Times Square App Now Available for Smartphones

Want to experience New Year's Eve in Times Square without standing in the freezing cold, squashed into a crowd of thousands of people? There's an app for that.

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment have teamed up with Toshiba and Livestream to release the Times Square Ball App for both Apple and Android OS devices.

The app, which is free, will feature a live, commercial-free stream of the six-and-a-half-hour-long New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. The stream will include not only the ball drop, but other major festivities from the evening as well, such as celebrity appearances and a musical performance from Taio Cruz.

In an attempt to make the experience even more immersive, the app offers a chance for people to see their photos displayed on the "Toshiba Vision" sign directly below the ball on New Year's Eve. Users can submit their New Year's photos for viewers to vote on, with the ones garnering the most votes being showcased every hour.

On the other 364 days of the year, the app functions as an information hub for Times Square, providing updates and news about the "non-stop excitement that makes Times Square the ‘Crossroads of the World.'"