iPhone, iPad, Android, mobile app development company

iPhone Apps for Fighters Overview

AppBurst, LLC has created a framework to develop custom iPhone apps for MMA fighters including UFC, WEC, and all of the major professional MMA organizations.  The framework allows AppBurst to quickly develop custom applications to help promote fighters using the existing content that fighters and their marketing organizations are already creating for the Internet.  The AppBurst apps for fighters framework also uses the content from social networking websites that the fighter already uses such as twitter, facebook, flickr, twitpic and youTube.  Fans are able to interact with the fighter and other fans using those social networking sites through the app.  A custom iPhone app can help the fighter generate additional fan followers on Twitter and Facebook as fans can choose to follow the fighter in the app.

How an iPhone App can help promote an MMA fighter

• The apple iPhone is the most successful smart phone in the world with over 60 million users
• iPhone users have downloaded billions of iPhone apps in the first 3 years that the iPhone has existed
• Mobile Internet access will continue to replace desktop and laptop Internet access over the next 5 years
• iPhone apps are distributed world wide through Apple’s highly successful app store
• UFC and MMA fans continuously search for new iPhone apps related to the industry in the app store
• AppBurst positions fighter apps in the app store so they are easily found at the top of search results in the app store
• Fans on the go can access all updates from the fighter on the go from the convenience of the fighter’s app
• An iPhone app is a fighter’s mobile portal for fans to access information and interact with them (just like a website is the fighter’s desktop & laptop portal)
• Be an early adopter and stand out.  There are very few fighter iPhone apps that exist so far
• AppBurst helps promote the app by writing press releases, blog posts, twitter updates, and promoting the app within AppBurst’s existing network of iPhone applications
• Fighter apps can leverage existing content from the fighters website, blog, youTube channel, facebook, twitter, Flickr so that content is not duplicated and updated using the existing means that the fighter and his marketing team already us

Fighter iPhone App Design

• Custom app icon with image of fighter’s face or other image of fighter’s choice (image 1 below)
• Custom app loading screen with image of fighter or other image of fighter’s choice (image 2)
• Fighters name or logo displayed on the top of each screen within the app (see top of image 3 below)
• Theme and colors can be customized

Fighter Apps Modules

Fighter apps are organized into modules.  Fans and other app users tap on the tabs on the bottom of their app to access different modules.  Fighters can choose which modules that they want to appear in their app. Modules can be added and removed dynamically so if a fighter later wants to add a new module to the app, this can easily be done.  A description of the modules that are currently used in fighter apps are described below.

Fighter Twitter Module

• Fans get a list view of the fighters last 40 (more soon) twitter posts (picture 1 below)
• When fans taps on a tweet from the list view, they are brought to a detail view which display the complete tweet, a thumbnails of images or videos that are attached. (picture 2)
• Fans can choose to follow the fighter on twitter, reply to the tweet, retweet, or share the tweet with others via twitter, facebook, or email (picture 2) (picture 4 shows a fan @replying to the fighter in twitter)
• Fans can tap on any images or videos contained in the tweet to view the image or play the video (picture 3)

Fighter Videos Module

• If the fighter has a youTube channel, those videos can be used.
• If not, a custom playlist can be created by the fighter or by AppBurst
• Display a custom list of youTube videos of the fighter’s choice (picture 1 below)
• Users tap on videos in the list to display a detailed view and play the video within the app (picture 2)
• Users can share the videos within the app with other fans via twitter, facebook, and email (picture 3) (picture 4 shows video sharing via email)

Image Gallery Module

• Fighter’s can have one or more image galleries in their iPhone app
• Each gallery should contain at least 24 photos
• Photos can be pulled in from Flickr photo galleries with Facebook and Picassa support soon
• The image list view of each gallery displays a grid with 16 thumbnail images on the screen. Fans can scroll to view more images (picture 1 below)
• When fans tap on a thumbnail, they navigate to a full size view of the image where they can zoom in even further, depending on the size of the original photo (picture 2)
• Fans can share a link to the photo using Twitter, Facebook, and Email (picture 3)
• Fans can also save images to their phone and use the images as their phone wallpaper

MMA Fighter App News/Blog Module

• AppBurst can connect to a fighter’s existing blog or news feed to display any new articles that are posted in real time
• The list view of the Blog section of the fighter’s app displays a chronological list of the last 20-40 articles posted
• When a fan taps on any of the articles in the list view, they are brought to the detailed view of that blog post where they can read the entire article and view and pictures of videos in the article
• Fans are also able to share with other fans the article they are reading by posting a link to the article on facebook or twitter
• Fans can also email a link of the article to other fans

* Note: at the time we wrote this document, we did not have any fighter apps built with the blog module enabled, so we used an app from another industry to show the blog capability of the application framework.

Live Video Feed Module

• Fighters can provide a live video stream within the app of their gym or other location
• AppBurst has partnered with CCTV Camera Pros to provide the cameras and hardware needed (we provide the complete solution)
• Multiple cameras and locations are supported.  Users can scroll from camera to camera by swiping the screen (pictures 1 & 2 show camera views)
• Fans can view a full screen image by turning the phone horizontally (picture 3)
• Fans can share images captured from the cameras in facebook, twitter, and via email (picture 4 shows twitter sharing)

* Note: at the time we wrote this document, we did not have any fighter apps built with the live video feed module enabled, so we took screen shots from a non-fighter app to show this capability.

Additional Custom Pages/Modules

• Custom pages can be created for the app to display information such as the fighter’s bio, fight record, and gym locations
• There is no limit to the number of pages

Products Module

• Fighters can promote product lines within the app
• Product images can link to e-commerce sites online

Fan Wall Module

• This feature is currently under development and due to be released within the next 30 days
• Fighters can display their Facebook page fan wall natively within the app
• Fans will be able to become a fan on Facebook without leaving the fighter’s app
• Fans will be able to post comments on the Fighters wall

Real Time Push Notifications Fans

• his feature is currently under development and due to be released within the next 30 days
• Fighters can alert fans by sending a push notification to their iPhones without their app even being opened
• A popup message appears on their phone (similar to a text message alert)
• Fighters can use push notification to do things such as alert fans that they are holding a new contest, remind fans about an upcoming event, tell customers about a product promotion such as a new t-shirt or other fight related gear

App Download Statistics / Analytics

• Fighters will receive a daily email telling them how many times their app was downloaded and updated
• Fighters also have access to an online analytics reporting tool showing their app downloads over time, their apps ranking by country, their app ratings and comments by users
• In app analytics track how fans are using the app

Do it Yourself AppManager Access

• AppManager is AppBurst’s online tools used to create and manage iPhone apps
• Fighter organizations will be able to manage their application on their own using this simple to use online interface
• This tools is used internally right now but is scheduled to be released for customers to use on their own within the next 30 days