PORTLAND, OR, USA – Streaming music has transformed how Internet users consume music and there’s a raft of choices when it comes to streaming music to your mobile phone, such as the Nokia N8. We used to rely upon FM radio and DJs to give us new tunes or rely upon recommendations from our friends and family. Then, when we wanted to have a track or album for ourselves we would buy the CD. Now, thanks to online services we can consume music whenever and however we want. We can buy tracks digitally or subscribe to an all-you-can-eat service that allows you to access unlimited music for a monthly fee. This is all great when you’re on a desktop computer, but what about when you’re mobile. What are the best streaming options for the Nokia N8?
Streaming music with Spotify
Much to the rejoicing of music fans all over the United States, Spotify finally launched in the US of A over the summer. Along with a desktop application, Spotify has a very robust Symbian application to offer. The full Spotify experience is available on your N8, along with the ability to stream music over Wi-Fi or 3G.
One feature I really enjoy about Spotify on the mobile is the ability to sync your music you already have on your phone. Also, for premium users, you have full access to the Spotify playlists. Without a reliable 3G network connection, with offline mode, you can access your favorite playlists while offline – very cool.
Slacker Radio
Slacker Radio is an option that is new to me. The offering is mature, but recently I discovered this application and it impressed me from the start. In a deep-dive post, I explored Slacker Radio, pointing out the advantages including the app’s responsiveness, customized genre stations that get you up and running straight away and great information about the artist.
Slacker Radio is free but a premium subscription is available that unlocks features such as full lyrics, no ads, unlimited song skips and added stations such as news radio.
SoundTracker
This is another amazing application out of Nokia BetaLabs that has recently caught my eye. Soundtracker is a popular application that has an amazing selection of 10 million fully licensed songs. That means there’s a vast library of artists, genres and tracks for you to explore and jam to. In Soundtracker, you can create and share out your own radio stations and play music along with friends in real time.
One unique feature to Soundtracker is its ability to geo-locate you, and show you genres and tracks that are popular in your city and these options are shown to you tailored to your musical taste. Also, if you’re a music sharer, you can share out your stations and tracks on social networks.
Nokia Internet Radio
Nokia Internet Radio is a fantastic directory of streaming stations worldwide. Yes it’s not a totally digital solution, meaning most of the stations in the directory are online streams of FM stations, but it might unlock access to a favorite radio from your home town or another station that you can’t access via your terrestrial radio.
What apps do you like to stream music with? Do these choices line up with yours? Let’s discuss below in the comments.
Image credit: Peter Fuchs’