Today’s SAMM winner specializes in the field of song-recognition. You hold your mobile device near a sound source, utilizing the Shazam app, which analyzes the sound wave. It publishes the song title and artist name of whatever is playing. A recent version includes a feature called LyricPlay which kicks in and displays the song lyrics, as they’re being sung, in real time.
Available for: Android, iPhone & iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Windows Phone 6 & 7 and Nokia.
Strengths: Fast, useful and fun. The user-interface is child’s play to operate. You’re at the movies, a song comes on the soundtrack and you don’t want to wait til the end credits to find out who it is, you point your phone at the speakers and click the Shazam button, and Shazam! Now you know the artist and title, plus it shows you links to buy the record, or hear it on Youtube, and other options.
Limitations: Not a ton of indie material is recognized yet. Naturally they’re building their database of songs from the most popular, and working out from there to less well known material. So the Shazam experience will get better with time.
Send this app to your cell phone the easy way: GET.IT
