Radiotic for Windows

Radiotic is a Mozilla Firefox add-on that plays various radio stations from your Web browser status bar. While it offers 70 stations to choose from, they come from only 10 different countries. The odds are against you finding your favorite station on such a minimal list.

To view available and previously played radio stations, right-click on the Radiotic tool bar at the right-hand corner of the status bar. Selecting "Radio Monitor" will open a new pop-up with a selection of countries. Each of the 10 countries has one or more radio stations. The USA folder only has eight states and 11 radio stations; definitely an under-representation. Double-clicking on a station will open it in a separate window or in Windows Media Player. Where the station opens is unpredictable. Radiotic's media player isn't the only thing indecisive about this add-on; the players do not always state what music is on the air.

While listening to radio, Radiotic provides multiple options for acquiring information about the songs you are listening to--if it shows the track, which it doesn't always do. By highlighting and right-clicking a song/artist name, users can search for a multitude of music-related information including lyrics, biographies, images, and concert tickets. Because the selection of stations is light, Radiotic lets you request stations that you would like added to the list. Click on "Request New..." and provide the station name, Web page, and your e-mail. Radiotic will give this message: "Your station request has been submitted to our system. If you have provided your e-mail address, we will notify you of the status of your request." The add-on has another promising option in its "Stations" tab; "Update List." However, selecting it simply updates the song name in the status bar instead of updating the list of stations as it suggests.

Radiotic would be a great add-on for radio listeners if it had a wider selection of stations from which to choose. Except for the unpredictable media player and song information, the program is intuitive and easy to use. Try it if you want to discover some "worldly" music, and if you're lucky, it will even have your favorite radio station.