Slacker Radio 3.0 (to be) on the BlackBerry Storm.
(Credit: Slacker Radio)Earlier today at CTIA Wireless 2009 (see all stories), Slacker Radio demoed its new apps for Windows Mobile, Android, and Blackberry phones. In typical slacker Radio fashion, the applications looked sleek, suave, and dark--we're not sure about dangerous. All three apps are gravitating toward a similar, standard look that tweaks the interface to add the same small improvements across the board: a new screen that tiles lyrics (visible in full with the Radio Plus subscription), biographies, and a review, and an area that reminds you which song is playing while you browse other categories.
You'll see this Slacker Radio widget on Android someday soon.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)The trio of Slacker Radio apps will also start seeing some integration with social networks. The first network integration, Twitter, launched on Wednesday night in a partial offering with loose ends that the native apps will hopefully tie up.
In terms of application development, that's not much to boast about. However, the Android app is slated to receive a Now Playing home screen widget with a few basic playback controls, but no capability to change stations. The BlackBerry app (version 3.0) will soon be able to sync cached stations with your computer via Wi-Fi and the data connection, not just through a USB cable, as it does now. This is the change we've been waiting for, and out of the bundle, it's the most important one Slacker is offering.
The second catch? No firm release dates yet. Slacker hints that all three apps will pop into being by the end of 2009, but the streaming music site that competes with Pandora and Last.FM hasn't been able--or willing--to commit to a time frame.
Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET Reviews.
In mid-July, Verizon began automatically pushing Slacker Radio to BlackBerry Storm phones. Starting Tuesday, Verizon's partnership with Slacker Radio begins extending to BlackBerry Tour devices in its U.S. network as well.
As part of the agreement, Slacker Radio will hook into Verizon's V Cast store (which itself taps the Rhapsody catalog), giving BlackBerry Storm and Tour users the capability to purchase one of 4.5 million songs.
Slacker Radio's streaming music player competes heavily with similar Internet radio services, particularly Pandora.
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Slacker Radio)
Don't have a streaming radio application on your BlackBerry Storm yet? If you're a Verizon user, all you have to do to get one is wait.
On Thursday, Verizon started rolling out the Slacker Radio application to every BlackBerry Storm user in its U.S. network. The free version of Slacker Personal Radio App will appear as an icon on the Storm home screen. Those who would rather opt out can hide the button and ignore the service.
In addition to discovering and rating songs, Slacker's edge on BlackBerry is its ability to cache stations for offline listening. This is particularly useful when traveling through weak Wi-Fi areas or dead data zones that would make streaming music a challenge.
A hook into Verizon's V Cast service, which itself taps the Rhapsody catalog, gives BlackBerry Storm users an opportunity to buy one of the service's 4.5 million songs without interrupting the tune's playback.
Verizon will begin pushing the Verizon version of Slacker Radio app to BlackBerry Storm users over the air Thursday and will continue to do so in waves. Slacker Radio operates a two-tiered service. The free, basic streaming service pushed to the phones can be upgraded to a premium subscription, Slacker Radio Plus.
Yes, Last.fm--like CNET--is owned by CBS, but it's also pretty awesome.
In a world teeming with increasingly similar tech products, Apple is one company that seems to have no problem churning out standout products. This might be attributed to sleek designs, fun features, and friendly interfaces--or maybe you want to chalk it up to good ol' marketing tactics. However, in the case of the iPhone and the iPod Touch, there's one attribute that undeniably separates these devices from the masses: the ever-expanding cadre of third-party applications. You can find everything from cookbooks and weight-loss trackers to games and productivity tools, but the area in which the iPhone and iPod Touch really excel is music, and there are hundreds of applications to choose from in this category.
To help you sort through the mass of options, we rounded up five of our favorite iPhone music apps. To keep things simple, we limited our scope to free selections that have a heavy focus on full music playback. Not everything included here will be a perfect fit for every iPod user, but you're sure to find something that will float your boat.
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Slacker Radio)
Music lovers, this week's CNET Crave giveaway is for you. This time, five lucky winners will receive a yearlong subscription to Slacker Radio Plus, which Slacker is offering to CNET readers in celebration of having its service on the BlackBerry named an April 2009 CNET Editors' Choice winner.
To win, you don't have to have a BlackBerry or use Slacker Radio. The prize is good for Slacker's streaming-Internet radio in all its destinations: on the Internet, BlackBerry, iPhone, Slacker's portable G2 player, and on the Sony Brazia TV, Logitech Squeezebox Duet, or Logitech Squeezebox Boom.
Slacker's premium Radio Plus service nixes the ads and includes song lyrics, a new Mini Mode, unlimited skips (versus a six-skip limit per hour, per station), and unlimited song requests (versus 20 per station).
So, how do you attempt to win a year of Slacker Radio Plus? Good question, and a perfect segue to lay out the basic rules. Don't skip these, or you may not win.
- Age. You must be 18 years of age or older.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave any comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- Register for Slacker Radio. You must have the free, basic Slacker Radio account to win Slacker Radio Plus.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. The five (5) winners will receive one (1) year of Slacker's Radio Plus service. Approximate retail value is $50 based on a $3.99 per month subscription fee.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Monday, May 18, at 12 p.m. EDT.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 11:59:59 a.m. EDT on May 18, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck. Now may the entries begin!
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Slacker Radio)
True to its word at CTIA 2009, Slacker Radio has released an update to its excellent streaming-radio application for BlackBerry.
The latest version adds a few new features, the most exciting of which, reading song lyrics, can be enjoyed only by subscribers to the premium RadioPlus service. The lyrics show up when available on the right-most tab in the BlackBerry Slacker app. Even those using the free version of Slacker stand to benefit from Slacker's newly implemented Bluetooth support, which finally provides compatibility with stereo headsets and a whole host of Bluetooth peripherals. You can enable Bluetooth in the BlackBerry options menu.
You can download Slacker Radio's latest on Slacker.com or on the newly-launched BlackBerry App World. It works for the BlackBerry Bold, Curve series, Pearl series (including Flip), and the BlackBerry Storm.
Article updated 4/1/09 at 1:30 pm PT to correct the name of LyricFind.
All these lyrics can be yours as part of a subscription fee.
(Credit: Slacker Radio)If you've ever seen this Internet-infamous video, nobody need ever remind you of the importance of song lyrics.
Soon, subscribers to Slacker Radio's RadioPlus service will be able to avoid embarrassing lyrical flubs with the help of a new lyrics tab on the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Web. Slacker Radio has partnered with LyricFind to provide the text behind the songs, which RadioPlus subscribers began seeing Tuesday, March 31, 2009, on Slacker.com. The lyrics tabs is expected to appear on the BlackBerry on April 1, and on the iPhone sometime next week.
Licensed lyrics are beginning to set a trend in mobile applications. In addition to Slacker Radio's lyrics play, TuneWiki has released its offering for Android and is working on versions of the music video and lyrics application for the other mobile platforms. The bottom line is: are you willing to pay for a tool that keeps you from making a fool of yourself in front of people you're trying to impress?
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Slacker Radio)
When Slacker Radio first introduced its streaming Internet radio app for the BlackBerry, it only worked on standard BlackBerrys running version 4.3 and above. Starting Wednesday, the free app gets touchy-feely with a brand new version for the BlackBerry's touch-screen Storm.
Slacker Radio for the Storm brings with it everything we loved on the Curve and Bold, including its best feature ever, caching a song to play offline later. It also throws in some touch-screen specials, like support for landscape mode.
The app still serves U.S. customers only on the BlackBerry and iPhone.
To get it, go to www.Slacker.com from the BlackBerry browser.
Related stories:
First Look video: Slacker for BlackBerry
How to cache Slacker stations on BlackBerry
Slacker Radio for iPhone 1.0 (and iPod Touch) may be late to the party of streaming-music apps for the iPhone, but that's no reason to overlook it.
The excellent, free app offers up a sleek, dark display and a lot of visual goodness, from large album art to visual icons for your favorite and custom stations.
Sure, we've got a few complaints, too, but if you're deciding whether to add another music app into the mix, this First Look video may help you decide.
Slacker Radio started 2009 with a burst, releasing a mobile version of Slacker's streaming-Internet radio app for BlackBerry (story|download) that takes unique advantage of its hardware and storage capabilities to add some truly useful features.
Check out this First Look video to watch these features play out on the BlackBerry Bold.
