In Depth: 10 best iPhone apps for music fans
Apple's iPhone and iPod touch are in many ways evolved iPods.
Since the iPod rapidly became king of the music players, it's fitting that many great apps for music fans are available on the App Store, to push your device beyond the limitations of the iPod app and your own music collection.
1. Spotify (free; requires £9.99 per month subscription)
The App Store has about 50 billion one-star reviews for Spotify, written by people who seem to think it's daylight robbery that you should have to pay for music.
Although we'd sooner see the fee drop to a fiver a month, Spotify for iPhone nonetheless remains a joy. You can play over 3G, access your Spotify playlists, and sync on-the-fly between desktop and mobile versions. Even better, Spotify for iPhone caches up to 3,333 tracks for up to 30 days.
2. Last.fm (free)
Although Last.fm has been overshadowed by Spotify, the iPhone app's worth a download, due to it creating personalised radio stations based on your favourite artists or genres.
You might not get to hear precisely what you want, but chances are you'll discover new music that appeals.
3. Internet Radio Box (£0.59)
If you can't be bothered splashing out on a DAB radio, plonk your iPhone into a dock, connect its audio output to some speakers, and play one of over 30,000 radio stations through Internet Radio Box.
Shake-to-shuffle is a nice touch, but all the important features are there, too, including favourites management, a configurable sleep timer, and the ability to play in locked mode.
4. Simplify Music 2 (£3.49)
If you're annoyed at your device's meagre capacity and long for a 200GB iPhone, Simplify Music is the next best thing.
In tandem with a Simplify account, an app on your Mac or PC, and a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, you can access your (non-DRM) music from anywhere, along with streamed music from collections of up to 30 friends.
5. Lyrics+ (£1.19)
Coming across like a plug-in for iPod, Lyrics+ enables you to show lyrics while you play your favourite songs. Most of the iPod app's functionality is present and correct, enabling easy access to your music. Although not all lyrics are available, the developer notes that those shown are legal, drawn from LyricFind, and lyrics previously viewed are cached for offline usage.
6. Shazam (free/£2.99)
The theory behind Shazam is simple: hit Tag Now and have it listen to and analyse whatever music's playing around you.
The app then attempts to tell you what the song is, saving you later embarrassingly trying to sing it to your friends. In practice, Shazam is hit and miss, but when it works, the app sends a shiver down your spine, due to its spookily accurate nature.
7. Adaptunes (£0.59)
Utilising your device's advanced innards for tracking motion, Adaptunes adjusts your device's volume, making it louder as you speed up in your car.
This saves you fiddling around with your device when you come off of local roads and start belting along the motorway.
8. PlaySafe (£0.59)
Another in-car app, PlaySafe turns your device's screen into a giant button, enabling you to prod it to play/pause, or swipe to skip tracks - all while keeping your eye on the road.
It has shortcomings - notably forcing in-app playlist creation rather than directly integrating with the iPod app - but it's worth a look if your car lacks physical iPod controls.
9. Remix David Bowie—Space Oddity (£1.19)
Despite the over-excited nature of this app's info page - "you ARE Ground Control!" - Remix David Bowie shows how modern handhelds can provide fans with more than just an MP3 and some art.
Here, for a price a little more than the song itself, you get a multitrack that you can play with and randomise with a shake.
10. nin: access (free)
Although it initially fell foul of over-zealous App Store reviewers, nin: access finally made it into the wider world in July 2009.
The app provides a portal into the world of Nine Inch Nails, offering news, photos, streaming audio, and the ability to swap messages and photos with local fans.
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