Ubersense bills itself as an app "built to empower people to become better at sports." Users can upload video of themselves doing something athletic, watch it in slow motion and post it to the Ubersense community for feedback and encouragement. Recording video with Ubersense is simple, as clips can also be uploaded directly from the device's camera. Once in the system, video can be reviewed in slow motion, marked up with in-app graphic tools and saved for later. Users can also compare their skills to other users or, in some cases, professional athletes with the app's side-by-side feature. All uploaded video is saved to the user's account where it can be shared to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Dropbox, e-mail or other Ubersense Team members. Teams can be created instantly by pulling contacts from the device or Facebook. E-mail addresses can also be added manually. The Ubersense community is a filterable feed of user video that can be liked, shared or saved. The app's premium upgrade, Ubersense Elite, gives users the ability to store their videos in a private cloud and sync them to all of their devices. Ubersense is a venture-backed app that was developed in-house, and is a free download with no advertising. It is the official video review app of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton teams, and has been among iTunes' top 50 sports apps for the past 12 months. An upgrade to Ubersense Elite costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Ubersense is presently available on iOS, with a planned Android release later this summer. This review was conducted on an iPhone 5 version 7.1.1, with AT&T service.
PERFECT SCORES: Uploading, reviewing and editing video is what the app is made to do, and it does this well. There are clear benefits for both athletes and coaches with the Ubersense Team concept. Videos can be shared with individuals or the entire team with one quick tap. The Community feed is fun for perusing clips from other athletes, and the side-by-side comparison tool is definitely worth a look. The app also includes a section for instructional drills -- a perfect avenue for coaches to demonstrate a skill or play to their team.
LET DOWNS: While Ubersense makes it easy for athletes and coaches to review and critique performance at no cost, there are other apps that do the same thing -- and more. For $1.99, athletes can download Coach's Eye and get the same app experience, plus other premium features that Ubersense does not offer like a stopwatch for timing runs (additional fee required). This makes the download decision tough for serious competitors. The Community feed on Ubersense contains a lot of great video content, but trying to locate a specific clip is challenging. For example, typing "basketball" or "dribbling" into the search box offers no results. Videos can be filtered by sport, but there is still a lot of scrolling to do once the content category is located. More filters would be helpful along with the ability to search by user name or content title.
BOTTOM LINE: Ubersense effectively gives users a means to review their athletic moments and improve upon them. The paid upgrade to Ubersense Elite provides additional storage to super users and succeeds in creating a revenue stream without leaning on advertisers or download fees. But with other apps like Coach’s Eye offering a larger selection of premium tools to athletes, it is tough to identify any clear differentiators with Ubersense. Still, the app is free and it does its job, putting a convenient performance review tool in the pockets of athletes and coaches.
Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.
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