Public Radio App lets you resume 'This American Life' whenever you please
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 4th 2009 1:02PM
posted Nov 4th 2009 1:02PM
Now that you've got an NPR-lovin' stereo in your bedroom, the only thing missing in your otherwise completely fulfilled life is an NPR application that enables you to listen to your favorite programs whenever, wherever. If we just rung your bell, you can now drift away and die happy. Available this very moment in the 100,000-strong App Store is the Public Radio App, which essentially acts as a DVR for the iconic station. Once fired up, the app can "pause and rewind public radio streams from NPR, PRI, APM and local public radio stations," and there's even an alarm clock setting that wakes you up with your favorite public radio stream. Unfortunately, on-demand streaming is still a pipe dream, but there's nothing to stop these guys from adding that very feature in the next iteration. Go on -- try and lay off the trigger. It's not like that awfully low $2.99 price point is tempting or anything.
Awesome. Must check it out
Before you break out your wallet, keep in mind that both the Public Radio Tuner and the NPR News apps do both live streaming and "on demand" playback of previous programs, and both are free.
This needs to be the VERY NEXT app available in the Android Market.
You can do the same thing with the Google Listen app for Android. Also, I believe there is an NPR app that does the same thing. Search the market. Both are free.
Droidshogun has had an NPR podcast app in the Android Market for a long time now - not bad at all. But I switched over to Google Listen, so that I could catch all different podcasts, not just those specifically from NPR.
Oh yeah, and like I'm going to spend $2.99 for an app, when Google Listen is free? That would be like paying for a TomTom or Garmin app for your phone, if you have Android 2.0.
Now I want an iPhone!
Play that funky music white boy
No, just no.
Hit the road Jack
Awww why not?
It is all about
Dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted
Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
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@tikiteko Are you and Ahnold trying to tell us this is an AID APP with that post?
Is it capable of resuming at the point that you fell asleep listening to NPR?
You wouldn't remember the part you fell asleep to anyway
That's why such an app is needed. There has to be some kind of sensor to detect when a person falls asleep. This is the perfect ap for that.
Would also be helpful for people driving while listening to NPR. An alarm could sound or switch NPR over to some Slayer when sleep is detected.
Except when car talk is on.
Um, it is a great app and I've had it for a while but This American Life is not on this app.
I thought they just it was just released? How have you had it for awhile?
Probably talking about the official NPR app, which is free, nicely designed, and works extremely well.
There is already a free official NPR app that does streaming of live stations and on demand streaming of all the shows. Even has news. Besides recording the free app is much better then this $2.99 one.
This American Life is noticeably absent from the large list of on demand shows though. This American Life has its own website and probably has control of all its content.
I have the NPR app, and it's nice because it has print news as well. But, for most programs, I just podcast.
This American Life is, in fact, in control of their content. Up until a few years ago, you actually had to purchase the podcast from Audible.com.
This American Life is not owned by National Public Radio... It is own by Public Radio International.
Isn't that the purpose of a "podcast"? I use them all the time to listen to "this american life"...
You can easily save the $2.99 - except for the alarm clock thing that is.
Create some smart playlists lists for your new podcasts and the newest NPR ones will always be there without having to jump between categories.
As I got older my taste have changed man. I used to listen to the baddest stations in town out here in Miami way back in 1990. Uncle Luke booty bass, Latin bass, Stevie B etc but my taste have changed. Yeah, I still fire up the old jams but on my ipod. I don't rely on the radio for my music anymore. Now I'm into NPR and world news and events. I have grown.And I enjoy listening to the BBC and Bill Moyers' pod casts. Man, he has news you'll never hear on the mainstream stuff. I found out how the mortgage crisis came to be and the major players involved. I'm getting educated in such profound ways. I'm getting that app today!
Come on , shake your body baby, do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer
Come on , shake your body baby, do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer
BEAT!
I don't think we should be so excited about radio apps when apple should have just included an FM radio from the beginning.
I really like the look of that first station in the screenshot.
:D
:|
I only use NPR for Wait Wait Don't Tell me and Car Talk. Which are available elsewhere for cheaper. Pass.
This American Life is on PRI, public radio international, that might be the reason
NPR rules. Hope they get this over on Android soon.
I listen to WVXU on the way to work.
If you want This American Life on demand on the iphone, load up the Public Radio Player. It's free and comes from the good folks at PRX.org. Just pick TAL from the on-demand list, favorite it, and you're done. They only offer that week's program.
Enjoy, and thanks for listening to and supporting public radio
For the iPhone there's NPR Station, and NPR Live, both apps are free and both have recorded shows you can listen to in your own spare time. The cool thing about NPR Station is that it also has a news article section and pictures.
So, purchasing Public Radio App may be "expensive" considering the alternatives. It may be worth it, if it archives ALL the shows and indexes and organizes them in such a way to allow for easy search and browsing. It would also be nice if it would allow for saving the podcasts to your iphone and computer. You can probably do all these things now on your own, but it would be too much of a scattered hassle. So I see value in allowing for all these features in one easy to use app.
If it doesn't do all these things, (including providing news articles and pictures), I would just skip this app.
IMHO, of course.
Grooveshark client Groovefish for Windows Mobile. Enough said.
NPR needs an app to filter out stories about poor people losing their benefits. Oh wait, that's 90% of their content.
I'm not sure what is meant by "on-demand streaming is still a pipe dream". You just go to the on demand screen, choose the program, then play, pause, rewind or fast forward. Pretty simple. Just like the DVR-like feature with the live stream (which, by the way, neither the NPR news app or the Public Radio Tuner can do). I like that so many different programs are available (all the way down to local station programming) instead of just the big programs.
Over rated. What the world needs is a KPIG app.
This American Life, Fresh Air, and Wait Wait Don't Tell me are all available as free podcasts via iTunes. If you have an iphone (ipod touch with wifi) you can download them directly to your device.
I don't see the point of this app...