I really like using AGOGO that includes NPR too
NPR One
71–80 of 181 posts
Re: NPR One
#72This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app? This is the biggest problem with audio apps these days - you get everyone trying to make a similar thing, and because they're all competing they all try and lock each other out of their own products. What would be so much better is a content-agnostic platform, that'll let you play whatever the hell you want - whether it's music, talk ra…
The issue is letting your brand be accessible on some third party's (often) sub par app/platform, where you don't get access to data (often) and have little to no control on the UX. The tradeoff is app fatigue and a cluttered app store. It's hard to remember what app does what and many sit on your device rarely used since they become forgotten.
Re: NPR One
#73This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app? This is the biggest problem with audio apps these days - you get everyone trying to make a similar thing, and because they're all competing they all try and lock each other out of their own products. What would be so much better is a content-agnostic platform, that'll let you play whatever the hell you want - whether it's music, talk ra…
Sometimes it's helpful. For example, I do listen to a bunch of podcasts and I follow some DJs on Soundcloud. But every once in a while, there's just NOTHING good being posted. So it's good to have a fallback to a radio station of some kind, one that I can just open the app, hit the "big triangle", and just get music immediately. That instant gratification is the real value of the app. I have Rinse.FM's app for this purpose.
Incidentally, I feel like as smartphones become more ubiquitous and embedded into the rest of our lives, we'll start to see apps that have a much more simple purpose. After all, since Siri isn't programmable by app developers, the fastest way to listen to NPR is now downloading the app, holding your home button, and saying "Open NPR One". Perhaps the app could be designed so that it immediately begins streaming when you open it, that way you can just tell your phone something and suddenly you're listening to the radio.
All of this audio streaming is on a consistent platform, it's mostly Icecast or SHOUTcast servers doing the actual streaming. Theoretically, one could build a directory of radio stations like Nullsoft did with SHOUTcast, but the main issue is the platform has never been created by a company whose SOLE PURPOSE is to index and catalog current radio stations. Until we get that, I don't think you're gonna see a platform improvement any time soon.
Re: NPR One
#74Cool, hopefully it will replace the All Songs Considered audio stream (which is great). Side note: Is it just me, or this "scroll to reveal stuff in steps" is a bit frustrating? It seems to be used more and more often and I am sometimes puzzled by the fact that I'm missing the scrolling step. I try scrolling and get either too far (which shows half an image coming from above) or don't get anywhere (which makes me scr…
It's not you - The page is broken - the scrolling is completely screwed up on that page.
Re: NPR One
#75Why does the app need microphone access? I missed the blurb when you first open the app and can't seem to figure out how to replay it now.
Re: NPR One
#76This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app? This is the biggest problem with audio apps these days - you get everyone trying to make a similar thing, and because they're all competing they all try and lock each other out of their own products. What would be so much better is a content-agnostic platform, that'll let you play whatever the hell you want - whether it's music, talk ra…
I'm not sure I understand your critique. It appears NPR has come up with an interesting approach to allowing discovery of content it has access to in the form of this app, but they understandably aren't planning to get into the business of providing access to all audio content in the world via their app. But you are not restricted to using the NPR app to listen to NPR. Their content is also available in numerous other ways, including podcasts and streaming radio, as well as traditional local radio affiliates. So what exactly is your complaint?
Re: NPR One
#77Rather than some aimless techie kvetching, I'd just like to pass along a hearty congrats to the folks who made this happen. Great work, and I'm excited to use it!
Re: NPR One
#78This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app? This is the biggest problem with audio apps these days - you get everyone trying to make a similar thing, and because they're all competing they all try and lock each other out of their own products. What would be so much better is a content-agnostic platform, that'll let you play whatever the hell you want - whether it's music, talk ra…
"This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app?"
Also, why do all these damned apps have ridiculous access requirements ? In recent weeks I have been dismayed to find that HBO Go and Sonos apps both require access to all of my media files (android app) in order to be installed.
I'll bet that's not uncommon. Presumably it's just lazy development by people that don't know the finer points of the SDKs, etc., but it's pretty ridiculous what a lot of these apps (that, as the parent points out, aren't really necessary anyway[1]) require.
[1] HBO Go does not need to be an app, as demonstrated by the fact that I use it in my browser (OSX) every day.
Re: NPR One
#79Why does the app need microphone access? I missed the blurb when you first open the app and can't seem to figure out how to replay it now.
The app does not need microphone access. You know it, I know it, NPR knows it.
Re: NPR One
#80This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app? This is the biggest problem with audio apps these days - you get everyone trying to make a similar thing, and because they're all competing they all try and lock each other out of their own products. What would be so much better is a content-agnostic platform, that'll let you play whatever the hell you want - whether it's music, talk ra…
"This is all well and good, but why does everyone need to have their own damn app?" Also, why do all these damned apps have ridiculous access requirements ? In recent weeks I have been dismayed to find that HBO Go and Sonos apps both require access to all of my media files (android app) in order to be installed. I'll bet that's not uncommon. Presumably it's just lazy development by people that don't know the finer po…
I mean, given Sonos streams your media, that one should probably be pretty obvious why it wants to access your media...