QuickAdvice: Radio - iPad Edition Provides Quality Content Without The Bells And Whistles
Radio - iPad Edition ($0.99) by Intersect World LLC is a radio streaming app that lets you listen to all your favorite local and global stations on your iPad.
The app streams content via Wi-Fi or 3G, supports AirPlay and features over 40,000 stations from around the world.
Upon launching the app, you’ll find a very basic home page that cuts to the chase by providing simplicity with a centrally located toolbar containing buttons to play/pause, adjust the volume and activate AirPlay.
The home page also has a listing of your recently viewed stations, providing quick access to the page.
A toolbar, located at the top of the page, provides access to built-in Directories, Favorites, Streams, Search, Settings, Share, and an Add to Favorites option.
Included directories are SHOUTcast Radio, Radio, Sports, Icecast, RadioReference, NWS Weather, listenlive.eu, AustralianLive, Public Radio, Canada and User Favorites.
Once you select a directory, you'll find several categories such as Top 40, as well as Rock and Talk. Another tap will take you to the invidual stations.
To get the most out of this app, you'll want to set up your favorites for quick access. As you find stations you like, click the + on the toolbar then add the station. The app supports MP3 and AAC stream formats as well as PLS, M3U and XSPF playlists.
I found a few great stations within SHOUTcast, User Favorites and Top 10 Music/Talk. Some notable stations included ESPN Radio, Howard 101, WFAN and Comedy104.
The easiest way to find favorites is by using the search button. That's how I found Howard 101.5, which airs on Sirius Radio.
If the 40,000 stations Radio - iPad Edition includes doesn't offer the content you want, you have the option to add the stream, but you'll need to first use Safari or another browser to find the URL.
Once you have your URL, click the Stream button, then paste in the URL. Unfortunately there is no way to search from within the app to find external streams.
I found a few problems when testing the app. While many stations would indicate they were offline, a few I tried to listen to returned a “stream has ended” error, but there was no prior indication they were offline.
Radio - iPad Edition has plenty of competition from other iPad apps. The interface and features are a bit lacking in comparison to TuneIn Radio and Internet Radio Box.
However, the simplicity of this app will appeal to those who are satisfied with great content and reliability without the need for bells and whistles.
I had no problems with the streaming quality, as it was very smooth and seamless with both Wi-Fi and 3G. I took a 30 minute drive and used 3G to listen. The results? I didn't have a single interruption or hiccup.
The content is solid, but I'd like to see the developer work to improve the interface, as well as the visual layout and organization. I’m not a fan of clicking more than twice to find content, particularly with the volume of channels this app provides.
Another welcome addition would be an external search from within the app to add your own stream, rather than the manual process of finding the URL and typing it in.
TuneIn Radio is still the best solution for streaming radio, but Radio - iPad Edition may be a nice compliment to it with content from SHOUTcast and Icecast.
