Most of us invested in an iPhone because we could not only utilize smart phone apps and have a pretty snazzy looking cell phone, but because we could eliminate the need for another popular device–a separate MP3 player. That’s why I got my iPhone, anyway–I needed a new cell phone, and liked the idea of having my music in the same device. Plus, the added benefit of being able to catch phone calls while jamming to Black Eyed Peas on the treadmill at the gym. Bonus.
But when it comes to creating and expanding your MP3 music library, there comes a cost. At 99 cents a song, it can be a little devastating to the pocketbook to get your music collection stockpiled for long road trips or runs at the gym. By the time you created the ultimate MP3 collection, you’ve gone and spent enough money to have purchased a new car.
As much as I enjoy Pandora, which is available as a free radio app, I don’t like the fact that I can’t control what I want to listen to. Sure, if a song comes up on the play list that you’re not a big fan of, you give it a big thumbs down and it moves on to something more appropriate. But what if you want to listen to anything and everything on your own terms?
With a subscription of Rhapsody (which runs approximately $10 a month), you can have access to almost any song and artist imaginable. I’m not kidding you–I’ve only run into a song or two I’ve been looking for that isn’t in their database. Otherwise, I have found just about every CD I have had in my entire life on there. They boast over 12 million songs–I’m sure it’s more than that now.
Once you subscribe to Rhapsody, you then download the iPhone app and log in through your mobile device. Now here is where it gets pretty cool–you have the option to play music through an internet connection (such as Wi-Fi or through your provider’s 3G), or to download play lists and music and play them without being connected online. This is an awesome feature, the whole “play offline” concept. This means that you can create your own play lists, download them through the app to your phone, and without a signal whatsoever on your phone, you can listen to your songs uninterrupted by bad reception or lack of an internet connection. Which is, essentially, just like listening to songs downloaded on your iPod. If your gym is anything like mine (with sketchy service provider connections), this is a Godsend.
Yes, this is awesome. Epic, really. Why? Because you can either use your internet connection to listen to anything and everything from their library, or you can download onto your phone the songs you want to listen to. This ultimately means using less space on your iPhone, yet having access to the most amazing library of music ever. Win/win.
Yes, it costs money for the service, but considering you have access to that many songs anytime you want them, it’s definitely worth the cost of ten songs a month. And the ability to save them on your phone without needing an internet connection?
Priceless.
Sara Haley is an avid writer and self-proclaimed iPhone junkie that writes and reviews apps for Tech on the Go, as well as HappyApping.com.
