Editor’s note: This is a continuation of our spotlight series on the mobile touch web.’a0 Last week, we discovered how Weather Underground keeps us ‘in the know’ with’a0 forecasts, data and other weather related information.
This series highlights the best mobile touch websites on the web.’a0 To see related sites and more great touch friendly content for any subject including fashion, men’s interest, news, and so on; go to Taptu.com on your mobile device and choose “Categories”.’a0 There you will see a resourceful list of the sites designed for your mobile touch phone.
Today’s Spotlight Site: ESPN.com
In the United States, there is no media group in sports that is more used or influential than ESPN.’a0 The TV sports network started out as a respected but little known cable channel, but now is the king of sports information on TV and on the web as well.
When the mobile touch web came along, ESPN saw the promise that this new medium would present and built a solid touch website accordingly.
Now, I see many times that when a company decides to ‘take our site mobile’, they typically take a subset of the desktop website and just cram it onto a smaller screen.’a0 However, in ESPN.com’s case, this team apparently wanted to go a step further.
Here’s how:
A Multitude of Sports
When you’re seeking sports info, you are likely to be seeking news and scores based on your personal taste.’a0 Accordingly, ESPN has all major sports such as Basketball, Football, Baseball and the like.’a0 The company even goes a step farther by offering Golf, Soccer, Autos, Hockey, NCAA sports (men’s and women’s) and even Tennis.’a0 As sport seasons come on, additional sports are added.
Covering All Aspects of the Game
To cover recent matches, ESPN provides’a0 basic scores, a written summary article of the game, summaries of all scoring events, and in-depth stats on each player involved in the match.
As an added bonus, you can discuss the game with other sports nuts in their “Section 140′ online social network, all from the mobile touch site.
The site also offers previews of upcoming matches, standing and rankings, depending on the sport and it’s associated leagues and conferences.
Live Event Coverage
If you can’t be in front of a television but want to track a sporting match as it’s happening, ESPN.com is a tool you should have bookmarked on your site.
For soccer (football outside of the U.S.) recently, I used ESPN to track games in progress.’a0 ESPN had a live map of the soccer field with player shots at the goal so you can track where your team was concentrating their play.’a0 Accordingly, during a baseball game, you can see a map of the field to see who’s on base and if they’re in scoring position.
This type of mapping brings you into the game in a whole new way.’a0 The live match page also combines real-time statistics and scoring information that brings you into the game in a whole new way.’a0 Sometimes, when watching a sports match in person or on TV, I like to have this page in front of me to track recent plays and watch my team’s statistics in real-time.
Smooth User Experience
ESPN.com is not only chock full of incredible news and information, the site is amongst the most well designed on the mobile touch web.’a0 Text-heavy menus are dressed up with smooth transitions and graphics are used to augment your experience, but not clutter up your small mobile phone screen.
Also, for sports highlights of major news stories or matches, ESPN.com wisely gives you access to video content.’a0 A very nice touch when you want to see the TV story behind the event you’re seeking information about.
Congratulations to the ESPN.com team – you have created a resource that is laden with the great coverage we expect from ESPN and looks great on our mobile touch devices.