Music lovers, listen up. Whether you've got an iOS device (iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch), Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone, look no further than TuneIn Radio Pro.
This handy Wi-Fi and 3G-enabled app lets you listen to—and record—more than 50,000 radio stations from around the world, as well as online-only stations and podcasts.
From rock to pop, hip-hop to reggae, classical to country, this app works with the RadioTime music directory to let you search for music by artists or genre, and then you can bookmark the stations you like best.
For example, I found a gem of a station called GotRadio Mash-Ups that plays two tracks cleverly mixed together, such as Katy Perry and Linkin Park or Mary J. Blige and Snow Patrol. You can also search for stations playing your favourite song at that particular time.
If your favourite radio station isn't listed, you can add it by copying and pasting the URL from a Web browser to TuneIn Radio Pro.
The app lets you pause for up to thirty minutes or skip forward and back between tracks, like a digital video recorder. Tap the red record button to save it to your device's built-in memory and play it back anytime you like, even when offline. Unfortunately, you can't transfer it to your iTunes library if you're on an iOS device, so you won't be able to weave it into existing playlists, but at least you can minimize the app and keep listening while, say, surfing the Web, playing a game, or typing in a word processor. Many stations offer commercial- and DJ-free music, and will often show album art with each track, too.
Illustrated by a map of the Earth or by country name, you can search for radio stations from around the world—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. TuneIn Radio Pro first asks if it could know your location—using the iPad's GPS or Wi-Fi wireless connectivity—and within a second or two, you'll see a thorough list of your local AM and FM stations.
It's not just music either, as you've also got access to news, talk, sports, comedy, and old time radio shows, and the app can recommend related stations to check out based on your tastes.
There's also an alarm clock, record timer, and sleep timer function, plus you can control audio playback with headphone controls and most speaker dock remotes, if desired. The latest update adds the ability to rename recordings, a data counter for those who want to keep an eye on their 3G or Wi-Fi usage (available in settings), and the app now automatically pauses the station you're on when you close the app, and resumes when you open it again.
For music lovers, TuneIn Radio Pro could be the best ninety-nine cents you've ever spent! A free version, called TuneIn Radio, doesn't let you record audio.
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