Slacker was at Pepcom 2010 demonstrating an upcoming update to the app/platform that is rolling out in October. The newest features to the app include On-Demand service, deeper search for artists, albums and genres, better integration with the Torch and BlackBerry 6 and more options for building and managing your stations/playlists.
Slacker has grown to a behemoth database of music that caters to a wide range of tastes. I like to test the app with obscure bands and remixes and as time progresses the database gets easier to search. For example, you used to not be able to find Chromeo remixes in Slacker, but now there’s a DJ whose job it is to hunt down these tracks and put them up. One such guy on the Slacker team is @partyben. Check him out in the Slacker forums. If you don’t like his stuff, you can always browse the forums, find admins who share similar music tastes, and maybe they’re on Twitter sharing their updates.
If RIM bought Viigo for its RSS and feed aggregation, what about RIM buying Slacker to compete in the music space? They are after all on a buying streak. More screenshots after the break.
We’ll have a deeper look at these features with a walkthrough coming soon.
Slacker and FILTER Magazine have announced a free radio station featuring music from the Cedar Street Courtyard – the most attended day party at SXSW. The station includes artists such as Miike Snow, BRMC, Dr. Dog and Frightened Rabbit.
To listen, go to slacker.com/filter or head over to the spotlight section in the BlackBerry app.
Slacker fans rejoice, Slacker 3.0 is now available for download! The biggest change is that you can now cache your stations wirelessly while you sleep for a fresh brew of music to go with your morning coffee. It’s available for download now via your BlackBerry browser at http://www.slacker.com or App World. Per Slacker, here are some of the new features in version 3.0:
• Updated interface
• Faster application startup time
• Significantly smaller application size
• Improved touch interface for BlackBerry Storm
• Greatly improved battery life
• New settings menu options
• Tabbed info view for lyrics, reviews and biographies
Remember that with Slacker you can always create a custom station of your own, so perhaps these will serve as inspiration.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Slacker are giving away some awesome subscription packages. Comment on this post, and we’ll be giving 3 one-year subscriptions and 7 three-month subscriptions. Thanks Slacker!
Slacker Radio sat us down at CES to show us their new Slacker Radio 3.0 for BlackBerry. They’ve showed up with a new, clean interface. One of the most compelling updates, though, is the ability to wirelessly cache your stations. With Slacker 3.0 and wireless caching enabled, your device will search first for wifi, then 3G if wifi isn’t available, late at night. It will also confirm that you have your phone plugged in, so your phone doesn’t cache the stations and you wake up with a dead battery. Once the cache is done, you wake up to fresh coffee and a some steaming goodness of new music. Check out the video for more details. You can expect Slacker 3.0 very soon.
