slacker

Add Slacker, Android tablets, and Kindle Fire to Sonos' bag of tricks.

Starting today, the Sonos Controller app will be available on most Android tablets, as well as the Kindle Fire. The free app will be available through the Android Market (on tablets running Android OS 2.2 and higher) and via the Amazon App Store on the Fire. The controller app--already available for iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) and Android phones--essentially turns tablets and smartphones into touch-screen Wi-Fi remotes for the Sonos streaming audio products.… Read more

Fans of Slacker Radio can now listen to the music-streaming service on Sync-enabled Ford vehicles.

A new AppLink app allows drivers to play, skip, and ban songs or artists without taking their hands off the wheel. AppLink is a Ford application that enables Sync users to control their apps on their smartphone via voice.

"Customers now have so many options for accessing music and information. Ford Sync AppLink allows us to not only keep pace with what they are listening to, but how they are listening to it," Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services, said in a … Read more

Music-streaming service Slacker is moving into the sports world through a partnership with ESPN.

Starting today, Slacker users can access ESPN Radio content. Basic radio users can listen to a programmed ESPN station, while Slacker Radio Plus and premium subscribers can listen to an ad-free programmed station and create customized myESPN Radio sports stations based on the type of sport, teams, or ESPN programs. They can also get hourly SportsCenter updates added to their Slacker station.

The partnership represents a significant expansion of content for Slacker, which already offers music, ABC News, and comedy. ESPN, meanwhile, gets another outlet for … Read more

We've seen cars with smartphone app integration. We've even seen car stereos with apps. Now, we have an app within another app. Aha by Harman and Slacker have just inked a deal to roll some of the functionality of the Slacker Personal Radio app into the Aha Radio app for iPhone (and from the looks of the supplied photo, an upcoming Android version). If the "Inception"-esque concept of having Internet radio inside your Internet radio doesn't make you feel like the universe is about to implode, read on.

Aha Radio is a content delivery … Read more

Slacker Radio, the popular streaming radio site and mobile application (iPhone | Android | BlackBerry), has just launched a third tier of service, bringing yet another layer of listening options to its music-hungry users. Dubbed Slacker Premium Radio, the new tier is the first to merge the ease and unpredictability of programmed radio stations with the power of an on-demand music service. Slacker's menu, dramatically bolstered by this new Premium offering, now appears to have something for pretty much everyone.

As a Basic, first-tier user you can listen to Slacker's standard curated and socially programmed radio stations. Meanwhile, as a … Read more

Slacker Radio, the intuitive online music player that lets you stream a variety of preprogrammed and custom-made radio stations, has been churning out apps for mobile devices for a while now, with the first one coming to Blackberry devices in early 2009. Of course, in the quickly evolving cell phone space, staying relevant means making sure you've got new apps for the latest and greatest mobile operating systems, and right now, the latest is Windows Phone 7.

We got a preview of Slacker for Windows Phone 7 back in October, but the app was officially launched for the OS … Read more

All albums eventually come to an end--even super-gonzo triple live CD sets--and the time has come for this blog to end as well.

I've had a great time exploring the intersection of music and technology for the last three-plus years. And even though the music industry is going through some wrenching changes, the public's interest in music has, if anything, gotten stronger.

I was at Coachella this April along with a record sold-out crowd of more than 90,000. Some of them were there for the party, but the musical lineup made the party happen. I've seen … Read more

Microsoft sure is drumming up excitement for its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones. In addition to next Monday's big announcement in New York, a Microsoft team was here in San Francisco, showing off music apps as part of the Billboard Music Entertainment Live event preceding CTIA (see all CNET coverage).

We got a private hands-on tour of Slacker Radio, I Heart Radio, and MusixMatch apps prior to a showcase event.

Each of the apps for Windows Phone is similar to its counterpart on other mobile platforms with a few unique exceptions and additions--Slacker Radio won't launch with offline … Read more

The past 10 years have witnessed a long, steady decline in CD sales, with current numbers low enough to convince brick-and-mortar retailers to reduce CD inventory (and get creative about how to use the resulting space). Luckily, just about any tune that strikes your fancy can be found online.

The Internet is a veritable smorgasbord of music, and it's oh so easy to partake. Better yet, many of the options are completely free. So if you haven't already jumped on the digital-audio bandwagon, now is as good a time as any. The following tips should help you enjoy the vast array of gratis listening experiences available on the Web, whether you don't know where to begin or you're just looking for new sources for your online rotation.

First, let's get this out of the way: DON'T steal music. People have many "shades of gray" arguments on this matter, but for our purposes I'm going cut and dry here. Unless songs have been offered up for free directly by the artist, it's just not right to download tracks you haven't paid for. There are plenty of legal ways to listen to music online for free to decide if you want to shell out for a copy for your hard drive.

As for streaming, options abound, but you have to decide what kind of experience you're after. If you want to stream a particular song right now, DO search for it on Grooveshark. This rather unique music service lets you listen to songs on demand, create playlists, and see what's popular with other users. It manages to be completely free and legal by serving fairly unobtrusive ads, which ensure licensees get paid--or so the company states. Grooveshark has been the subject of legal battles in the past; however, it has managed to stay up-and-running so far.… Read more