TuneIn Radio: Amazing
I’m really busy at work but I wanted to throw out a quick shoutout. Have you ever noticed how, on average, about 23 of the 25 top Paid applications in the App Store are games? I tend to gloss over the games now (since I’ve played most of them) and gun straight for the apps that have cracked the top 25. In this case, TuneIn Radio caught my eye and I had to try it. Well, the verdict?
It’s amazing.
I don’t really listen to the radio much anymore, partly because I have an iPod (and have had one, or something similar for 10 years) but also because radio is so fragmented. I have lived in 8 cities in 2 states over the last 10 years and each one of them has their own local radio culture. There’s also a bit of homogenization that goes on in radio, where there are so many “Power” stations or “Star” stations out there that it tends to lose its meaning behind the Clear Channel facade. But, there are invariably a few gems out there among the crowd, which you lose when you end up moving 20 miles down the road.
With TuneIn Radio, though, I have been able to hook up with my favorite talk radio station in LA (even though I don’t really share their politics anymore). I’ve been able to find the Phil Hendrie show on any of his affiliates whenever it’s on. I’ve been able to get around ridiculous media restrictions that happen in ESPN Radio’s app to listen to hear the local Lakers broadcast even though I’m in Austin. And I imagine I’d have been able to listen to any local NFL broadcast as well during the regular season.
But the best thing about TuneIn Radio is that it’s good. It’s not one of those apps that presents a list of features that sure would be nice if they all actually worked. They actually do! When it plays in the background, I can pause the stream and pick back up right where I left off. I can record shows, make phone calls, store up commercials and generally use it like I’d use a DVR, all with the local radio stations that I used to listen to when I lived in Santa Barbara, or Oceanside. It all happens without the static or signal problems that can happen with a regular radio (I used to have a job where I couldn’t listen to my favorite AM stations in the building I was in because of all the other tall buildings around).
So serious kudos to Synsion Radio Technologies. TuneIn Radio is the real deal, and well worth the 99 cents they’re selling it for. Go get it.
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