iPlayer comes to smartphones - or at least latest Android ones

Good news for anyone who can't stand to miss the latest episode of Top Gear or Doctor Who even when they're out and about - the Beeb has announced that its popular catch-up TV service iPlayer is now available on the latest Android handsets.

That is to say, only users with Android 2.2 (aka FroYo) will be able to use the new scaled-down, mobile optimised version of the iPlayer, mainly because only Android 2.2 has the support for the recently released Flash 10.1 which will enable the interface to work. The mobile version of the site is designed to work on Google's web-kit based Chrome browser, and has a modified interface to make it easier to navigate on a touchscreen gadget.

Of course, you'll not only need the latest version of Android, but also a decent processor to manage the video streaming - and perhaps more importantly, a decent internet connection. Wi-Fi is recommended, although there are reports of users managing to watch content on 3G - presumably when they're sitting practically on top of a 3G tower.

The BBC was also intending to release a number of apps for smartphones, allowing smartphone users easier access to its content, although complaints from across the industry that these would undercut paid-for news services have halted those plans in the short term. The BBC Trust is due to take a view on whether free BBC news apps are appropriate given the licence-funded nature of the Beeb and the complaints from the competition.