The BBC is to immediately release its long-awaited mobile apps after the BBC Trust concluded its review into the launch of native applications for smartphones.
Plans were initially announced in February, but were immediately put on hold after the intervention of the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), which feared the launch of the BBC apps might damage the nascent market for its own mobile applications.
In the intervening period international versions of news and sport apps became an instant hit overseas after being released by BBC Worldwide.
The BBC News app for the iPhone and iPad is the first to be released, bringing access to breaking news and the latest stories, repurposing content available on the BBC News website. A launcher application for Blackberry users has also been developed.