QuickAdvice: Audiotap Allows Users To Stream Their Entire iTunes Library On The iPhone
Audiotap ($1.99) by Mediatap GbR is an app that allows users to stream their entire iTunes library at home and on-the-go right on their iPhone.
If you're a big music lover, then you probably have a rather large iTunes library. Large enough that the entire thing won't fit on your iPhone in the current largest capacity (32GB), right? Currently my collection is over 61GB and counting, so of course I can't carry my library with me on my most used device throughout the day, so that's disappointing. But now there's an app that allows you stream all of your iTunes library to your iPhone via WiFi or 3G/EDGE. This app is Audiotap.
In order to use Audiotap, you'll have to download the complimentary desktop app. Currently, this free desktop app is only for Mac OS X, though the developers are working on a Windows version soon (sorry Linux fans). Once this app is installed on your computer, it can connect to your iPhone via the iPhone app.
To detect your computer, both the iPhone and computer have to be on the same WiFi network. This will allow your computer to show up in the Servers list, which you can then connect to.
For the initial connection, it may take a few minutes for your music to load up on the iPhone. This depends entirely on how large your music collection is - for me, it took about a minute or two. Since Audiotap is fully integrated with iTunes, you'll probably notice iTunes on the computer freezing up for a moment - this is because it's sending the library data to your iPhone.
When your collection is finally loaded, you can start streaming your iTunes library right on your device. The app resembles the iPod.app on your phone, so you should be familiar with the layout. You can view Playlists, Artists, Albums, Podcasts, and More (Genres, Songs, iTunes U, Compilations, Composers, Audiobooks, My Folders).
Tap on whatever you want to start playing, and it will play. The playback interface is also like the iPod.app, so there's no learning curve involved.
Tap on the screen during playback to show or hide the audio scrubber. This scrubber also features more options, like shuffle and repeat options. Additionally, there are some new options, like adding the current song to a new or existing playlist, and even changing the bitrate quality.
The button at the top right will take you to the song list for an album or playlist, and you can even rate albums using the star rating system.
Now, what happens if you leave the range of the WiFi network? You can actually continue to stream whatever it was you were playing (album or playlist) through a 3G or EDGE connection. The only downside to this is that you cannot connect back to your computer for the playback controls or change what you're listening to.
Audiotap will ask you if you want to continue or stop playback if you leave the WiFi network as well, with the option to remember your choice. This is good because those with capped data plans may not want to eat through their allotted allowance with just this app.
Full support for multitasking can be found as well, so you can control playback through the mutltasking tray when on WiFi.
If you've ever wanted to have your entire iTunes music library on your iPhone, now you can do just that, without having to take up any of that limited space. For $2, this app is well worth the asking price.
