WunderRadio for Android

The great thing about Internet radio is that you can access tens of thousands of stations from across the globe, so there's bound to be something for everyone. Even better is if you can access all that content in the palm of your hand. WunderRadio is banking on just that with its line of apps for a variety of mobile devices, including one tooled specifically for the Android platform. Sadly, although the app works quite well, we still think $6.99 is a bit too steep a price tag for what is essentially free (mostly ad-supported) content. If WunderRadio would cut the price by half--or even a third--we'd have an easier time recommending it.

As with most Android apps we've come across, WunderRadio is exceedingly quick and easy to download: just visit the Marketplace on your device and search for it. At roughly 4.5MB, it's not a space hog, either. The interface is bare bones--don't expect a lot (or really any) fancy graphics here. However, it is very functional, with an option to search for particular stations using a box at the top of the screen or browse based on a variety of requirements. For example, you can find local radio by GPS; browse sports, talk, or music; access recently played content; or view other station directories such as 8tracks and Internet Archive. The playback screen is a simple affair with station (and sometimes song) info, a pause function, and a volume slider.

In addition to Internet radio access, WunderRadio provides a few other noteworthy features. Not entirely unexpected (considering its affiliation with Wunderground is the ability to check out live reporting of your local weather. There's also a section for accessing police and traffic scanners. Finally, the app includes a port for XM/Sirius subscribers to listen to their satellite radio subscriptions.

On the performance side of things, WunderRadio does a fine job. Some stations have a little lag time before starting up, but it's not considerable enough to present much of an issue. Audio quality is on par with what you'd expect from over-the-air Web streaming; that is, it won't be sufficient for audio purists, but is just fine for the casual listener.