Before the days of Podcasts, iTunes U, and instant purchasing via Apple’s iTunes store, a lot of people actually listened to the radio to get their information and entertainment.  But is there really room for radio in today’s world of high technology?  I think so, and Rogue Amoeba Software, maker of Radioshift, agrees.

What is Radioshift?

Radioshift is a small, simple program that takes you back to the days of Radio.  The program allows you to locate and listen into live public radio stations across many states, countries, and genres of radio programming.  It even has several comprehensive search features, including searches by area, genre, frequency, and title, that enable you to find any radio program or station that you are looking for.  It even lets you record radio programs on a schedule, so you never miss your favorite.

At First Glance

When I first opened up Radioshift and began navigating my way around, I really wondered how such a program could be useful.  In a world where podcast exist, what need is there to record radio?  Despite my initial concern here, however, I found the app to be very easy to use.  The interface is really simple, and even fun to use, and the feature set is very complete.  Further, the program takes up very little system resource, and can be used as background noise when using other apps – even games – without any noticeable decrease in performance.

Who really needs this?

A lot of people, in my opinion.  Although at first I was of the opinion that it wouldn’t be very useful at all, I have come to realize that I actually listen to quite a bit of radio, mostly in my car, and a lot of that content just isn’t available on iTunes.  Using Radioshift, I can actually listen to my regular radio shows and actually hear everything instead of being distracted by my car and everything around me.  The program will even wake itself up (and your computer) in order to record programs you have scheduled.  So who needs this?  Anyone who listens to non-podcasted radio!

Conclusion

In my opinion, Radioshift is a Mac essential for any commuter or radio enthusiast.  It encompasses an impressive set of features for a program of it’s kind, is light on system resources, provides usefulness that most people don’t already have, and does so for a reasonable price.  Radioshift sells for $32, and is available from the developer’s site.  For more information or to purchase, visit Rogue Amoeba on the web.