iOS/Android: If you’re a fan of the ABC’s many excellent radio stations, this is welcome news. The national broadcaster has released iOS and Android apps specifically designed for radio listening, with access to most capital city stations, national networks and a specially-created Olympics 2012 channel.
One advantage the Android version offers over iOS: the ability to set an alarm which wakes you with your chosen station. That’s apparently too difficult to achieve on iOS. Android also gets a higher-quality audio stream (96Kbps). iPhone 4 and 4S owners get a 64Kbps stream, while older iPhones get 48Kbps.
The obvious consideration when using your phone as a radio is whether it will chew through your 3G data allowance. The ABC estimates that an hour of listening will use about 44MB on Android, 29MB on a newer iPhone and 22MB on an older model. Using Wi-Fi where possible is clearly a wise idea.
ABC Radio is a free download for iOS and Android devices.
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