There is no question that YinzCam delivers a clean and reliable product with the new Cavaliers mobile application. Scores, stats, play-by-play, news and a live game shot chart are some of the key basic offerings. For fans at Quicken Loans Arena, instant replay from multiple cameras is a major bonus. However, the app comes up short with its clunky Flash Seats integration and lackluster live trivia game with a stubborn registration form. Released in November, the Cavaliers app was developed by YinzCam. It is a free download with no advertising. This review was conducted on an iPhone 5 version 8.1.1, with AT&T LTE service.
SWISHES: The app's main screen features three feeds: News, Twitter and Schedule. Fans can interact with the Twitter feed with ease. A convenient summary of the most recent game lives in the app’s main window, and users can take in the full schedule and results in the Game Tracker. Multi-camera in-venue replays are part of the custom feature set for game attendees, while a live shot chart is a fun second-screen experience for those at home. Live audio of the Cavs' radio broadcast is available within 75 miles of the arena. The app features a detailed, level-by-level layout of The Q via a Google Indoor Maps integration, and a section dedicated to the arena called At The Q provides key information such as directions. As for ticketing, the team opted to include a direct avenue to download Flash Seats, a digital ticketing application, within the navigation menu. Also, an entire microsite dedicated to the team’s Wine & Gold United season ticket-holders club can also be digested within the app.
BRICKS: With ticketing being an obvious priority for pro sports franchises, the app does not convey a sense of urgency here. The Flash Seats integration is hardly complete, as fans must download a separate app to purchase tickets to a game. Once the Flash Seats app is downloaded, the two products talk to one another, but users must close the Flash Seats app and re-open the Cavs app to return to previous activities. Meanwhile, the app's Facebook-friendly live trivia section prompts users to log in with Facebook, but then denies them access on the opening screen. Another frustration is the lack of sharing tools for the app's video, while the geo-restrictions on live audio are a major bummer for out-of-market fans.
BOTTOM LINE: Fans of the Cavaliers will like the new app because it has some great features like in-venue multi-cam instant replay, timely video and a nifty live shot chart. The other info-based basics are there, too. However, the geo-restricted live audio hurts out-of-market fans, and some attention should be paid to the ticketing functionality and the live trivia game. Despite these pain points, this is a four-star app, and iTunes users take it a step further with a four and a half star rating.
Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.
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