"This American Life," a popular public radio show, is well-known for its podcasts and has a huge cult following, so it's no surprise that it is also finally accessible on the iPad.
Since an iPhone version of the app has been available for quite a while, some people are wondering what exactly makes the more expensive iPad version worth it. (The iPad version is priced at $4.99, while the iPhone version is $2.99.)
According to PRX, the folks behind the apps, these are the features and capabilities which the iPad app has that the iPhone version doesn't:
- Single button play for individual stories within an episode
- Download THREE shows at a time for free, for listening when you don't have network access
- "My Dashboard" section organizes shows you've downloaded or marked as favorite or heard
- Full show descriptions including acts
- Live stream Twitter integration
- Expanded contributor information
- New Extras: Comic Book, DVD Commentaries, Photos and more
- Improved audio playback and scrubbing
And for those not familiar with the iPhone version of the app, here's a review of the features that one included:
- Every new episode automatically added to the app
- Listen to the weekly Live stream
- Staff favorites lists
- Contributor lists make finding episodes from your favorite people easier
- iPod integration: the app will pull in your podcasts also
- Links to buy episodes in iTunes
- Audio/Video extras
- Blog with show news and events
- Mark episodes as Heard and Favorites
- Facebook and Twitter integration
- Lists of This American Life TV episodes, with promos and iTunes download links
In case you didn't catch it: The iPad app does have all the same features as the iPhone app — as well as the additional ones mentioned above.
Based on a few moments with the app, I'd say that it's pretty solid, well-designed, and definitely worth it for fans of "This American Life."
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Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's a bit obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook.