MP3 streaming in the sky?

October 24, 2012 6:07 AM

It's about 6 AM. I'm leaving my house at about 7 AM. I'm getting on an airplane at about 9 AM. While on that airplane, I'd like to listen on my iPhone 4 to an .mp3 file that will be posted onto the internets at about 7:30 AM.

The .mp3 file will be about 3 hours long at will weigh in at about 100 mb. Normally, I could either download it ahead of time, or stream it through 3G. But I'm leaving too soon to download, and I'm worried that Safari/Quicktime won't precache (?) the whole file.

What can I do in the next three hours that will allow me to listen to this file while I'm on the airplane?

(I will be able to fiddle around with my phone and will have internet access on my phone between 7 and 9, it's just that I won't have access to my computer after 7 so I can't import the file to my phone via iTunes.)

posted by clorox to computers & internet (9 answers total)

Oh, and the file will be available by just a normal http link.
posted by clorox at 6:08 AM on October 24, 2012

Can you set up a shared Dropbox folder, install Dropbox on your phone, and get someone with a speedy connection to download the file and drop it into the folder?
posted by carbide at 6:14 AM on October 24, 2012

There are various iOS apps that will let you download and listen to mp3 files. I have used this one several times.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:16 AM on October 24, 2012

Install a remote access controller on your iPhone, then try all the cloud, iTunes or email options once you're at the airport. You can move, send, split and convert the file on your home computer from the iPhone.

Once it works, remotely shut down the desktop...

I might be too late, not sure of the time...
posted by guy72277 at 6:32 AM on October 24, 2012

Use Dolphin browser to download the file.
posted by Burhanistan at 6:55 AM on October 24, 2012

Doesn't the iOS browser have the ability to "save as"? Like how you'd right-click a link in a desktop computer and save it to your hard drive?

Failing that, if the source of the MP3 file has an RSS feed, you can leave your computer on (*) and have the RSS reader (somehow) automatically save the file right into a dropbox or iCloud folder as soon as the feed hits.

(*) to avoid leaving your computer on the whole time you are gone, you can set your power options to hibernate after 3 hours. That should allow it to stay on long enough to catch the file, and then shut down.
posted by gjc at 6:56 AM on October 24, 2012

File should be up now. Did you get it? If not, I can drop it into a public Dropbox if you post or memail the URL.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:34 AM on October 24, 2012

I think the app you want is iDownloader. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/idownloader/id395107625?mt=8

It'll let you download http media links and also flash videos from sits like youtube.
posted by reformedjerk at 9:25 AM on October 24, 2012

Thank you everyone! I used Free Music Download Pro and it worked great . . . Except that I didn't get the full file before turning my phone off for takeoff, and it doesn't allow listening to partial files. Probably my fault as I never checked up on the download process on the way to the airport.

I made sure to get the full file for the return flight, though!
posted by clorox at 5:36 PM on October 30, 2012