I am… a Mobile Geek.
Oooh… Shiny!
This may not be brand new information to many of you, but to others – it might.
Reason being, I don’t tend to write that much about my mobile geekery here in My Happy Place, which is kind of silly really given how happy my mobile life makes me sometimes. But the motivation for this is that whenever I do have something mobile-related to say, I use my platform over on Mobile Industry Review (MIR), formerly – and now incorporating – SMS Text News, to get the message out.
So this post comes forthwith for two reasons. First up I have to tell you about something that I’ve been using for quite some time on my N95 8GB but which recently had quite an awesome little update. The second is more of a question for you dear readers… Which I’ll come to later.
As I mentioned – I’d normally use MIR to put this up but given the social/sharing elements and the happiness that this one app bestows upon me, I thought I’d share it here..
I want to tell you about a thing called Mobbler.
Mobbler is a 3rd party application that you download and install onto your S60 Nokia device, (so that’s pretty much any N or E series device plus a few others thrown in for good measure) which, once activated, acts like Last.fm for your mobile.
If you’re a Last.fm user, (and if you’re not, why not? Go and sign up now). this is cool for many reasons:
First up you can stream music from any of Last’s ‘radio’ stations – chosen by the usual themes of artist, tag, user, etc… You can stream music that you’ve previously ‘loved’ and you can also stream music from any of the playlists that you may’ve pre-defined on the web interface…
All of this delivered over-the-air (OTA) via your network/carrier – Tres Cool.
Oo yeah, all of this streaming means you might want some kind of data bundle…
Don’t forget that.
But, that’s not all, the real reason I HEART Mobbler so much, is that it allows me to share.
As you can see from the image above, right now I’m listening to Justice – One Minute to Midnight. This track is, along with about a thousand others, stored on my handset’s 8GB memory and is playing through the phone’s onboard MP3 player.. and Mobbler, in it’s wondrous fantasticness, is broadcasting this choice of track straight to my Last.fm user profile.
Which means you can go there and see what I’m listening to RIGHT NOW.
Instant sharing of what music I’m into, what’s making me strut and what is making me grin.
Awesome.
Thing is…
More and more recently my appreciation for all things musical has grown tenfold. From seeking out great new tunes to going to fantastic gigs or to just simply taking the time to really enjoy the emotional connection that certain compositions can have on the soul… Any and all of the above can make for a truly awe-inspiring experience.
Admittedly, having a trusted guide that can aid you through the mire of mediocrity that can sometimes exist on today’s CD shelves, (I’m sorry what? Who actually buys CDs anymore?!), can be a BIG help – but if you look hard enough, there are some true gems out there folks.. and being able to share these with you, whether I’m sat busy at my desk or on the move with my mobile, makes me a very happy Whatley indeed.
Oh and ‘reason for posting number two’…?
That question I mentioned?
I’ve thought about it now… and it doesn’t matter.
Thanks for reading folks.
🙂
i didnt realise there was an OTA streamer available for last.fm, i’d seen scroblers before, this is awesome, i’m downloading it right now. ace.
Yes mate – the new update kicks ass.
PS – I know I still owe you an email.. On it today.
Thanks – been thinking about this all morning, and suddenly you give me the answer on a plate! Downloading now – 🙂
I’m a Mobbler lover too, although the version I have (downloaded only last week for my new N82) looks a bit crap compared to the snazzy icons on yours. Very odd.
Well, its a neat app that’s for sure. I find though that I am wishing that it was a plugin to the default music player. Multiple apps that essentially do the same thing don’t make for a nice user experience (not Mobbler’s fault, just something that in using it that’s exposed).
Question: on that 5800, does the app take up the whole screen, or is it only usable in a compatibility mode?
@Phil – I hope you like it, I’d be interested in your feedback
@MartinSFP – Are you running V3.0?
@ARJWright – I know what you mean, this kind of sharing functionality should just *be there* in the background… That will come with time I guess. Re: The 5800 I only had a brief hands-on with the device. My Mobbler experiences are based on my N95 8GB.
Been using Mobbler for the last week or so now, and IT ROCKS!!!!
Brilliant update, works really well, however, the initial connection was a little temperamental, but once connected, all is good.!
Oh by the way, that 5800 looks tiny in that photo lol
Excellent app! Look forward to playing with it some more later today. Thanks for highlighting it.
Mobbler I like, I like it a lot, Vodafone connection in city centres i dont like. 4 seconds silence for 2 seconds of music really isn’t my cup of tea.
@Micky – Glad you like it, v3.1 has just been released today with some bug fixes etc.. So make sure you update.
@Will – see above 🙂
@Colin – Mate, I know what you mean. Had my N95 8GB replaced yesterday and had NO MUSIC on it.. so I used Mobbler to stream for a bit. Lasted all of about 2mins before I switched it off. But hey, as I laid out above, the reason I love using it is the *sharing* part. Just completes the circle for me… 🙂
Updated, and impressed more.! Thanks for the heads up!
hey I’m a new user of last.fm’s mobbler. I have a question for you. Are you able to play the playlists n loved track lists feature on your mobbler? whenever I select this option on my mobbler it says I’m not allowed to play this station.
Regards
@shvetti – Hey man, I’m haven’t tried that particular feature – but I *do* know that Mobbler have released a few updates lately – I’d recommend jumping over to the Google Code page and checking it out…
There may also be a way to contact the developers there too 🙂
http://code.google.com/p/mobbler/
Good luck!
yep I was using it a lot on my 5800, until i lost it – sob!
immediately installed it on my E71, but i never have the right headphones.
DAMN YOU 2.5mm socket.