BBC to offer free News and Sports Apps for iPhone

April looks like it’s shaping up to be quite an exciting month for tech fans with the release of the HTC Legend, the iPad and now some free news and sports dedicated apps for the iPhone.

The free BBC news and sports apps will also be landing on the Blackberry and Android platform.

According to the BBC, the apps have been developed in response to growing number of people that use "sophisticated handheld devices to access information".

Is the BBC attempting to take on paid-content apps like The Guardians?

Erik Huggers, BBC director of future media and technology, is quoted on the BBC site as saying, "users want to access the digital services that they have paid for at a time and place that suits them. Today's announcement means that we are catching up with our audiences."

The new BBC app will offer video, audio and text news and sports stories. In addition to this, users will reportedly be able to send comments and pictures directly to the newsroom.

The sports app will initially focus on football, especially the World Cup, which begins on June.

According to the BBC, the app will be updated later in the year and will include Formula One.

The BBC has also stated that it is considering another app for its iPlayer service, which reportedly receives 20 million requests each week.