Two years ago, it was barely on the radar of radio stations that someday soon a lot of their audience would want to listen on their cell phones.
About half of the folks wanting to stream on their cell phones were using iPhones (or iPod Touch with no phone). This created a problem because Apple decided not to support Adobe’s Flash and most streaming radio stations used Flash and offered no “cell phone friendly” streaming options for iPhones.
Then the iPad really upped the ante. In a year, the desktop PC is becoming an endangered species except for the diehard computer user. Radio can’t ignore the iDevices if they want to offer streaming.
The “Big Guys” came out with apps that only worked with their station which wasn’t a great solution. ooTunes offered an app for $5 that pretty much lets you stream any station (except a few station owners who don’t allow it), and I integrated ooTunes links into the directory, partly for the selfish reason that it makes testing much faster.
Tunein (formerly known as RadioTime) started offering a free app for the iDevices AND the android. Tunein has deep pockets and a signficant staff and different goals. They also have their own version of “What’s on now”, but haven’t contacted me (or vice versa).
In streaming apps, I’m an app and OS agostic. ooTunes is “supported” because I bought an iPhone and the developer of ooTunes offered to provide the method to launch his app. If iHeartRadio or Tunein made a similar offer (as long as there are no legal constraints), I would provide the same integration.
But HTML5 is on the horizon – I experienced it the first time the other day. With HTML5 and no Flash, the iPhone will still play the stream – making it possible to stream without any app.
However, you still probably want an app 🙂 SR Guide is limited to only stations in the United States, and doesn’t list streaming not owned by radio stations or radio syndicators.
I’ve made changes to reflect this new reality – in part because of an email today. I’m more fully implementing the idea of iPhone app selection for iDevices, including the option of “None”.
Important note to ooTunes Users – ooTunes is no longer the default app for the iPhone/Pad/Pod. If you haven’t done so before now, you’ll need to go to Preferences (on this web site) and select your App of Choice.
If your app choice is ooTunes, the streams you will see are limited to those that are supported inside ooTunes. If you choose “none”, then you’ll see every stream, whether or not the iDevice is capable of playing that stream. Even if you choose ooTunes, you will be offered the standard “listen” button (which won’t work in many cases if the station still requires Flash)
Retirement brings with it certain perquisites of value beyond esteem. Chief among them are the freedoms to discard wristwatches and cellphones. I’ve done this. The cell remains permanently attached to Bluetooth inside my car and the watch feels so much better in my sock drawer than ever it did on my wrist. Aps? Aps? I doan need no steenkin’ aps!
Actually, I thought this might be the realm from which a new category tree might sprout on the blog… with ‘Online Gaming’ being just a thread or sub-category, etc.
i.e. Cyber-tech & News: smartphones/tabs/pads & streaming, news and views (GPS tracking by carriers), gov’t policy & snooping, the ‘cloud’, security, tips,tools, links, etc.
The home PC is fading, but the workstation will remain. We’ll divide up into developers/creators/admins (workstations) and consumers (smartphones & pads).
As an aside, my partner (sitting across from me at her workstation) is streaming Kim Komando on her laptop… as usual, it’s a 3-hour pitch for Apple products. I’m not sure why she has a show. A guy called in asking about a laptop or tab/pad for his kid, and Kim tells him “it’s pointless to look at anything other than an iPad 2” and certainly to avoid Xbox or similar… then proceeds to give him an Xbox 360 at the end of the call!
We’ll be making our first smartphone/tab purchase -after- the holiday season… looking to buy an Android 4.0/ICS product such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
If there any andriod folks out there, I would like someone with the time and interest to tell me what the issues (if any) are specific to android devices.
My two year contract for the AT&T iPhone is up. $80 a month seems like too much to be paying, since I make almost no phone calls or text messages (and receive even fewer) and could use Skype for that if I wanted to.
I hate December and Kim Komando – for as long as I can remember it has been “Call up and Kim gives you free stuff”. It’s bad programming and I don’t like the whole idea of people begging to radio hosts to give them stuff.
(Remember the TV show Queen for a day?)
Kim long ago went from fantasy date for geeky teenage boys to middle aged housewife fawning over her son. I’m not sure quite who her target audience is at this point. Similar to Beck and Limbaugh, the “show” is getting crammed more and more full of pseudo advertisements instead of content. The “Coming up soon” teases for things she isn’t going to talk about for 2 1/2 hours from now are also annoying (and break one of the rules of syndication – that you need to assume each hour is a standalone program)
The blunt answer is she has a show because there is nothing else available. “The Weekend” is adrift since losing Mike McConnell, nobody fixes their own cars any more, talking about investments is just depressing…. so reruns of Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity draw the only real audience on weekends
I don’t know if it’s related to my linux problems and I haven’t found a problem, or if I vanished from visibility in the search engines, but streaming here is down 14% month over month. Winter is usually when streaming has picked up, since people have fewer options of things to do and tend to stay inside more.
10/4 that kim rant Mr. Stone
Our anticipated phone usage will be similar to yours Art, so it will probably be an unlocked unit (no contract) and WiFi ready.
The primary reasons we want an Android smartphone are to proof mobile content, develop & test apps, and learn the UI.
We think the Android technology and interface is finally worth purchasing, and market penetration has reached critical mass.
Today’s ruling is yet another factor: Apple’s Legal Crusade Against Android Dealt Blow in U.S. Federal Court
My partner will probably get a Galaxy Nexus first, to interface with clients; then I’ll get a Tab when 4.0/ICS is available on it.
I’ve already started gathering various books & resources to make the paradigm shift over to HTML5, Android SDK, and Java (:-o
My jeep is the only vehical that I work on much anymore. In fact I think the bearing is going out on the Power steering pump. I need a couple stainless steel transmission cooling line cause the salt and calcium chloride that VDOT puts on the roads has attacked the current lines. I had to replace the brake lines last year after hitting the brake and almost making a drive through at ‘eating good in the neighborhood’ : ) ‘chicken fingers you know, my niece loves them.
I use to listen to Jeff brooks on saturday mornings in the mid 90’s . Looked forward to it.
It was a good car repair show, not ha ha, HeeHee like click & clack. He was live, from Florida helped people with their cars. He was a big proponent of the PCV Valve. But I think he jumped on the Teflon bandwagon with a mystery oil QMI and faded away. That was way before cumulus bought the local radio stations.
Youtube has all but replaced the car repair/fix radio show.
Wonder when Youtube will replace the religious radio station?