Today, I’ve become a huge fan of the Pandora iPhone app. I usually don’t drive much, but this weekend I’ve been in the car quite a bit and finally had reason to try it out. After downloading the app, I discovered to my sweet surprise that it will stream music over EDGE. Combine this with an FM transmitter, and I have personalized, commercial free radio in my car.
Brilliant? Absolutely.
The down side? EDGE is spotty in the hills, so the music skipped more than once (although Jason Kincaid had better luck). Inside the city it didn’t drop the signal at all, so your milage may vary. I’d be curious to see if the 3G was any more consistent. (anyone?)
Another down side? The quality isn’t fantastic- it sounds kinda like a cassette tape from 10 years ago. After all, it’s streamed over EDGE and FM transmitted to the car. Lossy anyone?
But even with these downsides, it’s a wonderful thing to listen to good music combined with personalized recommendations while driving around town.
Update: Aug 17th, 7:13p
This just in / noticed: Pandora on the Verge of Shutting Down? The music industry is awesome.