NEW YORK-- The Associated Press, the world's leading source for news and information, is giving mobile users around the globe unprecedented access to the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a new application for mobile phones.

 The free app, AP 2010 World Cup Coverage, is available for download from multiple app stores, including iTunes, Ovi by Nokia, BlackBerry App World, and Android Market. The app also can be found by visiting http://getapmobile.com/worldcup/.

    "AP's 2010 World Cup Coverage will provide all the action and excitement on and off the field from this summer's event. For the first time, mobile users will be able to experience this firsthand wherever they are, whenever they want"

The application is designed to enhance the FIFA World Cup experience for football fans eager to stay abreast of the action regardless of their geography, language or mobile platform. Features include multiple language settings for English, Spanish, French and Portuguese as well as customizable skins for all 32 countries participating in the tournament, enabling users to follow their favorite team throughout the month-long event.

"AP's 2010 World Cup Coverage will provide all the action and excitement on and off the field from this summer's event. For the first time, mobile users will be able to experience this firsthand wherever they are, whenever they want," said Jeff Litvack, AP's general manager of global product development. "The Associated Press is committed to delivering its unrivaled news and information coverage across all content platforms and this exciting new application is part of that vision."

The application provides users with access to the latest player and team news, match previews, post-match analysis, stadium and regional information, photos and exclusive video - all drawn from the resources of the AP. The application will be supported on the Nokia Series S40, 5th and 6th editions and S60 3rd and 5th editions; Nokia N900 Maemo device; Sony Ericsson S60 devices; Android platform supporting Flash Lite 3.1 in the browser; Android platform supporting Flash Player 10.1 (Droid/Milestone and Nexus One); BlackBerry in the browser; iPhone; AIR Desktop and a WAP site.

The AP has covered all 18 FIFA World Cup events since Uruguay in 1930. No media organization in the world has more experience covering the FIFA World Cup than the AP. The news agency, which maintains a  bureau in South Africa where the event will take place, is scheduled to send more than 100 additional journalists and support personnel to cover the games and supply timely and accurate content to the mobile app.

The AP entered the international mobile market last year with the launch of French- and English-language versions of The Canadian Press Mobile. Following that, the AP developed AP Mobile en Español, featuring U.S. Spanish-language news in two versions: as a dedicated news category channel for the AP Mobile iPhone application and as a standalone application available for download on BlackBerry Application World.  Expanding its presence internationally, AP launched AP Mobile América Latina, offering regional, national and world news from AP as well as more local Latin American and Caribbean news from participating news providers.

About AP Mobile

Developed by The Associated Press, a leader in the mobile news market, AP Mobile is an award-winning multimedia news portal. AP Mobile gives users news they can choose, offering the most applications optimized for today's latest and most popular devices and platforms. Initially launched in May 2008 as a mobile WAP site, www.apnews.com, AP Mobile now leads the market in offering consumers anytime access to AP's own worldwide coverage of international and local breaking news, sports, entertainment, politics and business as well as content from more than 1,000 AP members and third-party sources. Consumers can visit http://getapmobile.com to find the latest mobile applications.

About The AP

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the Net: www.ap.org.