Times Square’s famous New Year’s Eve Ball has been marking midnight in New York since 1907, but it has always kept up with the times in other ways as well. It even has its own website. This year maintains its tech tradition with the free 2012 official Times Square Ball App. It’s available for both iPhone and Android courtesy of the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, organizers of Times Square New Year’s Eve, along with their partners, Toshiba and Livestream.
The app makes it possible to watch the entire live event, more than six hours of commercial-free entertainment, along with streaming video of the Times Square Ball and Toshiba Vision screen on the top of One Times Square and other exclusive video content. It can be customized with a personal photo and time zone, and it comes with all kinds of information about the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration, including the history, news, weather, photos, relevant maps and live show schedule.
There are integrated social media functions, too. Users who tweet @TimesSquareBall may get a reply or see a retweet of their greetings in the scroll of the home screen, and checking in via Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter informs users how far away they are from Times Square.
The app also will send New Year’s Eve cards with personalized greetings with photos from the app to friends, family and followers on Facebook, Twitter and via email. Users are encouraged to vote on the photos, and the most popular ones will be showcased on the Toshiba Vision sign directly beneath the iconic Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball – where everyone in the world can see them – on the hour during the live show.
The Times Square Ball App was produced by Monday Sessions Media, developed by HAAS/créa, and with streaming components developed by Livestream. The Times Square Alliance intends for the app to be a year-round source of its news, events and entertainment.
“Our first app showed the tremendous enthusiasm around the world for a fully connected global New Year’s Eve experience, and this year is going to take things to the next level,” said Jeffrey Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment. “The new and improved app enables people in New York and around the world to celebrate the New Year together as the clock ticks down to midnight in Times Square. Wherever you are in the world, the app will give you a dramatic and interactive way to ring in 2012.”
Related links:
http://timessquareball.net/app
http://www.TimesSquareBall.net
http://www.livestream.com/2012
Photo of New Year’s Eve 2011 by Greg Kessler, used with permission of Times Square Alliance
Watch the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration here:
It is New York!; enjoy the Manhattan Paradise in New Year Eve; happy New Year 2012!