Kaido's iPhone App of the Week - Shazam!

[Kaido]

(blatantly stolen from aphex's Mac app of the week)

Now that the iPhone is relatively affordable (starting at $199), more and more people are picking one up. I thought it would be fun to post an exciting new iPhone app every week to help iPhone users discover new, useful, and entertaining programs. I will be posting apps once a week for as long as I can find new and interesting applications! My first review is of Shazam:

Shazam


What is Shazam?

Shazam is a free iPhone application designed to help you identify songs. Have you ever been in your car, listening to the radio, and wondered what the name of that song was, or who sang it? Shazam does it for you! In a nutshell, Shazam samples music in the air with the iPhone's microphone, sends it to their server, and then tells you what the song is! I just used it on a Youtube video where they didn't list the song - I just held the iPhone up to my speakers and sampled the song and it came back with the correct title! In other words, it's magic. And it's free!

How does it work?

When you bring up the app, it has a "Tag" button that will start sampling input from the microphone. It has a circular progress indicator; when it has completed the circle, the sampling is done and the sample is sent off to their servers. Within seconds (on Wifi at least), it comes back with a match. It's been incredibly accurate so far! It even gets bands that aren't as popular as others (see the video podcast below).

The Tag Result gives you all kinds of information, such as the Album Cover, Artist, Title, Genre, Label, and Album. In addition, it has "More Tag Options" such as previewing and purchasing the song in iTunes, right from your iTunes (buy it on the spot!) and watching a related Youtube video. It also has "Manage This Tag", which allows you to take a Photo, attach an Album Photo, Share the Tag (lets you send it to yourself or a friend via email), and delete this tag.

In short, this app is bloody amazing and I recommend it to everyone who likes music.

Where can I get it?

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObj...ware?id=284993459&mt=8

Additional Resources:

Here's a great video podcast where he puts it through the paces:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jeradhill/videos/66/

 

[aphex]

excellent! Thanks!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: aphex
excellent! Thanks!

I've been using it all day at home and in the car, it's amazing! I don't even have to have it near the speakers - just in my hand, with the speakers at a normal level. Wow!

 

[FerraraZ]

That app is crap people should use Midomi instead. It is also free and has way more options and picks up the songs better.

 

[Narse]

Originally posted by: FerraraZ
That app is crap people should use Midomi instead. It is also free and has way more options and picks up the songs better.

I tested both and Midomi is slow and does not get a quarter of the songs shazam does.

 

[bigrash]

I've been using Shazam since friday and it's awesome! I like it better than Midomi so far.

 

[JackBurton]

Freakin' awesome man!

 

[Sunrise089]

sticky!

 

[akshatp]

This app fuggin ROCKS!!! I cant beleive how it does it so quickyl!!!

The other day I tried it inside a busy Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill restaurant and it worked flawlessly even over the sound of the public!!!!!!!

Even worked for alot of my Indian songs that I tried... Amazing..

 

[Sunrise089]

Time to update the thread though.

 

[zod96]

Will this app identify mp3's (Songs) you already have on your hard drive?

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: zod96
Will this app identify mp3's (Songs) you already have on your hard drive?

Absolutely.

It'll identify anything. I use it all the time. In fact, I have those digital cable music stations (which I love) and they obviously have the track info plastered all over the place. When a song comes on I need to "remind" myself to download, I just fire up shazaam. Saves typing it into notes or scribbling it down on a piece of paper. Always gets it right, and then every so often I go download the songs I've tagged.

Great app!

But your right, if you have obscure stuff, or poorly tagged remixes or something, shazaam is great for that too.

 

[skulkingghost]

Originally posted by: FerraraZ
That app is crap people should use Midomi instead. It is also free and has way more options and picks up the songs better.

No way. Shazam has always worked great for me. Midomi missed more than half the songs, and does not have the nice "recently tagged" list Shazam gives you so when i get back to my pc I can remember to download the songs I heard.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

I've been using Shazam for a month now and it's great. I love it. I have a nice list of tagged songs now, and I have to say it recognizes maybe 9 out of 10 songs I try to tag on the first time.