Shazam!: Wasn’t that a 90′s movie with Shaq as a genie?

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First off, I am not the right person to write this review. I am not a music fanatic, and I very rarely listen to the radio. I like what I like–a wide array of “old standby” bands–and I rarely venture beyond my shell (though Pandora is changing that).

So take this review with several grains of salt.

Shazam, by Shazam Entertainment Ltd., is the iPhone and iPod Touch solution to all those smug “other” phones with their music recognition software. The idea is to let your phone “listen” to a song you can’t name. It analyzes the song and tells you the name of the artist and the title of the song.

» ANALYZING-POP MUSIC. » FAITH IN HUMANITY: RECEDING.

The interface is very spiffy and professional. With very few bells and whistles, the only really useful button on the launch screen is the “Tag Now” button. Push it, and an animation tells you that the app is listening to your song and then analyzing it. If everything works out well, your “what the hell is this song?” troubles are over.

And it works great…for radio hits, well-known artists and other standard fare, that is. I have tried it out on indie and obscure songs, and it comes back with a message saying it couldn’t find the song. This annoys me, but I guess the app is mostly for when you are riding in your car and the latest American Idol single comes on the radio (I shiver at the thought).

Just remember, HAL9000 wasn't listening to Mozart or She & Him when he took this screenshot.

I have also found two other problems with the app. First, the music has to be fairly loud in order for the app to adequately hear it, so music played over store PA systems with busy shoppers around you will remain unidentified ["Man, I sure wish I knew the name of Kenny G's newest single!" -ed.]. And second, it also has some trouble on the Edge Network. I can’t speak for 3G users, but about half the time the Edge signal is too low to transmit the information that Shazam has gathered. This is very frustrating for me since I’m usually not in wi-fi range when that ear-bug of a song begins to play. Usually, I’m in my car and, honestly, the app sucks. I understand the limitations of Edge; everyone point and laugh at the early adopter. The app should offer the option to store clips to transmit later when you have a better connection.

When it does work, though, it is a nice thing. You can click your tag and find links to buy the song on iTunes, watch videos on YouTube, or even scan over the artist’s discography or biography. Overkill, to be sure, but a welcome overkill. Of course, there is also the album art whence birthed the song.

Hey, unrelated question: When is 24 going to do a season where Jack Bauer fails to rescue Miley Cyrus from a crazed circus clown?

You can also take a photo and attach it to an email with the “Share Tag” button. This way, your friends can know where you are and what you are listening to. They’re all sure to be jealous that you are hearing Miley Cyrus’s new single before anyone else.

Overall, Shazam is a good app, especially for pop music and radio fans. If you have an iPhone 3G, please leave a comment below and let us know how the app performs on 3G. We appreciate your candor.