BBC Internet Blog - Abigail Khanna https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/bbcinternet/ Staff from the BBC's online and technology teams talk about BBC Online, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC's digital and mobile services. The blog is reactively moderated. Posts are normally closed for comment after three months. Your host is Eliza Kessler. en Copyright 2012 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.33-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss BBC News and BBC iPlayer web icons arrive on BlackBerry PlayBook The BBC’s Director of Future Media, Ralph Rivera, spoke at a BBC Online industry event last month, and again during a keynote at last week’s Intellect Annual Conference about the strategy for BBC Online: one service, ten products, four screens.  We’re excited about the emergence of a post-PC world and opportunities to reach audiences on whatever ‘piece of glass’ they choose. 

To this end, I’m pleased to announce today the launch of BBC News and BBC iPlayer web icons (shortcuts) on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. From today, all new BlackBerry PlayBook tablets will come with the web icons pre-installed. Existing users will be presented with a software update notification on their status ribbon or can access the update at any time from the Software Updates item in the Settings Menu. The addition of these web icons provides more convenient access to BBC News and a wealth of BBC programmes on demand. 

tablet screenshot with a dozen software icons, including BBC News and iPlayer

The BBC aims to make its content available as widely as possible. In the BBC Future Media Business Development team where I work we’re constantly forging relationships with industry to deliver greater value for money for licence-fee payers, by repurposing BBC Online products for the widest range of devices we can. These partnerships have already enabled delivery of versions of the BBC News application for Apple and Android devices, and a version of the BBC iPlayer app for Apple’s iPad and Android mobile and tablet devices.

The BBC News shortcut will link to the desktop version of the BBC News website, and the BBC iPlayer shortcut will link to a browser optimised for portable devices. The growth rate in tablets is outstripping that of PCs so we’re pleased to be able to bring these products to a wider tablet audience.

Lastly, many of you will have already used the shortcuts we developed for BlackBerry smartphones last year. We’ve had to roll these back because of technical issues; we’re currently investigating these issues and will re-introduce the shortcuts when resolved.

Abigail Khanna is Senior Business Development Manager, BBC Future Media

]]> Abigail Khanna Abigail Khanna https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/bbcinternet/2011/07/bbc_news_and_bbc_iplayer_web_i.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/bbcinternet/2011/07/bbc_news_and_bbc_iplayer_web_i.html mobile Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0000