C-Span Radio – iPhone App Review

C-Span Radio (Free)

Version – 1.0

REVIEW – “Congress streaming live 24/7!”

Do you enjoy keeping up with the all the latest things happening on Capital Hill? Or maybe you really need to stay up to date but you are constantly on the move. Well thanks to the C-Span Radio app for iPhone and iPod Touch you can not only stream audio from C-Span Radio but also from both C-Span television broadcasts no matter where you are!

The interface for this app is extremely simple, and yet manages to do everything that you would expect it to. When you open it up you will see three bars at the bottom for each of the three C-Span broadcasts. Touching the button to the right of them will immediately start streaming the one that you have selected. Just above these three buttons there is a volume slider as well. While the regular volume rocker will still work, the bar gives the app a nice polished touch.

By default the C-Span radio stream will start playing. Of the three this one is definitely the best because it is an actual Radio broadcast. While the other two streams offer good information sometimes, it’s just not quite the same without the video stream. The stream quality is very good and adjusts quickly when/if you switch between different types of connections such as EDGE, 3G and/or WiFi.

Just below the three audio stream buttons there is a small “i” button that will take you to an “information page.” From here you can find out about the developer, and you’ll also find a link to a website that will let you know what programming is coming up on the radio broadcast.

At the bottom of the screen you’ll notice a menu that offers a second page called the “podcasts” page. This page will give you links to various podcasts that are related/released by C-span. These podcasts range from a Q & A Podcast for C-Span to a “Podcast of the Week” which is a podcast about the unique political news during the current week.

What this app lacks in “flashiness” it more than makes up for in functionality. While I would have liked to see some kind of RSS reader and/or web browser interface to look up news while listening, this app manages to deliver the streaming audio of C-Span Radio live and without any noticeable problems. I would encourage you to check out this great public service application out in the App Store today for free!

- David H.

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