As we recently reported, SPB Software has released SPB Radio for Windows Mobile, an application designed for playing internet radio via your phone’s data or wifi connection.  SPB Software was kind enough to provide me with a free preview copy, so I’ve spent some time this afternoon with SPB Radio on my HTC Hermes, listening to various radio stations from the world over.  Sit back, grab yourself a glass of iced tea and join me as I discuss some of the finer points of Radio.

First, installation of SPB Radio goes very smoothly.  The CAB installed to my Hermes’ microSD card and runs from it without issue.  Memory conservationists like myself will be happy to  know that there are no additional files installed to internal storage (read:  today plugins).

Diving into SPB Radio,  the user is presented with a visually pleasing and touch friendly user interface.  On the main program screen, you will find a play / pause button, a volume control button, radio station feedback and a list of favorite radio stations.  Each of the controls are large, perfect size for selecting with a finger.  The skin itself appears to take on the coloring of the Today theme that you are using.  This is a great feature incorporated into several of SPB Software’s programs, helping to make the user experience more aesthetically pleasing when switching from program to program.    I must admit, I’m also really glad that SPB has opted to leave the default top and bottom bars of Windows Mobile (aka Windows Phone).  Too often for my liking, finger friendly applications are completely hiding the top bar.

SPB Radio has a couple of preset radio stations already in the favorites list, so it’s easy to connect to the network and begin enjoying music.  With my Hermes connected to my home wifi network (I don’t have 3G where I live), playback quality was very smooth.  Buffering seemed to be very well handled, with no skipping of music.  If you find that the radio stations listed in the favorites screen don’t suit your taste, you’ll be happy to know that SPB Radio has a built in catalog of over 1,500 preset stations to choose from.

The favorites list on the main screen provides an option to add new stations.  The stations can be browsed by genre, geographical region and language, making it easy to find one that might peak your interests.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed my time experimenting with the program.  SPB Radio is an application that simply does it’s job well, making the process of searching for and playing internet radio a “no brainer”.  Via my wifi network, the speed of buffering and playback was great, although I suspect that if you are limited to a slow speed data connection you’ll have a less pleasant experience.

Things I Like About SPB Radio:

• The UI is very sleek.  Controls are large, visually pleasing and finger friendly.
• SPB Software has included a huge library of preset stations to select from.
• Buffering and playback worked great on my phone.

Things I Don’t Like About SPB Radio:

• I’ve tried and tried, but I honestly can’t think of anything I don’t like about the program.  It’s definitely going to have me listening to internet radio more often.

Where to Download / Buy:

• A 15 day free trial of SPB Radio can be downloaded here.
• SPB Radio can be registered for $9.95 here.

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