Remember FlyTunes? What first seemed like an interesting iPhone add-on, started to look like a real radio alternative in April (twice), and now they've evolved once again. FlyTunes has changed its name to FlyCast and is offering what the company calls an "improved 'satellite radio' like experience." And today it's available as an iPhone native app from the Apple App Store.
FlyCast now features 1,000 channels of virtually every genre of music, news, sports, and talk. Remember, they're partnered with heavyweights like AccuRadio (320 webcast stations), Entercom (110 terrestrial stations) and TheRadio (193 webcast stations).
But it's the advanced features that I think will really get users excited (and rattle some Sirius XM execs).
FlyCast allows users to timeshift content in an innovative way: sure, you can pause and skip songs, but you can new FlyCast also features something called Streamahead, which allows users to listen to a channel even when there is no connection. It also includes Top of the Hour, which allows latecomers to talk radio to jump back to the top of the hour.
There's other features like an embedded web browser and the ability to listen to any channel in the ShoutCast directory.
Additionally, Orbitcast has learned that the iPhone (and iPod Touch) aren't the only places where FlyCast will be available. Word has it that the FlyCast application will be available on another new non-Apple smartphone that's launching within 6-weeks.
That's some pretty scary content and features, but the scariest part is... it's only been around for 8 months.
Screenshots and more details after the jump...
Search: No doubt there's a lot of channels offered on FlyCast, so the service offers the ability to search for content by artist, keyword, or genre. If you like "Green Day" the search will turn up the stations that play Green Day the most, in order, and you can sample the results to find exactly which ones interest you most.
The music channels are organized by genre, but if you are interested in a particular station from your hometown, you can find it with the geographically keyed City Guide.
Browse while listening: iPhone users want continuous
access to their web browser. FlyCast provides this capability by
including an embedded Safari browser. Users have full access to the
browser while continuing to listen to music in the background.
FlyCast for Kids: A selection of children-friendly content, including Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego, PBS Kids, iCarly, and High School Music. More content for children is being added weekly. 
I don't see it on the App Store.
But do they have an all AC/DC channel? ;-)
Bundle this with the AOL Radio app and the iPod is slowly becoming the portable unit that Sirius/XM couldn't get right.
The best(?) part is that 5.6 million 3G iPhones are already out in the public.
Wake up guys.
And am I the only one wondering, where is the RIAA in all of this?
I'll make sure to put this on my list of apps I'm getting after I get my iPod Touch tomorrow. And I'm with E-rock, do the punk channels play AC/DC until January? The best part is now I have wifi at work and at home, whereas I couldn't get a XM signal before... ha ha ha...
Why would SXM worry? They have FM hacks like Jon Zellner and Steve Kingston with their big bag of old FM ideas. Add to that the awful sound quality, and I smell a winner.
Its best to find out if the channels are commercial free or same as FM which people already have?
Is this going to be integrated in OEM in future? Is it going to to be FCC regulated?
Flycast is simply a redistribution of regular FM
radio over the internet via some streaming software. This has no
bearing on Sirius XM because Flycast can't deliver the Sirius content.
Good catch Mark. It looks like Apple's search isn't working for Flycast.
You can find the app here: http://tinyurl.com/4resk4
and again, I ask...
WHAT IS THE LICENSING HOLDUP ON THE STARPLAYR?
http://starplayr.com/
"The iPhone is our first priority, but it has taken longer than expected getting licensing worked out for the iPhone Client. As soon as the business side of iPhone version is ironed out, you'll be able to purchase StarPlayr for iPhone at the App Store."
Is it Apple? SiriusXM? FCC? Who is holding us back? Someone get to the bottom of this! It better not be John Kerry.
The one group I know it can't be is...
the RIAA!
(P.S. Merge the channels, Fire employees, Close the DC office. Re-ORG! NOW!)
or... OTHER TECHNOLOGY WILL TAKE OVER.
TIME & MONEY. Two thing Sirius does NOT have.
GET'R DONE. NOW!
@Franky:
The Entercom stations, naturally, are going to be ad-based re-transed TerrRad.
AccuRadio is strictly a netcaster and, technically, is ad-based; for the most part, however, set breaks are limited to only a couple per hour, and usually only contain a single spot (and even that, usually, winds up being a "house ad").
As for fellow netcaster TheRadio... I've never listened long enough to hear any ads. I've also never listened longer than half an hour. Make of that what you will.
You probably cant search it because they might be illegal. More royalties for RIAA from these stations, if these exist like Pandora..hehe.
I'm going to guess that the hold up is that Sirius XM wants to release an XM Radio Mobile client for the iPhone - and thus have the excuse to charge an additional $7.95/month subscription fee for a smaller selection of channels at lower sound quality. But if StarPlayr suddenly makes it drop dead simple to stream your full XMRO and/or SIR accounts, there's no way anyone would even think twice about the ripoff official system.
Thus, Sirius XM likely stepped in and threatened legal action if they put out their player app. It's pretty sketchy, since they haven't really shown any issue with the many widgets and/or desktop players for the services in the past, as long as they didn't (possibly illegally) record/time-shift content. However, they can step in on this one because StarPlayr is technically rebroadcasting the XMRO/SIR feeds (which is necessary - StarPlayr's servers receive the WMA-based feeds and live-transcode them to iPhone-compatible MP3/AAC), and thus can be considering infringing.
This sort of setup can already be hacked together by an enterprising hobbyist (uXM/uSirius to receive WMA feed + Orb Media Server on your home PC to auto-transcode to MP3 and rebroadcast over the web + Orb iPhone Web App to receive in the field), but it's nowhere near as elegant or easy for a novice to set up as StarPlayr will be, and thus is a threat to Sirius XM's insane attempt to drain another subscription fee from its already aggravated audience.
Regardless of what you "The Only Option", music needs to be paid for.
The RIAA mandated that people can't record XM or Sirius streams in an unencrypted DRM format. On my Inno, I can save all the shows I want but I can't transfer them to my Hard Disk, for instance. This is to prevent ripping off music. And Sirius and XM can't risk people hacking the stream and getting the service for free, which might be feasible.
If other technology takes over, it will. XM and Sirius at the end of the day are a traditional media company and has to play by those rules.
3 channels have now advertised for the new ipods and the touch on Sirius. Crazy. Why the hell are they having a full segment about how awesome the apple ipods and touch are on the Playboy channel. I am sitting here laughing that Sirius is advertising for Apple.
Wow, this story sounds like a nice PR piece written directly by the Flycast folks.
I got the app for my iPhone.. and so far, it sucks. For starters, it keeps freezing.. usually minutes after a stream starts...
When I try to bookmark stations, it asks you to register, but then won't give you that option on the phone.
I like the fact that I can access shoutcast stations, but not when they freeze minutes after launch.
Finally, these guys are no match to SiriusXM... so far, all the applications for iPhone are either automated music bots (like Pandora), or pick ups of commercial stations... The beauty of SiriusXM is that the music is commercial free, personality driven, and timely. Programs like Flycast are never going to deliver Howard, Opie, Martha, etc, etc,...
now, it would be nice if SiriusXM gets their iPhone app out soon
Tell me again why paying subscribers can't go to the Sirius 101 website and listen to the day's Howard and Bubba, or even the past few days.
I know XM, they try to sell you an Audible copy for $3, which blows. We already paid, give us what we want!
The iPhone is a steaming pile of shit. I'll take my Inno and dedicated cell phone anytime. I have AT&T, my upstairs neighbors have iPhones, also AT&T. I get reception, full bars, anywhere in the neighborhood. They get none at all. Great product.
Pandora Radio iPbone App...Free
AOL Radio.....Free
Flycast (1000+ channels).....Free
Last.FM.......Free
Not to mention music podcasts, and your own collection.
And Sirius XM is still $13 a month?
Flycast sucks because there is always a problem with the connection. Its a great concept when it works but what good is it if it fails all thw time?
Flycast is unusable on my wifi. Much worse lately.
Usually it buffers a minute or so of ths station, then never reconnects and thats all you get.
My connection is fine for normal video streaming and tests at 2mbps down and .25mbps up.
Streamitall is better but still drops out a lot.
Stitcher works fine