A hitchhiker’s guide to the best free and paid Android music streaming apps

by Jared Peters on
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Most people that own a smartphone also use their phone to double as an mp3 player. It might not be the primary use of the phone, but it’s a popular feature nonetheless. If you only listen to just a little bit of music, storing all of your music locally on internal storage or an SD card is usually a quick, simple solution. But if you have a large music collection or perhaps your device lacks storage or an SD card slot, storing it all locally may not be an option. Like with all things Android, though, there’s always an alternative! In this case, most heavy music listeners opt for music streaming. The market for music streaming is pretty crowded, however, so the point of this guide is to walk you through some of the more popular options and choose which streaming service is the right option for you. Hit the break to find out more. » Read the rest

Slacker Radio is providing your NCAA Men’s Basketball fix

by Emily Aquin on
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If you’re stuck at work and you can’t watch the NCAA game you’ve been dying to see, then Slacker Radio is coming to your rescue. The radio app will stream the NCAA Men’s Basketball action in partnership with Dial Global.

There are a few other apps that can also bring you the NCAA tournament on your phone, including the NCAA March Madness Live app.

For some Slacker Radio action, check out the Play Store download link, and the press release after break.

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Play Store Download Link

» Read the rest

Google Music Adoption Lower Than Expected

by Ed Caggiani on
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Google Music has been around for a few months now, and according to a CNET exclusive, Google told music labels that customer adoption and revenue are below what they expected. Since the service is still pretty new, no one at Google is too worried. They still haven’t marketed Google Music as aggressively as they could, and Google told the record companies that certain issues are still being worked on. But that’s little comfort for some folks in the music industry, sources said.

Potential
When Google Music launched in November, there was a potential customer base of over 200 million users of Android devices. That’s a big enough audience to make Google’s answer to iTunes a music powerhouse. Converting just 10% of the user base would equate to 20 million customers. The potential is there, but is Google’s strategy too dated?

» Read the rest

Top 5 Free Apps for Android Beginners

by Jesse Bauer on
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So you got yourself a new Android smartphone on the recommendations of fellow work nerds, your nerdy brother, or the resident Best Buy sales clerk who just loves Android! You take it out of the box, give it a nice wipe with your hand, turn it on….and now what? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

There’s so many different things about an Android device that sets it apart from the iPhones and BlackBerrys out there, and you’ll soon find out just how versatile it can be. We’ll tell it like it is here, it can be a challenge for Android beginners to figure their way around the operating system. So what we’ll do is look at the best apps to get you rolling the fastest with anything you’re likely going to want to do, like say…tell all your friends and followers on facebook and twitter that you just got the latest Android! They will be jealous.

See the Top 5 apps below.

Live Sports Events Will Be Streamed Thanks to New Deal With ESPN

by Jack Holt on
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Good news for those of you who are sports fans and love Slacker Radio. They have announced this morning that they signed a deal with ESPN that will allow the streaming of live sports events in addition to the normal streaming of ESPN Radio shows. As you know, in September, Slacker announced that they were launching personalized ESPN Radio stations catered to your favorite sports and teams and with today’s announcement you will be able to listen in on the big sporting events straight from Slacker.

You can try this new deal out via Slacker.com when Slacker broadcasts the BCS Championship tonight. While you aren’t able to stream them just yet through your Android device, an update for that will be released soon. ESPN Radio is free but if you want the “full” ESPN experience you can upgrade to Slacker Radio Plus or Slacker Premium Radio for $3.99 per month or $9.99 per month respectively.

Slacker Radio is going to be all over CES 2012 this week so stay tuned for anymore announcements they make.

 

[via Android Central]

Slacker Radio is now compatible with the Ford SYNC AppLink

by Robert Nazarian on
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If you have a Ford vehicle with the SYNC Applink, you’re in luck because Slacker Radio is now compatible. With the Slacker Radio app on your Android phone you can select Slacker stations by using your car’s voice or audio system controls. You can even skip songs, ban songs, or set favorites. When you travel to areas with limited data connectivity, you can still listen to your stored music.

If you already have a Ford car with the SYNC Applink, all you need to do is update your Slacker app in the Android Market. SYNC AppLink is available on the 2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Fiesta, Mustang, F-150, F-150 SVT Raptor, Super Duty, Expedition, E-Series and Shelby GT500. The 2012 Lincoln MKZ, MKZ Hybrid and Navigator feature SYNC AppLink as standard equipment.

Don’t forget our contest for a chance to win 3-months of Slacker Premium Radio for free.

Full press release after the break:

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Interactive ESPN Radio content comes to Slacker Radio

by Robert Nazarian on
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Yesterday Slacker Radio updated their Android app which added ESPN Radio content. If you are a free Slacker Basic Radio listener, you will have access to an interactive, programmed ESPN station. Things get a little better for Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers because they will have unlimited access that includes ad-free listening along with unlimited skips. Users will be able to create “highly personalized” myESPN Radio sports stations based on favorite sports, teams, or ESPN programs.

“Offering new and different ways for sports fans to access ESPN Radio content   continues to be rewarding and exciting,” said Traug Keller, Senior Vice President, Production Business Divisions, ESPN, Inc. “This new relationship puts the fan more in control by providing customizable ESPN content.”

Slacker was already awesome, but if you are a big sports fan, this is a marriage made in heaven.

Android Market download or apps database for QR code

Full press release after the break:

» Read the rest

Now available from Slacker, Premium Service for $9.99 per month

by Adam Johnson on
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I’ve always enjoyed Slacker radio over the other top steaming services out there. It just works for me well. And with todays information, they’ve just improved the service to exceed all others. Today Slacker has announced a third tier to its pay-per-month streaming service, called Slacker Premium Radio. This new subscription can now be purchased for $9.99/mo. Signing up for Slacker Premium Radio gives you all the perks of the $3.99/mo Slacker Radio Plus, no banner or audio ads. In addition, you’ll get the ability to play songs and full albums from the artist of your choice. Any song at any time, will be available for listening. Create custom playlists with every song you want to hear, and the ability to store those playlists on your sd card and listen offline! Unlimited song skipping, lyrics and more. » Read the rest

Last.fm Will No Longer Allow Free Streaming to Mobile Devices

by Michael Murphy on
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I’m a big fan of Pandora internet radio service on my Android phone, but I’ve experimented with a little Slacker and Last.fm. Last.fm has been available for free, ad-supported, on a myriad of platforms – Xbox, desktop, and various mobile devices. Sadly, it has been determined by the Last.fm management that it is not cost-effective to continue to offer free versions on all platforms. The only services that will remain available in free versions will be Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7, as well as the desktop version.

So, my Android-using friends…if you use the free version of Last.fm on your Android phone, it will be coming to an end on February 15th. While Last.fm has to maintain their bottom line, it’s always a shame to see free services come to an end. So enjoy this service while you can, because you’ve got about a week left!

[via Last.fm Blog]