RadioTime was my first venture into streaming music apps. At the time it was more about more variety in my music - without having to go to internet cafe to download more mp3's. Plus, I hardly ever got to listen to my favourite radio stations any more. I used to have a phone with a fm tuner, so I thought I would look and see if there was an app for that. And there is!
RadioTime streams the online audio streams from thousands of radiostations from all over the world.
This app has never really grown on me. I think there are two main reasons for this. The first is the stations themselves. By this I mean the nature of commercial radio and the quality of their streams. One thing I have come to learn (and love) about life in the twenty-first century - the Information Age - is that I can have a say in how much advertising I have to put up with. Especially the full-on in-your-face kind found in traditional radio and TV Ads. Combine two or three minute blocks of continuous advertising with low quality streams, and you end up with a less-than-satisfying listening experience.
The app itself has problems of it's own, although it has been steadily getting better. A couple months ago it seemed buggier. It would often sit forever trying to find my local stations. That hasn't happened as often in the last month (or two?). It still can take a long time to load my local stations. Which is made more annoying by it's inability to remember my presets. On top of this the local stations list is never the same. It usually misses at least a couple - which are of course the ones I want to listen to. And it includes lots of stations that are definitely not local.
The bugs bother me less than the fact that even when I do manage to actually connect to my stations of choice, they sound pretty crappy. My radio sounds better, and it doesn't take any time at all to activate. But then my radio plugs into the wall in my bedroom, where it sits permanently. It doesn't sit in my pocket or otherwise on my person 24/7 like my Pre does. So my search for the ideal music solution for my Pre did not end with this app.
Find out for yourself: RadioTime
RadioTime streams the online audio streams from thousands of radiostations from all over the world.
This app has never really grown on me. I think there are two main reasons for this. The first is the stations themselves. By this I mean the nature of commercial radio and the quality of their streams. One thing I have come to learn (and love) about life in the twenty-first century - the Information Age - is that I can have a say in how much advertising I have to put up with. Especially the full-on in-your-face kind found in traditional radio and TV Ads. Combine two or three minute blocks of continuous advertising with low quality streams, and you end up with a less-than-satisfying listening experience.
The app itself has problems of it's own, although it has been steadily getting better. A couple months ago it seemed buggier. It would often sit forever trying to find my local stations. That hasn't happened as often in the last month (or two?). It still can take a long time to load my local stations. Which is made more annoying by it's inability to remember my presets. On top of this the local stations list is never the same. It usually misses at least a couple - which are of course the ones I want to listen to. And it includes lots of stations that are definitely not local.
The bugs bother me less than the fact that even when I do manage to actually connect to my stations of choice, they sound pretty crappy. My radio sounds better, and it doesn't take any time at all to activate. But then my radio plugs into the wall in my bedroom, where it sits permanently. It doesn't sit in my pocket or otherwise on my person 24/7 like my Pre does. So my search for the ideal music solution for my Pre did not end with this app.
Find out for yourself: RadioTime
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