The two ultimate goals for an mp3 junkie is sharing your music with others & portability. Simplify Media may just have cracked the code! The service reminds me of a personal shoutcast server, but with far less setup and technical know how to get the ball rolling. It integrates directly on your Mac or PC, sharable with friends, and even works on your iPhone or iPod! Seriously, Who could ask for more?
For iPhone users, there is a super simple process which really just involves your downloading the light weight client on your home computer. The App Store download guides you through the process with 5 simple screens:
Setting up the client on the PC was also painless, and as described as simple as creating an IM client. The application runs in the background, more lightweight than anything Ive seen in a long time, sharing your chosen mp3 directories.
I quickly tested this out on my 3G iPhone which worked without a hitch, just as expected. I also setup my wife to utilize my Simplified mp3 share on her non-3G iphone. The only flaw I found here was that I essentially had to use my “IM Credentials” on my wifes phone, without the ability to add another users credentials. But, what if this was a friend? You likely wouldnt want to give them your full username and password, right?
Taking this to the next step, I also sent the canned Simplified ‘invite’ email to a few friends. The canned invite to your stream is as follows:
I am using Simplify Media to give my friends and family access to my music library. Set up is fast, and the software is integrated with iTunes and Winamp.
To play my music, download Simplify Media for Mac, PC or Linux from:http://www.simplifymedia.com/welcome.html
Once installed, click the ‘invite’ button and use my screen name: xxxxxx
It’s simple, safe and free.
After trying this out on my wife’s iPhone I find myself wondering how this is really ment to be shared. The Jury is still out on the full capabilities of the share features at this point.
I also need to perform some additional field testing, in the car via EDGE and 3G networks, but so far this seems super promising and I recommend the app!
To checkout the Simplify Media site directly, click here