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BBC iPlayer radio app finally starts broadcasting on Android and Kindle devices (video)
While the iPhone didn't even have a built-in FM radio to replace, Android phones have now started to forgo the radio tuner in the last few years as streaming services (and data reception) have improved. This time around, Beeb listeners can now access the iPlayer radio app, which has made the leap across from iOS. Not only will you be able to install it on your Android smartphone, but also Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet series. The new app doesn't use Flash, given its absence on most up-to-date versions of Google's mobile OS, instead using HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) to deliver your weekly doses of Doctor Who. There's even a handful of improvements over the iOS iteration, with the ability to use the iPlayer alarm function without keeping the app running overnight.
Meanwhile, the radio app's design has been given a rethink for its Android debut, following the design and navigation notions of Google's homemade apps which should hopefully making sense to any seasoned Android 4.0 user. The BBC's Executive Producer James Simcock explains exactly what's been done differently at the source, but if you're not a "reading" kind of... reader, there's a trailer after the break.
