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TED Talks app for Android: Streaming and offline video

The official TED talks app for Android has launched, is available on the Android Market for free and offers steaming audio and video over both Wi-Fi and 3G as well as downloadable content.

What is TED talks? It’s series of inspirational shorts from speakers far and wide. Usually in the region of 5-10 minutes, it’s offered up in both audio or video formats. The updates are regular and the subject matter broad, so while one day you may have a talk about viral video, the next could be about treating cancer with electric fields.

The app UI looks clean with a vertically scrolling main area. There are some great features such as bookmarking your favourite talks for easy access and downloading them for offline viewing. Talks can be downloaded in two video qualities, high or low. Streaming video is smooth even over a patchy 3G connection, though the picture quality is low and patchy. High quality downloads on the other hand look crisp on a 4-inch display and navigation throughout the video is snappy.

If you have tight data limits, you’ll want to keep tabs on that, however with the downloadable content on offer, you can take full advantage of Wi-Fi. It’s a fantastic resource, is totally free and is available right now so there’s little reason not to give the official TED app a go.

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