As
expected, Apple has blessed Spotify's streaming subscription music application with a home in its iTunes App Store. Additionally, the app is also making a first, less ballyhooed appearance on the Android Market. The free app allows you to stream any of its nearly 4 million tracks over WiFi or 3G and syncs playlists for playback while disconnected. It's available exclusively to Spotify Premium members in the UK, Sweden, Spain, France and Norway -- only the iPhone app is available in Finland. Great, so does that mean
Rhapsody is next? Magic i-ball says
all signs point to yes. Video overview of each app after the break.
P.S. We're seeing reports that the iPhone app won't play music in the background. The fix? Android.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Read -- Spotify on Android
Read -- Spotify on App Store
posted September 7th 2009 5:13AM
You know, as you keep pointing out what the iPhone doesn't have, it seems that Apple adds it. It wasn't so long ago that the iPhone-hating crowd was bitching about the lack of MMS, video recording, copy and paste, and what not. Now it seems they're down to three things- no background apps, bad service provider, and poor battery life (which is debatable).
Well... keep up the great work! Out of curiosity though, what are your plans for when the iPhone ~can~ do everything? Going back to the 'suck Steve Jobs' theorem then I suppose? :T
Not really, Donut. You see it'll be long dead by then.
@Mark Anderson
I assume you believe that the world ends in 2012 as well. And in Bigfoot.
Nope, I believe that Apple have failed to appreciate the pace of change and will get left behind again like they did with the Apple III.
LOL, yeah right! The iPhone essentially opened up average consumers to smartphone usage (AT&T's shitty ass network service as of late is a testament to that fact).
Those people aren't going to pick up another smartphone that's harder to use and adapt to now, and they also aren't going back to the dumbphone era. Unless something changes drastically, the iPhone is going to remain the iPod of the cellular market. Indefinitely.
Simplify Media app for iphone does the same for a lot less money !
Doesn't that app just give you access to your music which you already have? Doesn't sound the same at all.
Isn't Microsoft going to launch a similar music streaming service this fall (codenamed "Omni"). They maybe announcing it on Sept 9 during CEDIA expo.
http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2009/08/04/microsoft-project-omni-multiplatform-music-streaming-rumor/
*Cough Cough* ZuneHD, please do this?
The zune pass did it years ago. You can either stream and download music to your zune over wifi.
That feature is essentially guaranteed, since I can already stream full albums from Zune Marketplace directly to my Zune 8 over wifi. I'm surprized that MS doesn't push that feature more, it's extremely cool but I had no idea it existed until I discovered it on my device by accident.
Does anybody have an I-Phone with T-Mobile in Germany and if so, would you recommend it? Seems very limiting and expensive. Thanks!
Doesn't T-Mo have the Hero too? (In Holland they do) I'd go for that one if you find the iPhone too limited (Jailbreaking helps though).
Sprint's Hero just can't come fast enough. Not so much for the running in the background thing though. That is known and easily fixable. It's the no synching over 3G.
The one thing that stops me from absolutely hating ATT and Apple is the fact I got my iPhone for free.
Android has its fair share of apps that require wifi, too. I think it's a lot less common in third party apps since they don't have to answer to anybody, but I know the built-in AmazonMP3 app requires wifi to purchase albums.
if the running in the background thing is "known and easily fixable" i'm assuming ur speaking of the backgrounder JB app. if so, there is also an "easy fix" for the 3G/wifi issue. its called 3G unrestrictor. it allows any app that is limited to wifi only to think its on wifi when its only on 3G. thus enabling the sync.
of course u have to be on a jb'ed iphone, and while some may complain that they want it out of the box, im glad they keep it restricted. some people (the general masses not reading tech blogs) need to be coddled and restricted on how they use their devices, so that they dont ruin them. jailbreaking ur phone is not a long arduous process, but rather a 5-7 minute process, neat and almost flawless. follow all instructions and read everything and there shouldnt be a problem (i've jb'ed over 45 phones and never had a brick since 1.1.2) updating is also painless as there are apps to backup all ur packages/apps, and restore after a succesful update & re-jailbreak.
i've used android and while pretty, its UI is not as friendly as i feel the iphone's is. i'll stick with the iphone and the spotify app with 3G unrestrictor and backgrounder packages.
Are you sure Chef? I've never been told to switch to Wifi when on AmazonMP3. Or maybe I'm not paying attention? Iono...
Really not tryna pick sides. But take that whole list you just said...
And all we have to do is open, click. end.
How is that NOT friendlier than open, click, not work, jailbreak, download, download, click, click, click (assume to click until apps are set up), then back to Spotify, click, end.
And people always say it''s not as "simple" as the iPhone? How so. Looking at these two screens for example. Only difference is graphical presentation. It has the row of buttons, a touch screen to scroll. How is it not as easy?
Many people need to really distinguish between "prettier" and "easier." Cause seems as most would want to say prettier.
Comparing the two interfaces, I'd have to say the Android interface looks a bit janky against that of the iPhone.
Wonder if anything like this will be available for the Blackberry Storm
Backgrounder makes spotify on the iphone much more useable. Only problem is that jailbreaking seems to slow the phone down pretty substantially.
I'm so happy to see a phone besides the G1 finally being used when talking about Android. Yay for multiple phones now.
Now can we PLEASE get a Rachel rocking or something, LOL
Are you talking about the phone in the video? Because that is a G1.
Maybe I just don't understand your comment.
android does have apps that require wifi to work but what i have found is if there is a version where there is wifi and 3g options but the market version has the 3g option grayed out you can normally find the app outside of the market available ungimped....and download and install the app without any hacks to make it work
Does the Android app save the playlists to your microSD or the internal memory?
Let me fix you. Since Andoird Market isn't available in Finland, you can't download the app in Finland from Andoird Market. However, it doesn't mean you can't get it.
http://www.spotify.com/en/mobile/overview/install-for-android/
For obvious reasons it is too bad that spotify isn't in the US but the less obvious benefit would be that mainstream users here would see that notifications are the suck compared to background processes. A few killer app embarrassments like this and apple might get off its ass. Then again, maybe they only approved it because it is limited?
"The fix? Android"
Hahahahah xD ... Gold =)
I'll care when it is in the U.S. =(
what I love most about this app is that it is not available in the USA :)
but those living in the USA don't have to complain, you have a lot of other free stuff like hulu and pandora which we dont have here in sweden
cool application. i do this on my pre and stream my ampache server with ampache mobile. Works pretty good.
Or you could just jailbreak your iphone and download backgroundr, that'll let it play music I assume
oh money no thanks
This article makes me happy, going to get onto this later today, think it'll go fine on my HTC Hero :)
Works flawlesly on the Hero :)
*Cough* Jailbroken... Backgrounder app? problem solved? Apple? Hint? Also to note,, spoify are Sh!t hot on premium accounts... I installed it on two iphhones and they will log in together but will only play music one at a time. It will cut the other out if you try to play two ata time... nice, just nice.. there goes my shared subs dream!
I can't find it on the android market, Ive tried searching 'spotify' anyone else have better luck?