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stew, Sep 23 at 2:33 PM EDT   

Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch

Hi everyone,

would there be any interest in an eMusic Download Manager and music player for the iPhone and iPod Touch? I started playing with the development tools the other day and have an eary version of an app that can browse emusic.com and download music. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't allow 3rd party applications to add tracks to the library directly so I'd have to write my own player.

Would anyone be interested in using an eMusic app on the iPhone? Should I put work in it, polish and publish it? It's unlikely that Apple would accept it for its app store so it will probably be only available to jailbroken iPhones and iPods.
  Topic Outline
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by xtrev on Sep 23 at 3:36 PM EDT
  * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by stew on Sep 23 at 5:24 PM EDT
    * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by zg on Sep 23 at 5:45 PM EDT
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Porieux on Sep 23 at 9:10 PM EDT
  * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Eythian on Sep 23 at 10:58 PM EDT
    * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Porieux on Sep 24 at 1:22 AM EDT
      * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by paulwald2 on Sep 24 at 9:11 AM EDT
        * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by vteeroy on Sep 24 at 12:29 PM EDT
          * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by stew on Sep 26 at 12:36 AM EDT
            * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Porieux on Sep 26 at 12:52 AM EDT
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by MyThunder on Oct 31 at 3:50 PM EDT
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by EMUSIC-007723467 on Nov 1 at 10:43 AM EDT
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by aarchitect on Nov 1 at 12:37 PM EDT
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by JBinMPLS on Nov 14 at 11:34 PM EST
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Gypsy_6 on Nov 15 at 8:38 PM EST
  * RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by zi0nx5 on Dec 14 at 3:22 PM EST
* RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch posted by Quepol on Feb 4 at 9:53 AM EST
  xtrev Sep 23 at 3:36 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
In principle, yes.
But I'm not going to be jailbreaking mine, so I won't be using it anytime soon.

There are apps about that let you store files though, would it be possible to integrate with something like that?
I'd guess not, Apple are pretty good at locking stuff down when they want to, but it might be worth looking into.

Good luck!
  stew Sep 23 at 5:24 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by xtrev
Storing files etc is all fine and works beautifully with Apple's SDK. However, the iTunes App store is the only method of distributing applications for vanilla iPhones and Apple is controlling which apps get in it and which don't. Given their past history of rejecting applications I doubt that they would welcome anything that supports and promotes a competing music store.
  zg Sep 23 at 5:45 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by stew
Sounds like a really nice idea Stew. Too bad people are letting Apple dictate who can and can't compete. I'll stick with my modestly more open Blackberry until a decent vendor pops us with a reasonably fancy Andriod phone.

Thank God for open source competition.
  Porieux Sep 23 at 9:10 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
I think it's a great idea, I actually proposed something like this on the forum a while back.

I wouldn't assume that Apple wouldn't accept it. I bet they would accept it in fact.
I don't think they are too worried about eMusic personally. If anything they would
be more opposed to Netflix and there are a couple of Netflix apps on the store already.

Maybe it could even talk to the download manager when you sync to download
the songs to your computer. Maybe Eythian is interested in collaborating?
(the DLM could run a mini FTP server that the iPhone could connect to, for example....
or it could maybe tell it which songs to download which have been purchased on the phone)

I think the biggest value would be to purchase songs when you are not near a computer, because they are going to expire or whatever other reason. You would need to be able to know which songs to download once getting to your computer, barring the DLM integration idea. Actually listening on the phone would be nice but secondary IMO.
  Eythian Sep 23 at 10:58 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by Porieux
Maybe it could even talk to the download manager when you sync to download the songs to your computer. Maybe Eythian is interested in collaborating?

Feel free to let me know if there's some sort of integration that would make it more useful, I'd be happy to help.
  Porieux Sep 24 at 1:22 AM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by Eythian
I like your attitude :)
  paulwald2 Sep 24 at 9:11 AM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by Porieux
I would love this! I'm not going to jailbreak my iPhone though. I think if this is done every effort should be made to comply with Apple's development rules. . .and try to get it in the store.
  vteeroy Sep 24 at 12:29 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by paulwald2
yeah i am totally down with this idea as well. i'd be interested in learning how it progresses since i'm beginning to learn iphone development. i'd say it's 50/50 whether apple accepts an app like this in the store.

who's got the best directions to unlock an ipod touch 2g?
  stew Sep 26 at 12:36 AM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by vteeroy
Thanks everyone, this is very encouraging! I'll keep working on it, the player is what I would add simply because I want to have it for myself.

For enabling your iPod Touch/iPhone to run unofficial applications, visit http://blog.iphone-dev.org/ .
  Porieux Sep 26 at 12:52 AM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by stew
Check out this app, and remember that Apple rents and sells movies on the Apple Store.
PhoneFlix
There is also another one called iFlix but it was pulled by the dev temporarily due to a bug.

  MyThunder Oct 31 at 3:50 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
hi, yeah that would be great. However, maybe a very good first step would be an app to allow you to browse easily, listen to the 30 sec samples, and 'save for later'.
  EMUSIC-007723467 Nov 1 at 10:43 AM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
Don't forget Blackberry nation! And Blackberries permit native file system access for saving to the SD Card! Given the awesome backup/download history feature on emusic, I'd never even have to worry about stupid Apple "transfer purchases" nonsense, I'd either access them again from the web or copy them off my SD card.

emusic + blackberry = chocolate + peanut butter

besides, iphones already have itunes and google phones have amazon. blackberry and emusic were made to be!

  aarchitect Nov 1 at 12:37 PM EDT RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
I've got a jailbroken original iPhone and would love to see an eMu app, even if it was only for browsing and saving stuff for later downloads. If it could integrate a player for clips, even better.

This could probably also be accomplished with a "web app" on eMu's part, which wouldn't require Apple's approval. A mobile version of the site is really needed anyway.
  JBinMPLS Nov 14 at 11:34 PM EST RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
Stew and Crew, I fully support your effort to make this a reality. I like the first steps recommendation of browsing and save for later. I am always on the go, listening to the radio, and Pandora - would love an app to find and "bookmark" music for emusic download later. Straight to the iPhone would be an awesome v2. JBinMPLS
  Gypsy_6 Nov 15 at 8:38 PM EST RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
I'd use an App like this to surf around eMusic, check out songs, and put tunes I like in my Saved For Later list. It wouldn't bother me that I couldn't actually download the songs to my playlists, I'd just download them all at once on my Mac like I normally do.
  zi0nx5 Dec 14 at 3:22 PM EST RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in response to the message by Gypsy_6
So I'm at a Starbucks right now and was lookig through iTunes since AT&T offers free WiFi here now. Two problems: the Starbucks iTunes "network" is buggy at this location so I can't see any of the current songs playing in the store. iTunes works but I have to guess at what song's playing. Long story short having an eMusic touch app would be great even if that means just breing able to do a Save for Later to get it approved by Apple's AppStore Customs. I always check eMusic for tracks before paying 99c a pop on iTunes (don't tell Steve Jobs that, please) so being able to do that in an eMusic App rather than Safari would def be a time and money saver. So yeah, I'd be satisfied with an app that centers around the Save for Later function over something more technically and legally complicated that downloads tracks and saves them to the iPhone/iPod touch. and I would probably pay 99c for said app too :)
  Quepol Feb 4 at 9:53 AM EST RE: Download Manager for iPhone/iPod Touch    
in direct response to the topic by stew
I would actually LOVE an iPhone app, but don't need to be able to download music or compete w/ the iTunes app. I would prefer it be more like the Last.fm app... stream my library and possibly recommendations.

It would be awesome to be able to "purchase" new tunes or audiobooks for instant streaming.
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