Anoop Verma
If you are a radio lover, your Android smartphone could become your ideal device. Today we have large number of free apps that provide access to thousands of radio channels. But for accessing the radio stations, your smartphone has to be connected to the Internet. This means, you should either have a WiFi or a 3G data plan. A WiFi might be a much better option, as it offers better connectivity and is also works out to be much cheaper than most 3G data plans.
These apps are set up for browsing through stations and genres, so you can get a fresh dose of new options based on the music you like. Here is a list of some radio apps that you can try:
TuneIn Radio
If you have purchased an Android device recently, chances are that you will be having TuneIn app pre-installed. In that case you don’t even have to download it. This app has an intuitive interface that makes it a snap to listen to streaming radio while you’re on the move. You can enjoy 70,000 live radio stations and 2 million podcasts, concerts or shows on your Android phone or tablet. The ordinary version is free, but the pro version, which comes with many advanced features, has a price tag.
Available at: https://play.google.com/store/apps
Price: Free
FM India Radio
You can listen to FM channels in India directly through your mobile phone, but this app makes it much more easier to access FM. With it you can listen to best FM stations including most Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Telugu, etc. All the languages are provided under different category options to make it easier for you to select your favourite channels. The app allows you to mark channels as favourite and those will be added to application’s home screen to help you quickly play them without any hassles.
Available at: https://play.google.com/store/apps
Price: Free
Gaana Mobile
The Gaana.com website is already very popular with the lovers of Indian music. The website has also launched a mobile app that has been downloaded more than 200,000 times across all smartphone platforms. The app has been seen 58,153 downloads on the iOS platform, 69,456 downloads on Android, 69,674 downloads on Samsung and Nokia handsets, and 5,115 downloads on the BlackBerry platform. The major strength of the app is the flexibility that it offers to users in discovering music from an artist or album at different levels.
Available at: http://gaana.com/#!/mobile/android
Price: Free
HindiTop – Hindi Radio & Songs
The HindiTop app provides you with seamless access to popular Hindi songs.
Available at: http://www.radiokhushi.com
Price: Free
SoundHound
SoundHound is not exactly a radio app; it is much more than that. If a song is playing anywhere, pull out SoundHound and use the ‘What’s That Song?’ option. It does not matter if the song is on the radio or at a concert. If the smartphone’s microphone can hear the song, SoundHound can find it. It has the capability of recognising music at a blazing fast speed. It is the world’s only singing and humming recognition app.
Available at: http://www.soundhound.com/
Price: Free
Now it is becoming a trend for most radio stations in the world to have some kind of online and mobile presence. As long as you have a decent Internet connection in your smartphone or laptop, the radio station from any part of the world will play, simple as that. If you attach your smartphone to a decent speaker dock or good headphone, the sound quality should be excellent. However, if you are using a data connection other than WiFi and paying per byte, the costs can mount up.
