FlyCast Challenges Satellite Radio With iPhone App

Today, the native iPhone application for FlyCast’s mobile broadcast network was released in the Apple iPhone app store. The extensive content line-up, with over 1000 digital channels, includes virtually every genre of music, terrestrial radio, weather, talk, and traffic. The new iPhone player also includes a host of listener experience enhancements and time-shifting features never before delivered in a broadcast environment.

“We wanted our native app to raise the bar for what is possible with mobile entertainment, just like we did with our original FlyTunes web application,” said Sam Abadir, FlyCast CEO. “Our native iPhone app offers all the basic features that people expect – artist info, song titles and album art, one click purchasing from iTunes, favorite stations list creation, and personalized radio stations, but it’s our time shifting capabilities that will dramatically change the way people experience and interact with mobile media.”

“Comparing FlyCast’s content, features, quality of service and costs to those of satellite radio, we believe we’re providing our listeners with a much better entertainment experience and value, on devices they already own and carry with them wherever they go.”

FlyCast’s new TimeSlip features include “StreamSlip”, which allows users to continue to listen to a station even during extended periods without a connection; “Top of the Hour”, which allows latecomers to listen from the beginning of talk radio shows; “SongSkip” allows forward skip on certain webcast stations and pause on all stations. Other new features include an embedded web browser, allowing users to surf the web while listening to their favorite station, background play and battery saver modes, a connection speed identifier, and the ability to play any of over 25,000 worldwide Internet radio stations in the Shoutcast directory.

Unlike other iPhone radio apps that offer music from just one channel or broadcaster, the FlyCast Network offers listeners freedom of choice. FlyCast’s media includes the majority of the top webcasters in addition to top terrestrial radio stations from all over the country. Included in the over 1000 channels are stations from partners AccuRadio, Entercom, DI, SKY, 977 Music, Radio Paradise, SmoothJazz.com, 1Club, TheRadio.com, radioIO and 181.FM.

The FlyCast iPhone player is completely free – it works with Apple iPhones (3G and original), and the iPod Touch. Users can download it directly to their devices from the App Store.