Recommendations if replacing iPod ecosystem with Android-based phone?
January 6, 2010 12:17 PM Subscribe
I'm looking to replace my iPod (and its ecosystem) with an Android-based phone plus whatever necessary additional components. I like the easy integration of my iPod with iTunes and the iTunes store, but I'd like to move to an Android phone and use that as my music player. Can I build a similar ecosystem (with e.g. an Android phone, Windows Media Player on my laptop, and some song store that integrates with WMP) that provides similar ease of use after initial setup? And if so, what are the recommended replacements for iTunes and the iTunes store? Thanks!
Critical functionality: ability to buy songs (from a single store with selections comparable to iTunes store), downloading & managing podcasts, managing my music via playslists, and syncing to the Android phone.
Let's assume for the purposes of this question that I'm happy to start over from scratch with the music (i.e., no worries about transferring old music from iPod to new system).
Currently running Windows Vista on my laptop.
Critical functionality: ability to buy songs (from a single store with selections comparable to iTunes store), downloading & managing podcasts, managing my music via playslists, and syncing to the Android phone.
Let's assume for the purposes of this question that I'm happy to start over from scratch with the music (i.e., no worries about transferring old music from iPod to new system).
Currently running Windows Vista on my laptop.
I ditched the iTunes store the minute Amazon started selling mp3s. Now I go to lala.com (now owned by Apple) because the prices are a little better. Sometimes I buy used CDs on Amazon because those prices beat digital album prices.
posted by puritycontrol at 12:41 PM on January 6, 2010
posted by puritycontrol at 12:41 PM on January 6, 2010
You may want to give doubleTwist a shot. Syncs with Android phones, integrated with Amazon MP3. For podcasts, I'd highly recommend Google Listen. Huge directory, does it all on the handset itself so there's no need to sync on a daily basis.
posted by ConstantineXVI at 1:22 PM on January 6, 2010
posted by ConstantineXVI at 1:22 PM on January 6, 2010
Not an iTunes replacement, but Magnatune has an Android app available. They're just one label, but awfully convenient if like their selection.
posted by nangar at 3:54 PM on January 6, 2010
posted by nangar at 3:54 PM on January 6, 2010
Syncing works, there are some good options (I liked Salling Media Sync) because I have complex iTunes playlists. They all have a little problem though, in that the syncing is only one way. Your ratings, playcounts and on-the-go playlists won't get copied back. That's actually a great loss.
For what it's worth, I found that trying to replicate the iTunes/iPhone ecosystem was the wrong way to go. I'm now using the Android for what it's so good at, as a streaming device. So much of my iPod experience was just trying to manage a huge and unwieldy library - to look ahead, figure out what I might want to listen to next week - constantly shunting files from one device to another. Being free from that, having everything on tap, is a liberation.
posted by grahamwell at 1:25 PM on January 10, 2010
For what it's worth, I found that trying to replicate the iTunes/iPhone ecosystem was the wrong way to go. I'm now using the Android for what it's so good at, as a streaming device. So much of my iPod experience was just trying to manage a huge and unwieldy library - to look ahead, figure out what I might want to listen to next week - constantly shunting files from one device to another. Being free from that, having everything on tap, is a liberation.
posted by grahamwell at 1:25 PM on January 10, 2010
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posted by Mngo at 12:37 PM on January 6, 2010