It’s not magic, but it sure does seem like it. Hold your iPhone up to the radio, with the base facing the speaker, and within about ten seconds you’ll get the title, artist and even album cover of the song that is playing. As soon as the program recognizes the song, your phone will vibrate to let you know that you have an answer.

The program does this by analyzing the track makeup of the song and comparing it to recordings in a database. Consequently, it can’t decode tunes it doesn’t have on record, like a live concert recording or your Aunt Agnes singing in the shower. And there are some more obscure titles that the phone does not pick up. For example, it failed to find a song by the band Insane Clown Posse. However, if your tastes are more mainstream or even trend toward the bigger indie bands, you should be golden.

Want to listen to the song Shazam identified again? With a tap you’ll be sent to the iTunes store where you can purchase the album or single. The only problem is that there is no back button, so you will have to close out the application to return to Shazam when you’re done.

For additional fun, you can create a list of songs you’ve identified and add photos or tags to refresh your memory of when and where you heard them. Then you can sort them into an online library. If nothing else, it’s a good tool for looking back and reminiscing.

This program is fun for music lovers and for those who love to know what they’re listening to, or even for those who just want to win bets on who is singing a song against their more music loving friends.

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