The BBC has finally released its long awaited iPlayer iOS and Android app.However, some users are seething at the fact that it can only be used on the iPad and not the iPhone, and even then only over a Wi-Fi connection. This seems to be a concession to mobile broadband operators who are pushing content providers to contribute to the costs of high bandwidth applications over 3G.
The app for the iPad in particular is a marked improvement over its web based predecessor, allowing you to drag the shows that you are interested in with a touch of your finger into your favorites and you can view all your favorite shows on one page.
The app, however, aside from its Wi-Fi limitation, has some other annoying quirks. You can’t download shows for offline viewing unlike its PC and Mac counterparts. The fact that an iPhone version is absent seems to defy logic other than for protecting the purses of mobile operators in terms of costs. However, if that was the case, the iPod Touch shouldn’t be barred from entry.
BBC iPlayer is provided free as part of the TV license fee that people have to pay in the UK to watch television shows that have already broadcast. Interestingly enough, it seems that TV licensing in the UK hasn’t developed a way to track down people that watch TV shows over the internet without paying your TV license. The service will be available in the US from April through payment of a monthly subscription, which will be perfect for all you US Top Gear and Doctor Who fans.
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