Because the web-based mobile BBC iPlayer can’t be used outside the U.K., the new third-party app to stream more than 200 stations of BBC Radio content should be enticing for fans of the British syndicate. App BBC Radio, developed by Newkey Technology, the people behind the Radio360 apps, offers free background streaming of BBC stations across the globe.
In testing BBC Radio, I didn’t experience any performance glitches, but users should be warned that the app is not pretty to look at on iPhone 4. The ad-supported app doesn’t make finding stations terribly easy — I’d love it if there were a complete list of choices available — but you can find stations based on location, genre or language. Once you’ve found your favorites, add them to the Favorites tab.
BBC Radio has in-app recording of live streams, and places the taped clips in the Records tab for future access. The app supports background streaming, and offers pause-able content, a sleep timer and an alarm.
I’m not sure if the unofficial aspect of BBC Radio could cause problems for the app down the road, but for now it’s a good alternative to the official subscription-based BBC Listener.
