At one point in life, having an iPod was the coolest thing … ever.
Then, it was the iPhone.
But then came Android … which people also loved. The only problem was, all that music that was already purchased from the iTunes store. So, what to do with it?
Carry both devices? You wanted your music on-the-go, but you needed your communication device as well … hrm.
Then online music streaming showed up, along with all their fancy apps (available for both Android and iPhones) and the world was a better place. Not only could you stream music, you could tell the stations what you liked and it would customize your listening experience.
It doesn’t get much better than that … now you have a huge collection of music, on-demand, all on your phone. Haven’t ventured into the world of radio apps yet? Here’s what you can look for.
Pandora.com: Nearly everyone has heard of Pandora. A music site that streams according to your preferences. You can create up to 100 personalized radio stations based on a specific song or artist.
The created station will play that music, as well as music that is similar in genre. Just give the music played a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to tweak the station and make it yours.
Spotify.com: I find this to be the best option, by far. You can choose to play entire albums, create playlists, and have it all at your fingertips … and when I say “all,” I’m talking about more than 15 million songs.
Now, it’s important to note that with Spotify, you can listen to it free from your computer, but you must pay a small monthly fee to take it with you (but, if you’re a music lover, it’s totally worth it … especially considering how much music you’ll have access too). You can also plug other apps into Spotify (like last.fm).
Last.fm:Â Â Another app that carries a huge catalog of music, you can create a circle of friends that will allow you to see what everyone else is listening to. Last.fm allows you to listen to both their catalog of music, as well as the radio. It’s the best of both worlds.
Slacker.com: If you’re a talk radio junkie, this is perfect for you. Filled with preset niche stations and podcasts, everyone in the family can listen in. Also offered: specific genres, children’s programming, spiritual and seasonal music, and comedy-specific stations.
These apps are particularly useful if you exercise outdoors, but hate to leave your phone at home. They do eat at your data plan, so be sure that you have an unlimited one, and they also will suck your battery … especially if you’re using an app like MapMyRun at the same time. However, if you turn off other things, like your WiFi search (another battery consumer) you can last a few hours without needed a re-charge.
Photo credit: Spotify
