Spotify (for Android)

Spotify, a relatively new face in the streaming music space, is also available on your Android smartphone. The free, ad-supported app lets music listeners stream crisp music over a wireless signal, but if you drop $9.99 for a Premium subscription, you open the door to on-demand playback, commercial-free listening, and other features. Although Spotify offers a quality listening experience (including the ability to download Facebook friends' playlists), a few issues keep it from topping the recently revamped Slacker Radio, our Editors' Choice award-winning mobile music app.

Spotify 101
For the uninitiated, Spotify is an online music service that lets you play songs from a mainstream-heavy library of more than 15 million tracks, build playlists, and get recommendations from other members or from Spotify's own recommendation engine. Upgrading to a Premium account removes ad interruptions, and lets you store playlists offline, play music on demand, and sync your account to an unlimited number of mobile devices. If you'd rather not pay a dime, Spotify lets you use the radio feature for free, albeit with ad interruptions and the inability to preview the next song (much like Slacker Radio).

Note: You can only log-in with existing Spotify or Facebook credentials?you can't create a new account from within the app, which is frustrating. You can create a new account using the desktop version, but it pushes you to sign up using your Facebook username and password. There's a way to sign up using email, but it's easily overlooked.

The Spotify Experience
Spotify features a rudimentary layout that isn't quite as attractive as Slacker Radio's but gets the job done. Swiping left to access your Settings menu to open your playlists, friends list, inbox, and other areas. There are over 20 genre stations including the likes of "Emo," "Hardcore," and "Reggae," but the number pales in comparison to what Slacker Radio offers. Tapping "Hip Hop," for example, immediately launches the station. That's fine for the non-hardcore listeners, but passionate music lovers like me like a deeper drill down. Bringing a finger to Slacker Radio's "Hip Hop," on the other hand, opens the door to eleven sub-stations including "'90s Hip Hop" and "Hip Hop Workout."

Spotify for Android lacks live radio (Slacker serves up live ESPN) and a dedicated comedy channel. The latter issues's a headscratcher as you can search for comedians and return numerous bits. Mobile Spotify also lacks lyrics?disappointing.

On the upside, you can stream or cache tracks at a deliciously high 320kbps, called Extreme mode. It'll hog your data, so use it sparingly or with Wi-Fi. Regardless of the bitrate you select, you'll enjoy loud, crisp audio. Spotify for Android also supports gapless playback and crossfading between tracks so there aren't any abrupt pauses. These are features that Slacker Radio lacks, and is one that music diehards will appreciate.

I Heart Radio
Apart from genre-based stations, Spotify lets you create custom radio stations from any album view: track, artist, album, or playlist. These stations sync across all your Spotify accounts.

Simply tap a song and the radio icon to start streaming similar tunes. I started with the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive, hit the radio icon, and Janis Joplin's "Kozmic Blues" began playing, followed by Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Like in Slacker, you can click thumbs up or down to give feedback to Spotify's music recommendation engine.

When you hit "thumbs up" Spotify automatically adds the song to a new playlist called "Liked From Radio."

I noticed performance issues when I tried switching radio stations too quickly. For instance, after a couple songs inspired by the Bee Gees, I felt like listening to hip hop so I tried starting a new station based off Kid Cudi's "Erase Me," but the radio station didn't change.?

Yet another way to discover new music is through the What's New tab, which shows trending songs and playlists among Spotify members near you. This section showcases 10 new releases, five "Top Playlists," and five "Top Tracks." The desktop client recommends twice the amount. Spotify for Android also lets you build playlists. For instance it adds Spotify's Play Queue, a scrollable list that displays what songs lay ahead of your currently playing track. You can drop in tracks at any time, even if you're listening to someone else's playlist. You cannot, however, add music from your phone to a playlist.

Slacker for Android taps users' Facebook networks to display their contacts' playlists. Not only can you subscribe to playlists, but download them if you're a premium account holder.

Does it Hit the Spot?
Spotify for Android is a solid app for those who already invest in a Premium desktop subscription or love combing friends' playlists for new music, but if you want a more well-rounded mobile listening experience, the Editors' Choice award-winning Slacker for Android is the way to go. It offers more music variety and live radio?a winning combination.

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