Review: iSlsk

iSlsk v0.3 | Published by errrick | Via BigBoss Source | Free Overview From the publisher's website: iSlsk is "the soulseek P2P client for the iPhone and iPod Touch." Review Imagine, if you will: You've made good use of space on your iPhone or iPod Touch, but 4-32GB just doesn't cover the whole of your library. Inevitably, while you're out and about, a song that you have legally purchased and downloaded comes into your head and you want to listen to it, right now. But what if it isn't on your device? Do you have to legally pay once again to listen to it? This is where iSlsk comes in. I reiterate: iSlsk is only to download music you already legally own. It says so right on the program's home screen and agreement terms. Even though the program can't tell whether or not you own a given song, if you try to download something illegally, your iPhone will totally blow up like a self-destructing message from Mr. Phelps. I'm serious, I read it on the internets. Ok, all clear? Good. When you open up iSlsk, you're presented with the "What's New" screen. This is a pretty handy mobile version of the publisher's site, with access to all the latest news. [SCREENSHOT MAIN SCREEN] If it's your first time using the program, you'll need to log in with your Soulseek account. Don't fret if you don't have one... just type in your desired username and password, and the account will automatically be created for you. Once your account is created, connect to the network. A little bird icon will appear in your title bar, and you know you're ready to go. Now you may search for songs on the "file search" screen. [SCREENSHOT FILE SEARCH] Your results will show who has the song, what the title of the song is, how fast their connection speed is, and if there's a waiting list to download it, how long that list is. Tap on a song that interests you, and you view a larger screen showing more information: length, bitrate, and file size. Tap download if you want the song, and it will begin downloading in the background. [SCREENSHOT TRANSFER] When it's all done, tap on the "Downloads" screen to play it within iSlsk, where you also have the option to export it to your main music library. Here's the one downside: if your iPhone is set to automatically sync with your computer, you'll lose your downloaded songs whenever you connect to iTunes. The newer versions of iSlsk allow you to re-download your songs after this, or you can just do as I do and manually manage your songs. In a sentence: this app is awesome. It's like the iTunes store, only allowing you access to Creative Commons and other music without DRM and without fees. Check out new artists who share their music for free, and go buy their CDs on iTunes or CD if you like their stuff. Summary A great way to check out new music or listen to that jam you've had stuck in your head all day while you're out and about. Usability: 5 / 5 Value: 5 / 5 Entertainment: 5 / 5 Aesthetics: 4 / 5 Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5

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