Tag: Radio »

When it comes to sounds that tickle the eardrums, I would consider myself a mass consumer.  Whether it be local talk radio, sports, podcast, numerous music stations or even my 28GB+ of mp3s, it is safe to assume that I have my auditory nerves tingling as often as humanly possible.  One way that I have found to mass consume both new and old music that I like is through a little website that many have become familiar with by the name of last.fm.  The problem, as you can tell, is that I like to listen to far more than just music.

So what is a podcast, talk radio, news and music fiend to do?  Why not download the new app AudioPress and let your entire media world be transformed.  Combining feeds of everything that you like from all mediums, along with the latest news that is custom fit to you, might be a recipe for success.  But what else does this new game-changing software bring to the table?

"AUDIOPRESS brings you the spoken word in all its forms—old and new—so you can hear all the news, entertainment, and information you want while on-the-go.

And with AUDIOPRESS, discovering content and creating sync-free playlists is easy, and intelligent playback can automatically play current episodes only and skip content you’ve already heard, so listening is ‘start-and-go!’" -- VIA AudioPress description in App Store

If there were such a thing as custom designed applications, I believe that this would be the one made for me.  I spend hours every week listening to numerous different forms of content that I love.  The problem is that finding the type of information and entertainment can take months to line-up.  This is where AudioPress could be the personal savior of my free time.  Now the trick will be living up to the promises that they make in the trailer below.  Give the app a download, because I can assure you that the sticker price of absolutely nothing is not going to break any bank.

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Those wishing that the currently Europe-only Spotify music streaming service and iPhone app would hit to the rest of the world now have another option - MOG Mobile Music.

The MOG network has been around for a while but its new iPhone app makes it a serious contender in the audio subscription market offering similar, if not better, features by comparison to its rivals.

Highlights of the service include a library of eight million songs and some 700,000 albums that can be streamed to your iPhone over 3G and Wi-Fi and bundled into playlists. An unlimited number of songs can also be downloaded to the iPhone and stored for periods when you’re outside of Wi-Fi or cell areas.

The above features are all par for the course when it comes to this type of app and service but there are a few gems to be found in MOG Mobile Music too. The first is the true on-demand nature of the listening. Songs can be played at any time and repeated unlike many similar services that prevent repeat play, and you can listen to user playlists and customizable artist radio stations on the go. Artist radio isn't as strict as the others either, with a simple slider determining how much of the artist you hear and how many similar artists are played.

It’s flexibility that seems to be the key difference between MOG and its rivals and, for a $9.99 per month fee, looks set to take a lead in the cloud-based music subscription game.

If you fancy trying out MOG Mobile Music, a three-day free trial is currently available when you download the app. No credit card is required either so you can sample the service risk free during this period.

While Pandora got the top billing when Apple demoed iOS 4 multitasking, other music services are also updating their apps to support background play.

Multitasking in iOS 4 allows compatible apps to run in the background while another app runs in the foreground. Apps in the background can continue to perform tasks such as play music streams.

Slacker Inc has announced that its personal radio application, Slacker Radio, has been updated to support multitasking and is available now for free on the App Store. The currently Europe-only Spotify is also headed for background-centric adjustment with the company announcing on its blog that an update has been submitted to Apple. The blog post goes on to suggest that a “surprise” will also be included in the update to thank users for their patience.

As well as music streaming, GPS navigation apps and social networking clients are also popular background enabled apps. Expect to see many more updates of this type in the coming days.

*Update Apple Stores are reported to be currently selling them for $69.95, no word yet on if a price fix is in the works or if this is an exclusive deal

Only 7 months after the original press release Belkin's new TuneCast Auto Live iPhone FM transmitter, which was originally tagged as being the first iPhone 3.0 accessory, is finally shipping. Physically the transmitter doesn't look any different then many of the other transmitters on the market currently. It charges through the car’s 12-volt lighter outlet and connects through the dock adapter with a control module in between. What makes this one special though is the app, ClearSacn Live, that goes along with it. Not only can users manually control all of the frequencies from the iPhone interface but the ClearScan function uses the iPhone's GPS locater (apparently this only works with a 3GS) to automatically find the strongest frequency for the best audio quality. The transmitter is retailing for $79.99 and the app is now on the App Store for free.

I'll say it now - I'm an iPhone addict.

Every week, I have to go to a 12 step program designed to wean me off my addiction.* But, you know what? It's not working. You see, to be cured of an addiction you have to want to be cured. I love my iPhone. It's a part of my life. It's never far from my grasp, and I use it many, many times throughout my day. I don't want to be cured.
[caption id="attachment_13153" align="aligncenter" width="509" caption="Paul Pelosi (look at his hands) is also an iPhone addict."]

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When I first got my iPhone, I was amazed - due to the superb implementation of the web, that I could actually use it to buy my wife's Christmas presents... from the sofa... while she sat next to me. I would ask her what she wanted, she'd have a little think, then tell me, then I'd buy it, without her even realising her wishes were coming true within seconds of her uttering the words. She might as well have been saying abracadabra. It was magical, and exciting in a way only another iPhone-phile can understand.

This is how my iPhone and I spend the day.

Wake Up Call
Even before I awake, my iPhone is there for me, dragging me from my slumber with the sound of Marimba. Clock has become my Alarm Clock. I've even taught it not to wake me at all at the weekend - at those times my iPhone allows me to dream on (although my daughter does not respect the covenant me and the iPhone have made).

I don't know how excited you are about it, but Slacker just updated their mobile app! For those of you who have never used Slacker, it is basically Pandora but with a larger library... which means less repeats and more awesomeness. In their own words, "The Slacker Radio application for iPhone offers listeners millions of songs, high-quality sound and an intuitive interface," said Jonathan Sasse, senior vice president of marketing at Slacker. "With new features and sleek usability upgrades we are continuing to make the listening experience even more powerful and easy to use."

To celebrate the update, Slacker has given me a 1 year subscription to Slacker Radio Plus (full description here) to give out however I please. Mwahaha. So here is what I would like you, the reader to do. I am looking for some good music, and I want you, dear reader, to tell me what to listen to.

I am going to take each entry (example entry - CCR) and play it as a Slacker playlist. The best Slacker playlist to come from the artist or song that you give me wins the prize. I'll listen to any genre, as long as it's good music, so don't ask me what my favorite genre is.

Good Luck! Send me some good stuff... and thanks in advance.

All entries should either be posted in the comments section of this page or sent to me via Twitter (@148apps). Contest will close Sunday night with the winner being selected on Monday to much fanfare. One note from Slacker... the winner must have a valid email address already configured for Slacker (i.e. they already use Slacker with it)... so go get one, they are free.

Rule 1. Enter as many times as you want.
Rule 2. Tell all of your friends to send me their music entries
Rule 3. Don't send me anything from the Baja Men.