iPlayer comes to the iPhone

iPhone and iPod Touch owners will now be able to use the BBC iPlayer on their device, according to the BBC.

Not all programs will be available immediately as the iPlayer for iPhone service is still in beta testing, but it means that the service is now open to yet another market segment, after the BBC made a version of iPlayer that was compatible with Mac OS and Linux operating systems.

iPhone owners will have to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to access iPlayer, as the mobile EDGE technology is too slow for streaming video.

"iPlayer on iPhone is a beta version right now, so if you find some programmes aren't available on iPhone or you get the occasional oddity... yep, we're working on it," said Anthony Rose, writing on the BBC Internet blog.

Rose also said that the BBC was working to make iPlayer available on more mobile devices.

"We started with iPhone because it is the device most optimised for high-quality video that's currently available. It displays the BBC iPlayer site and BBC programmes nicely. But we're working on making BBC iPlayer available on many more browser-enabled devices over the coming months," he wrote.

The news comes a day after Apple announced that the next software update for the iPhone will enable developers to write their own programs for the iPhone. At the moment, only Apple-approved applications can be installed on the iPhone.

"We're excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community with potentially thousands of native applications for iPhone and iPod touch," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive.

The move will mean iPhone owners will be able to find third-party applications for their device and choose to download and install them as they please using the iPhone App Store.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
www.apple.com/iphone