Name that Tune in One-Click! BlackBerry Gets Shazam!

Subscribe via: RSS EMAIL

Categorized | Reviews

Name that Tune in One-Click! BlackBerry Gets Shazam!

Posted on 04 April 2009 by Jason Reese

shazam_rim_logo1

On April 1st, BlackBerry users no longer had to sit embarrassed, not knowing what that catchy tune was being played over the radio. That’s right folks, Shazam is now available for the BlackBerry!

When RIM officially launched BlackBerry App World, one of the top mobile applications being downloaded was one that has been available for the iPhone and the Android G1 for quite some time. Hold your mobile to the radio and voila! In a matter of seconds you would have the name of the song being played; as well as options to purchase, download, look up lyrics or band discography, and even search for similar artists.

bbscreen

Main Screen for Shazam notes the trial period and option to pay ($4.99 for the Application)

bbscreen1

BlackBerry users can press either the Menu Key or the center TrackBall to “Tag” a song they want to identify.

bbscreen8

Shazam goes to work, searching for the song and artist.

bbscreen31

Shazam quickly (and correctly) identified the song I had playing. You have the option to purchase the song wirelessly if you choose.

bbscreen5

Shazam also lets the user locate additional information about the song and artist; such as lyrics, album review, biography, and discography. You can even do a search within Shazam for similar artists.

Consumers are starting to see more non-enterprise based applications for the BlackBerry, which has long been deemed the suit-and-tie corporate device of choice. Using Shazam is simple and to the point.

After you download the application from RIM’s BlackBerry Application World (install directly to your handheld from this link), you can select from a variety of mobile applications that are available for your specific BlackBerry model and OS.

You can download Shazam wirelessly for free 30 day trial (the application will cost $4.99 to use after the trial period has ended). If you don’t want to scribble down lyrics and google them later, Shazam may make you seem a bit hipper at parties, conversations with co-workers, or just a little more knowledgeable about what the heck that song is all the kids are listening to nowadays.

What I Like: Easy Wireless Installation; Simple Navigation (use the center TrackBall or Menu Key on the BlackBerry); Quickly returns Artist, Song, Album search results; Ability to look up song lyrics and artist discography; Ability to purchase the song wirelessly (additional cost); Ability to search similar artists within application.

What Needs Improvement: $4.99 price after 30 day trial completes; Niche application (if you don’t find yourself looking up song information on the radio or when a friend is playing music, you may not be part of the audience Shazam is targeting.)

This post was written by:

Jason Reese - who has written 396 posts on Gear Diary.

Contact the author

http://www.s-consult.com/index.php Wayne Schulz
I’m not too keen on the BlackBerry App World listing these programs as free. With respect to Shazam you don’t see anything about a 60 day free promotional period until you scroll down about 60 feet on the the BlackBerry App World or actually install the program.
Not cool.
The app on the other hand does seem to work and while I usually am not that curious about the song titles – my kids however always want to know…
Since the iPhone App Store has a similar program which is presently priced free (although some have commented that there may be some wording about the iPhone app going pay in the future) – I’m inclined to use the iPhone app.
Jason Reese
I agree that listing programs as “free” when they are actually a trial for purchase is misleading. I can only guess that RIM is going this route on many of the apps being offered to drive traffic to App World. Let’s hope that in the (near) future, there is a “trial” noted in the category or app description.
I also think $4.99 is a bit much for Shazam — especially since it is free for the iPhone. RIM’s app store starts at a baseline of $2.99 for paid applications. I think the $2.99 price is a bit more palatable for this type of application. I suppose we’ll how Shazam and other ‘berry applications fair once the BlackBerry App World has been running for 60 or 90 days (especially given the current PayPal-only route method of payment).
Hopefully RIM will be implementing additional m-commerce payment schemes in the near future; such as your recommendation for tying App World with the BlackBerry Wallet. As far as Shazam goes for a mobile application on the BlackBerry platform, it does exactly as advertised and it does give BlackBerry users more variety in 3rd party application offerings. If it was listed as a trial and then offered for $2.99 I think it would fair better long-term as a popular purchase. While I love Shazam, it’s not going to replace the Pandora or Slacker Radio on my mobile as far as finding new music
Both Pandora and Slacker have free offerings as well as premium subscription services. I believe the subscription model is going to be more prevalent for “premium” versions of these applications.
As for iPhone apps, I like that Apple’s App Store has a bit of competition from RIM, Google (Android Marketplace), and Nokia’s upcoming Ovi application store. It will be very interesting to see what affect these different platform-based stores accomplish. It is a very exciting time in the mobile space now, and we’ll see many more great mobile applications.
paul
is that 4.99 flat rate or per month?
jasonreese
Hi Paul – the $4.99 is a one-time flat rate fee. There's monthly subscription for the app. You can download and trial Shazam on your BlackBerry for 60 days to see if it's something you use enough to pay the $4.99 to use after the trial concludes.