Harry Potter The Moives

Getting tunes on your personal device has evolved quite a bit in the past few decades. Instead of getting into the details of the transition from walkmans, etc, this article instead will focus on a few of the current platforms and sites that cater to those looking to get some great streaming audio customized and personalized to their listening styles.

The iPhone and iPods are device that easily influence the way we thought of digital music. Without going into an extensive history, these devices have internet access either through wifi or through the networks. Access to the internet is a critical point in getting your music anytime, anywhere. Of course, even without this, there are a lot of options for syncing those devices to include literally thousands of songs or other audio content.

Android OS is a relatively new player in the field, but has already come out with a pretty solid product. The Android is a very slick interface that allows for a lot more customization than the Apple dept. As much as I see myself now using the Android phone and loving it, I could see myself migrate to an OS on a laptop platform that ran on Android. I believe this is not too distant as even now, Google was asking for volunteers to beta test a laptop running Android. Look out Microsoft & Apple!

The iPad is interesting as it doesn't necessarily fit the traditional idea of a media player, at least not audio or music media. It seems much more at home to streaming video or even playing video from the library. The audio side of this especially for mobility doesn't make nearly as much sense. The idea of carrying around one of these in your pocket while walking around town isn't really something you'll see many people do. It does have everything it needs, however, to stream the audio through various programs, programs developed by the companies running these sites, such as Pandora and Grooveshark.

iPads are not without their own competition in the "tablet" or "pad" market. There are other devices produced by both Microsoft and also manufacturers that use the Android platform. Samsung is one of these and the market will continue to grow based on this demand. Streaming audio on these devices will rely on the internet connection and speed as well as the application itself that is required to run. In some cases this may be a browser, in other cases, it may be a specific app that plays internet radio or one that is custom to a specific site or service has developed.

Pandora is a website that works well with both of these types of devices, iPhones, iPads, and the Android-based systems as well. They don't necessarily work through the browser, but they do have separate apps that have been developed to allow the user to login and get their "trained" playlist. There are some disadvantages to the Pandora system, but it is probably the system most closely aligned with what the law states regarding the transmission of these types of audio programs via the net.

Grooveshark is similar to Pandora. However, I'm not sure the extent to which Grooveshark has developed its "intelligence" related to helping choose which songs to play next. I tend to get stuck with another great feature that Grooveshark has. That is Grooveshark will let you play the same song over and over again as well as coordinate your own playlist and allow you to add your own songs into that list. You can "mix and match" this list with your own MP3 collection. It's really cool what they allow you to do. Either way, both Pandora and Grooveshark have free versions online that allow for this. Some of the streaming and other options that exist for the portable devices may incur an additional fee or monthly cost depending on what they are.

Both Pandora and Grooveshark are free, at least their regular internet sites accessed through a PC or laptop. They do both also have a premium service that may be a bit more than some users are willing to do. However, when compared to a satellite radio, these internet versions of the sites may be worth the cost. It really depends on how much music you plan on listening to and what type of value these sites can really offer through the device that you have access to via the internet connection you have as well.