digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover and share the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at downloadsquad.com

iPhone App Listens to Music and tells you the name of Song

downloadsquad.com — Have you ever heard some music, be it in the background in a shop, or played on the radio and ever wished you knew the track's name? That's the dilemma Shazam sets out to solve.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • mark076h, on 07/14/2008, -2/+20wow, i was just testing this and i am very impressed, it worked fast and worked every time, the interface is also very nice, very well done application.
    • championchap, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Depends how obscure you want to get.
      But i guess thats the point, i managed to beat it with some of the music i listen to.. but thats not likely stuff you'll hear on the radio or in a pub on the jukebox.

      One that really did surprise me that it actually got though was
      Area 887 (Pheon Mix) on Melt-Bananas Charlie EP.

      It's actually in the iTunes store, so go listen to the preview of that and see what I mean.
      Very impressed overall.
  • joeycerone, on 07/14/2008, -0/+14this app is awesome, if you go into the preferences you can change the listening time down to like 8 seconds so its even faster!
    • cleverboy, on 07/15/2008, -4/+4The OTHER iPhone app that does this is even better. I couldn't get Shazam to recognize anything, but MiDoMi was aces. It even provides YouTube video links and samples of other people singing the same song. Excellent. And you don't have to adjust the sample time. You can decide everytime you record how long you want to sing.
      • SPECOPS, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2I had different results - Midomi was okay (and was the first one I saw and used) for humming and singing a song, but Shazam worked a whole lot better (recognizing almost every single song even ones playing in an elevator----but does not recognize humming, etc.)
      • dolphinCAGE, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Same here.
  • mentor972, on 07/14/2008, -3/+9Very good app, but the article is blog spam.
  • americaskate, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1When you find the app in iTunes it states that the app
    will be "Available for free for a limited time". Anyone have
    any idea if they will be charging a subscription or one payment upfront?
    • indie1982, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6We've had Shazam in the UK for about 5 years now I think, it costs 50p to tag a track from a regular mobile phone by dialling 2580. I'm guessing they'll charge something like that once they've got the users hooked.
    • flashback99, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2you get a limited number of searches, before they start charging you.
  • InanePenguin, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I absolutely love this app. One of my favorites. Useful and works like promised every time.
  • winmywii, on 07/15/2008, -13/+55Let's not forget that this has been done before (on other phones).
    • GeorgeStone2, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6Yeah, I remember a few years ago my friend showing me this on some sony phone. I was impressed back then, and still am.
    • reformation, on 07/15/2008, -5/+7It was the same company doing it. No one forgot.
    • TheOther1, on 07/15/2008, -7/+14But this is on the iPhone! Anything done before is pointless. This is on the iPhone!!! Don't you get it?!!
    • deadmoo, on 07/15/2008, -4/+5MusicID, duh. But this is for the iPhone so selective amnesia kicks in. Either that or the Apple-lovers true techno-illiteracy is showing.
      • alecks, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3SongID... All verizon phones can do it through a Get It Now app, i believe.
      • Monk22, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Att comes with it preloaded as well
    • coadyj, on 07/15/2008, -1/+0Ehh does anyone remember "Listen" ?? erica saunders already made this app, but had to take it down :(, good to see this again, i would pay an upfront fee, but not a subscription. Ahh what am i saying all these apps will be free in about 2 weeks. except on iphone 3g
    • sasper, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I've had it on my Verizon-based LG8700 for 2 years now. Really very old technology
    • Lemon, on 07/16/2008, -0/+1This has been around for YEARS. Sony Ericsson bundle it on all their walkman phones and carriers often offer the service as well. Buried because now it's on the iPhone it's news...
  • convergent, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4Anything like this for a Blackberry? I heard of this before my friend has it on his Verizon phone, I've always wanted something like it.
    • Monk22, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1MusicID. it comes with the freaking phone
  • rubaaan, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4sweet. usually i write down lyrics to songs i dont know the names of. didnt verizon have this on their phones or something?
  • chrismcelligott, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6http://www.wildbits.com/tunatic/ does it for the desktop.
  • malignatius, on 07/15/2008, -10/+22Nothing new. Walkman phones had this feature quite a while now.
  • fugazied, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Yes absolute blogspam, but I have tried the app and it is pretty cool. However I think I hear a song on the radio I don't know and like about.. twice a year.
  • Mickeh65, on 07/15/2008, -10/+2You should have seen the look on my friends faces when I put the iPhone to the radio and could tell them the exact song.
    • convergent, on 07/15/2008, -1/+10You must have been the talk of the party.
  • levoodoo, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Erica Sadun coded one for the iPhone and it was discontinued due to legal issues.
  • mgill3, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4Definitely nothing new, apps like this have been around for quite a while, either way it's cool to have on my iPhone for those moments (although rare) that I don't know the name of the song or artist.
  • bluescreentech, on 07/15/2008, -12/+5Verizon has had Song ID for a long long time. But my guess is you won't see the people talking about how this iPhone app is so unoriginal and just a clone of a Verizon product. On the other hand anytime someone brings out a touch screen device they're trying to clone the iPhone(even though again, LG had the Prada long before the iPhone came out). I'm sorry fanboys, I'm just incredibly sick of the hype. Sure the iPhone is a good phone. But it's certainly not the best thing ever made, and it certainly has A LOT of shortcomings. So, even though I know this will fall on mostly deaf ears, can we just stop with the whole iPhone is the most amazing thing to ever exist on this planet and move on with our lives?
    • Nossie, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4the telecom 3 here in the UK has that service Song ID ... and has done for years and years... in fact I'll bet you bastards stole it from us!

      You unoriginal sod !

      Oh wait... maybe nobody really cares either way?


      (and no I dont know who had it first and frankly, I couldnt give a *****)
      • bluescreentech, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Yea, we probably did... but as you said "I couldnt give a *****" sums up my thoughts exactly.
    • ibeetle, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2First, Verizon did not have it first. Second, Song ID barely works, and third, it is a pay service. This is free.
      Verizon, has Song ID... for an extra monthly fee.
      iPhone has Shazam... for free.
      Verizon has radio... for a extra monthly fee.
      iPhone has radio... for free.
      Verizon had dozens of games... all cost money.
      iPhone has dozens of games... many do cost, but just as many are.......wait for it.... free.

      See where I am going here sparky?
      • Aitese, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Free for a limited time
      • AntzNZ, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2iPhone costs... $???
      • ibeetle, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2@Altese-
        The application is free for a limited time. There will be a charge for the application... not the serivce. With Verizons' Song ID you get the application, but have to pay a reacuring monthly service...forever.

        $3.00 one time application charge, or $4.99 a month forever? This app still wins.
      • Aitese, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1@ibeetle

        Shazam have a monthly subscription or price per song payment model at work everywhere else...why would they change their pricing model for what looks like their most advanced version of their software? Who else makes a better version of something and then charges less for it?

        There's no solid info as of yet apart for the vague "Availiable for free for a limited period..." but I'll keep assuming they'll do what they do on my phone now and charge about 50p everytime you use it.
  • adam2112, on 07/15/2008, -9/+10Nothing new here. My Verizon phone has been able to do that for a couple of years now.
    • justusbruns, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6SONY ERICSON has the feature allready for a couple years, but anyway, it's cool that it's there for the iPhone
    • honesttussey, on 07/15/2008, -2/+3Was just gonna say this. Yea it's cool it's on an iphone but sorry apple isn't first in this field. My friend's verizon phone did this years ago. I was freaking amazed when it correctly identified several songs in a row in an extremely noisy bar.
    • dolphinCAGE, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3It's not about Apple. The app is third-party, and Apple has nothing to do with it. It is completely irrelevant whether Verizon or SonyEricsson has done it before. The story is about an iPhone getting the app, and that is it.

      Don't try looking for reasons to stick it to the iPhone owners, even though it's tempting, I know. :)
    • BeerRules, on 07/16/2008, -3/+1yah but this is done for the iPhone making it ground breaking technology.... geeze get with the program... think different... think apple... like everyone else
  • Godfather, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5we've had the Shazam service here in the UK for a number of years. All we had to do was dial 2580 from our mobile phones and hold it near the speaker playing the song. Having said that the app is way more cooler on the iphone.
    • Aitese, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Shazam has had an s60 and Windows Mobile version for some months now...it uses your data connection. It was free for months but they recently started charging.
  • jklyon, on 07/15/2008, -0/+5I missed this feature on my old Sony Ericsson, so I was glad when it came back to me on my iPhone. Hot!
  • Seidoger, on 07/15/2008, -5/+13Stop everyone with your "My Verizon phone did that last century"
    This is simply waveform analysis and pattern matching, it's been done for years by countless numbers of services.
    Shazam is great. Take it like that.
    • bluescreentech, on 07/15/2008, -6/+7The point is that people are going nuts over every little piece of anything related to the iPhone when its not that remarkable. There are other things that would be better served on the front page of Digg. Going through the pages of digg headlines, you see the ihone over and over and over and over again and for some people we are just sick of seeing the same things regurgitated or slightly changed. The phone is out, if you've got one and love it great. But make no mistake a lot of us... just... don't... care anymore.
  • SmeeegHeeed, on 07/15/2008, -11/+6more iPhone wanking

    buried
  • Septimus, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6No it's not new, that is the point, Shazam has been out in the UK for over 5 years. This is just the iPhone version that doesn't rape you for identifying a song. Yet. It will. Probably £1 per song to identify or £6-£10 per month subscription. Shazam is a rip-off for usual mobile phone users.
  • mynameistux, on 07/15/2008, -8/+3The iPhone, the worst thing that has ever happened to the digg front page.
    yeah, the iPhone is pretty cool, now can we PLEASE MOVE ON!
  • alamony, on 07/15/2008, -7/+6This feature has been available on MOST Verizon Wireless Handsets for ages...
  • Galaxylander, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Midomi and Shazam both do this.
    • SPECOPS, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1and both are free - and Midomi finds songs with my horrible singing, Shazam doesn't - but Shazam seems to find songs over the air better than Midomi - they both have advantages - and are great.
  • TheOle, on 07/15/2008, -6/+6This isn't exactly big news in my opinion. Most higher-end Sony Ericsson phones have had this feature for 2 years. It's called TrackID, and works like a charm.
  • Rizak, on 07/15/2008, -8/+3I have been working for Cingular for a while, and we have had this for a longggg time.
  • rogerborn, on 07/15/2008, -1/+10from my son chris, who was at the convention :

    Sazam

    Yea, that was fun. A guy who wrote it was at WWDC, and used it to
    "cheat" in answering a question during one of the evening events. It
    was one of the funniest things the whole night of rather funny
    craziness. They have an event called Stump the Experts where a bunch
    of long time Apple engineers are on stage, and the audience has a
    chance to ask questions, about anything to try and stump them. But,
    the guys on stage get to pose questions trying to stump the collective
    audience as well.

    Microphones are setup around the audience where people can queue up to
    answer various questions that are presented through out the night. One
    of these questions was in regards to six songs that were playing over
    the PA while people were coming in to the auditorium, and just prior
    to the event starting. The audience was asked to name the songs and
    the artist. You know random music that is played before large events.
    No one is really paying attention.

    Well, about early on one person was able to identify one song. For the
    next hour or so, maybe two others attempted to identify a couple, but
    failed. After a while, a guy who had been standing in the queue for
    some time, made it up to the mic. He was able to name not only all six
    songs and their artists, but also the album and year of release. This
    stopped the entire entourage of engineers on the stage, and silenced
    the audience. (It was a rowdy crazy night.)

    The hosts, also engineers who were rather good comedian, were going
    nuts. They asked the guy who he was, who he worked for. He gave his
    first name, and said that he could not say to the later. This created
    a great deal of excitement from everyone. When asked how he knew, he
    said, "my iPhone told me!" It took some some time for the cheering to
    stop, but when it did, the hosts and some others were surrounding him,
    and he finally caved. He works for a company that does audio pattern
    recognition, and he was testing his iPhone application that night from
    his seat.

    Needless to say, he was well received by all 2000 people. They also
    gave him several of the prizes, which ranged from shirts, computer
    accessories, and rather expensive software packages but Apple, Adobe
    and others.

    Very funny. As soon as I saw that app Thursday, I was playing with all
    over the place.


    • yabos, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I was there too and it was pretty funny. The guy got a tshirt.
  • bluestriker, on 07/15/2008, -7/+3Yup, this has been on Verizon phones for years.
  • fractorial, on 07/15/2008, -6/+8Dear God this is getting lame. This is not a NEW innovation by any means. A handful of phones can already do this using Shazam's software. Why is this news?
  • umbrellainabin, on 07/15/2008, -4/+1*****.........cba
  • o0Synn0o, on 07/15/2008, -7/+5gotta be kidding me .... the iphone this iphone that.....ive been doing this on my old 3g cell phone for about a year. buried for being another iphone sham
  • mdude85, on 07/15/2008, -5/+3Oh wow, this makes it so much easier for me to find out the song name so I can go home later and download it illegally.
  • Ironman11, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4If you like Shazam, you need to try Midomi. It does the same basic thing, but gives you iTMS links and youtube links, along with allowing you to sing or hum the song in question.
  • GoldenChaos, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5Midomi > Shazam.
  • KylePIB, on 07/15/2008, -7/+4What *****, *****, news this is.
  • mymate, on 07/15/2008, -7/+4yea i love how because it comes how to the iphone its now news, other mobile companies have been doing this for years! trackid on sony ericson anyone?
  • Ansem, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2I had this a while ago. It's really cool.
  • thuffner, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Worked with Aerosmith - Crazy.

    Failed with AC/DC - Back In Black
  • ozziek, on 07/15/2008, -5/+4Shazam has been on mobile phones for years - what's new about this? Buried.
  • YodaJones, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I did see that app in the app store and I wondered how well it worked. Hats off to the developers.
  • snagglefoof, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2"Listens to Music and tells you the name of Song"

    Title sounds like an Onion headline.
  • darylsnerd, on 07/15/2008, -4/+0Wow, now we don't even have to listen to music! It can just tell us what we would be listening to!! (Sarcasm) I think that feature is useless
  • rizla420, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1"Simpsons did it!"

    -South Park
  • rizla420, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1Anyone know when we'll be able to jailbreak the 3G's? I heard soon, any new news?
  • hellotyler, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2it's kind of... terrifying actually
  • damndj, on 07/15/2008, -3/+3i'm glad the iPhone is catching up to my 3 year old Razr.
  • jayselle, on 07/15/2008, -2/+3What you haters don't get is that most of us have never used an application like this before because it was a pain in the arse to get. The App Store has changed everything about mobile software. No longer do you have to be a hardcore Moto Razr geek to use this. You simply press the install button when browsing the App Store and you have it.

    It's Apple user interface is what makes it great. MP3 players were out before the iPod and I bet you same people were naysayers (assuming you were older than 10 yet). People want things that just work and Apple does this very well in all their products.
    • PilotHead, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2a pain to get? hardcore Razr geeks?
      U hit Menu
      Get it Now
      Application
      Song ID and download

      done and done.
      • pen25, on 07/16/2008, -0/+1haha or you get the phone with the app already installed and you nav to that it down loads the song for you to listen to the entire thing. man i remember seeing many commercials for this ages ago like at least 3 or 4 years ago but um apple was the first one to do this. HAHAHA
  • joelf, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1I tried it out. I was in a shop on Kensington St. and I heard a song I wanted to learn about. All you have to do is click the app, open the app's browser, hit the two buttons to activate the listening mode, then shake the Iphone, yes, SHAKE IT! It's so tactile and fun! Like being a kid!

    After shaking it, it's now in listening mode, It starts to recognize the song, then a cold metallic voice shouts out "CLERK! WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS SONG!?" And like magic she shouts back,

    "Creep by Radiohead, you ***** idiot!"

    It's amazing. I love the Iphone.
  • trollick, on 07/15/2008, -2/+4This ***** was available on normal phones for quite some time.
  • KompressorV12, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1verizon has had this for awhile... works flawlessly
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 60 of 60 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.