2012 Olympics: the essential apps

Sports fans lucky enough to have a ticket for the 2012 Olympics in London will find all manner of useful apps available. We've rounded up the best on the market, from transport information to tools that will help you make the most of your stay, whether you have an iPhone, iPad or Android.

London Tube Deluxe

Travelling to the Olympic Stadium on public transport is a quick way to get to the Games, but navigating London on public transport can feel confusing. That's where apps like London Tube Deluxe for the iPhone come in.

Nominated for Best Travel App in The Carphone Warehouse Appys, it has a map of the London Underground and a journey planner that even works without an internet connection. There are timetables, weekend line closure notifications and live status updates plus departure boards. The multi-lingual option caters for English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese.

London Underground for Android works in much the same way, with a map and live service information. GPS will help you find where you are in relation to tube stations, and tube exit information will help you find the most helpful way in and out! Places of interest are also listed.

London Congestion Charge Check

Plan to travel by car to the Olympic Stadium? Make sure you're not one of the estimated 30,000 people a week who forget to pay the London Congestion Charge, by downloading a handy app onto your smartphone. The iPhone's AutoAlert lets you check whether you are within the London Congestion Zone, and then click to pay by text or be connected to the call centre by phone.

Similarly, the Congestion app for Android phones allows you to send your Congestion Charge payment via text message. Pre-register with Transport for London and you can ensure your payment arrives on time, thus avoiding hefty charges.

QR Code Reader and Scanner

Have you seen promotions with labels and codes to scan? You can take advantage of them by getting a QR Code scanner app for iPhones. Use it to scan two-dimensional barcode labels with your smartphone.

QR Droid does the same job for Androids, and is rated 5 out of 5 by PC World. QR codes are used to share website links, contact information, geo-locations and more. You can share information with your friends too

London Travel Guide

While you're in London for the Olympics, you'll no doubt want to do a bit of sightseeing too. That's where a city guide app will come in handy. Time Out's iPhone London guide was nominated for Best Travel App in the Carphone Warehouse Appys 2011. You can browse the insider's guide to London offline, use interactive maps, and find out recommended attractions, restaurants and bars.

Android users can download mTrip Guides London app. This offers customised itineraries, reviews of the top bars, shops and eateries, plus offline maps with location-based navigation to help you find your way on foot or by tube.

2012 Olympics London Guide

Last but not least, grab yourself the London 2012 Guide for your iPhone. This app provides the latest information on the Olympics, including headlines from the official website and detailed travel information. You can search timetables by sport, date or venue.

MultiAppz offers the 2012 Olympics Ultimate Guide for Androids. It features the official 2012 Twitter and Facebook feed, as well as the history of each event. You'll also get a map of each venue with what's on where.

Armed with all these apps, getting the most out of the 2012 London Olympics will be a doddle!