App review of the week: NCAA March Madness On Demand vs. Lebron Fortune Teller

NCAA March Madness On Demand 
(Developed by NCAA Digital)

Available for: iOS

Price: Free

With all due apologies to the Andy Williams holiday classic, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year--that honor belongs to the second half of March, when the NCAA mounts its annual men's basketball championship series. With so many early-round March Madness games tipping off during the workday, it's no surprise that so many Americans are turning to social media channels to view live hoops action, follow scores and gauge their tournament bracket progress. A recent Harris Interactive survey reports that 23 percent of U.S. adults tracking this year's NCAA Championship plan to rely on some form of social media to keep pace--moreover, 27 percent of them will turn to a mobile application to do so.

There's really only one tournament app worth downloading, however, and that's the free NCAA March Madness On Demand, which promises live streaming video of every game in the expanded 68-team bracket. Seriously--every game. Beginning this year, all March Madness contests will air live and in their entirety across four national television networks: TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS. That means you can simultaneously watch one matchup on your home flatscreen, a different game on your iPhone and still another one on your iPad, streaming over Wi-Fi or 3G. And because mobile apps can do things that traditional broadcasts can't, NCAA March Madness On Demand is tricked out with interactive features like live Facebook and Twitter comments, alerts, breaking news and integrated bracket management. The iPad version also boasts in-game highlights, live box scores and team leaders in a single screen.

Every. Game. It's a March Madness miracle!

Lebron Fortune Teller 
(Developed by Ninja Chemist)

Available for: iOS

Price: 99 cents

For all of their physical skill and grace, professional athletes rarely excel in the fine art of decision making. In fact, National Basketball Association star LeBron James essentially destroyed his fan-favorite reputation with The Decision, the now-infamous ESPN primetime special revealing James's plan to abandon his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in favor of taking his talents to South Beach and joining Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat. Not only is James now one of the most reviled athletes of his generation, but the Heat kinda suck--the team is notorious for choking sizable leads in the final minutes, and they routinely fall to the NBA's truly elite teams.

Given that James apparently saw none of this coming, would you trust him to predict your future? Of course you wouldn't--but that hasn't stopped some misguided souls from downloading Ninja Chemist's Lebron Fortune Teller (and yes, that's "Lebron" misspelled with a lowercase ‘b,' in the event you're wondering whether or not the app's officially authorized). "Ask a question and click the crystal ball," Lebron Fortune Teller commands--but short of "Should I bet on the Heat to lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs, or will you guys stick around until the second round before going down in flames?" I'm at a loss for provocative queries to pose.

Which isn't to suggest that Lebron Fortune Teller lacks the power to change lives for the better, however. One five-star customer review proclaims the app "Pimp," adding "I make all my decisions based off of his predictions, thanks goodness I never have to weight options anymore, whew! Recommend to all fans & bad decision makers!!" Or you can save 99 cents, ask yourself "What would LeBron James do?" and then do the opposite.