In a nutshell…
Nokia kills off the crackly FM radio with an internet-harnessing music app to top all others. It’s radio from around the world piped direct to your handset using the power of Wi-Fi or a 3G connection.
Judgement time…
Lets get this straight: Spodtronic’s internet radio is one of NokNok’s all-time favourite apps. It’s slick, powerful and until now, unique. That was before Nokia trotted out their own online tuner, so have we got a new favourite on our hands?
On first impressions, Nokia’s app looks great. It’s faster than Spodtronic’s offering, and tunes in to stations in a snap – either using 3G or Wi-Fi. Nokia have worked hard to include a comprehensive Station Directory too, packing in almost 550 stations with a breadth of choice unmatched by Spodtronic. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the option to add a manual station URL – something else sadly lacking from Spodtronic’s app.
It’s good news when it comes to sound quality too. On ‘high’ or ‘best’ quality music is crisp and clear, and there’s the option to automatically choose a station’s quality depending on the connection used.
Best of all, Internet Radio continues to play while running in the background, just like a proper tuner. So what’s not to like? For a start the app lacks the combined offering of podcasts and on-demand programmes featured in Spodtronic. That said, similar content can be found through Nokia’s own Podcasting application, so it’s no great criticism. Nokia’s app also lacks the interactivity of Spodtronic, which allows listeners to rate songs while they listen, although it’s no great loss, as Spodtronic’s app doesn’t appear to act on its feedback immediately.
Overall then? Lets put it this way. Spodtronic’s no longer on our memory cards. Long may Nokia’s Internet Radio occupy its space. noknoktv.com
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