Sometimes I feel like my BlackBerry is nothing more than a gussied up MP3 player. Unless I’m listening to an audiobook I rarely take my iPod with me anymore, leaving that music playing function to my main cellular device. And why not? I can fit 4GB of music on my SD card, which is plenty for a few trips here and there. Plus, as long as I’m in cellular range I can play from one of my dozen or so Pandora channels. Even after that there are plenty more free options. Here are some streaming music services you can use on your BlackBerry.
Pandora
Yes, there is always Pandora for BlackBerry. In case you’re unfamiliar, Pandora streams music based on your stated preferences. There’s an algorithm and everything that takes the attributes of the music you like and delivers even more of it. I’ve found quite a few excellent bands just by creating a station based on a couple of bands I already liked.
The BlackBerry app just got an update, so if you’re currently using Pandora you can just click the menu button and select the update option. If you don’t have it, head to Pandora.com or get it in App World.
Sirius XM
The first affront to my Pandora-centric mindset was when my girlfriend go Sirius satellite radio and got it hooked up in her car. Where before I’d just fire up Pandora and plug it into the auxiliary input, now we drive around flipping stations. At first I thought it a pain, but then I thought of how many times I wanted to skip songs on Pandora, but didn’t because you have a limited number of skips. And after a while I started to notice that a few of the Sirius channels played music similar to my Pandora channels.
Sirius, of course, is not free. But they do have a BlackBerry application now. You can find out more information at http://www.siriusxm.com/blackberry/ from your computer or smartphone. There are options for those who already subscribe to either Sirius or XM, plus an option for non-subscribers.
Slacker
For the longest time people would tell me I was insane for using Pandora over Slacker. I never got why. Slacker, to my knowledge at the time, just had pre-programmed radio stations. What I liked about Pandora was that it was more of a playlist on shuffle. Slacker sounded more like satellite radio. But, as I mentioned in the Sirius section, satellite radio isn’t all that bad. I decided to give Slacker a shot, and I have to say that it’s always a question now of whether I use that or Pandora.
Slacker is, of course, free for the basic functionality. But where Slacker comes out ahead is with its Radio Plus subscription. It includes a caching option that stores music on your SD card, so you can listen to it even when you don’t have a cellular connection.
You can get Slacker Radio at http://www.slacker.com/everywhere/mobile/blackberry/ or at App World.
Terrestrial radio
Some people just prefer the normal radio dial. It’s sometimes hard to kick the habit. But terrestrial radio has the disadvantage of being available only locally. This is fine when you’re driving around town, but if you move away you have to learn all those new radio stations. Thankfully, we’re now seeing plenty of ways to enjoy the radio stations you grew up with.
One way is iheartradio, which hosts content from 750 American radio stations. You can browse through and find your old favorites, or even discover some new ones. It also includes podcasts of talk shows, so you can get the same content without the commercials. You can get iheartradio at App World.
Also available at App World are numerous applications for specific radio stations. There are way, way too many to list, though they can be found under the Music & Audio category. I suggest starting here for a look at some of the best.
What do you use?
The part I love about these lists is the comments we get afterwards. I’m always looking for new ways to use my BlackBerry as a music device. What applications do you suggest?
