Versus app gets pretty glitchy. In that area, you can view stage results, overall classification standings, team classifications, and the individual standings for the sprint and climbing competitions.
Unfortunately, we were never able to get any information in this area. You can tap on stage results or overall standings, for example, but the page is blank. We’ve tested this over the first three days of the Tour de France and that section never displayed any information, despite repeated attempts.
The Bottom Line
Serious Tour de France fans won't regret buying the Versus Tour de France app. It is expensive, but the app’s coverage is actually better than what you get on television -- and there are no commercials! Unfortunately, the glitch with the standings and results is annoying and there were a few times when the app felt slow to respond. If you love the Tour de France and want live race video, this app is worth your money. Otherwise, save your $15 and just watch on TV. Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.
What You’ll Need
The Tour de France app is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It requires iPhone OS 3.0 or higher.
Purchase at iTunes