Fresh Apps - iPhone Apps & iPod Touch Apps.

I used Smart Tunes for several days. I tried to simulate all of the functions that this program should be able to do. I have used other apps by this company and expected the same attention to detail that I saw in programs like Smart Time.

Lets start with the things that I liked about this app. First of all the app itself has a nice design and a simple main page.  You can choose from several different skins that give the radio a personalized feel. Another feature that I enjoyed about this app was the integration of your personal itunes library. This provides a reliable source of music that will make the bells and whistles a joy to use.

Now on to what was wrong with this app. First of all the primary function of this app is to be able to stream radio stations from around the world on your device. The biggest problem that I ran into was the fact that I could not always get a radio station to work. In fact I would say that when I chose a radio station, it worked 50% of the time. Being that this can also be used as an alarm clock, it seems scary to trust that it would even work when it is time to wake up.

If integrated with an itunes library, the alarm function a great part of Smart Tunes. If you integrate your itunes library with the player you can use this as a very nice alarm clock because it will fade in as it wakes you up. Also Smart Tunes has a sleep timer function that will allow you to fall asleep while listening to the radio, and at a certain time it will turn itself off.

I am not sure if the technology is not fully developed or if the app has a few bugs to be worked out but the first generation of Smart Tunes is lacking in several areas. I only mean to be fair and honest with this review so it is not as if I did not like anything about this app. If Smart Tunes can find a way to make the radio function more reliable, then this app is another great one by these guys.

Pros
-Cool skins
-Add photos to wake you up.
-Sleep timer
-Alarm clock
-Integration of your itunes library with the radio

Cons
-Hard time finding radio stations that worked
-Some button functions are not clearly defined such as the button to select radio stations. You have to play around with the controls to feel comfortable.
-Not sure that I would trust the radio function to wake me up due to the reliability.

I give Smart Tunes a 5/10 because although the radio looks good the functionality and reliability is lacking.

Zach