Imeem, the popular but financially troubled streaming media and music discovery service, launched its iPhone and Android application today. The new app (iTunes link) allows users to stream songs they have uploaded to Imeem’s servers while on the go, something that only very few of imeem’s competitors can offer right now. The app, which is available for free, also allows users to create custom radio stations and it features a small set of preset stations, including a list of the top 100 songs on the service.
Note: As we don’t have access to an Android phone, this review will only focus on the iPhone app. From what we have seen, the two apps are quite similar.
Upload with AIR – Play Over the Air
You upload your music with an Adobe AIR app which allows you to upload songs directly from your hard-drive, but also has a convenient option that lets you browse your iTunes library to pick songs you want to transfer to imeem. In our tests those uploads worked just as expected and went relatively fast. The sounds quality was also surprisingly good.
Similar to the iPhone apps from Pandora, Last.fm, and and Slacker Radio, you can also easily create custom radio stations, though the functions here feel a bit limited compared to the options that imeem competitors now offer.
Like its competitors, the app suffers from the fact that it can’t play in the background on the iPhone. Sadly, imeem also doesn’t remember where it left off after you exit the app.
Pricing
You can store up to 100 songs, 10 videos, and an unlimited amount of photos on imeem for free. For $30 a year, you can upload up to 1000 songs and 100 videos, and $100 a year buys you storage for 20,000 songs and 500 videos.
Alternatives
We are also big fans of Lala, which allows you to listen to all of your songs online without any restrictions. Sadly, though, Lala does not offer a mobile application.
If you want full access to the music on your desktop while on the go, Simplify Music 2.0 also does a great job at streaming your collection over WiFi, Edge, and 3G. One of the nice features of the Simplify Music app (iTunes link) is that it gives users easy access to lyrics and artist biographies. Imeem only provides access to artist biographies.
Verdict
Given the quality of the apps that imeem’s competitors have released, this app still has a bit to go before it can fulfill all of its promises. However, if you are looking for a simple way to expand the capacity of your iPhone or Android phone then imeem might be worth a look, especially if you don’t keep your music on a home server where you can easily access it with Simplify Media or Simplify Music.
