I sometimes review fancy wireless speakers that cost a load of cash, have slick AirPlay capabilities, as well as multi-speaker/room playback.
I never dreamed that my iPod and iPhone coupled with some old 30-pin speaker docks could create an immersive music experience. The secret is TuneMob, a free app that works with Bluetooth. So next time you throw a party, you and your friends can string together as many as seven iDevices to amp up the sound.
TuneMob is only 8M in size, so it's not a problem for any method of install you should choose. I had a few minor issues with it, but it mostly ran fine and I have to say, I was impressed. The idea is to run this program on your iPhone (and an iPod or several Bluetooth enabled iOS devices). The player will stream out your local music to all connected iDevices going back to 2nd-Gen iPod or iPhone 3G (up to a total of seven).
The configuration is simple. Enable Bluetooth on all devices. Select Start on your primary device, and Join on secondary devices. Queue your playlist or songs (using the button in the upper left) select done, and press Play. A countdown will display while the stream buffers, and in a few seconds you should be surprised to hear your music emitting from both devices simultaneously.
Player control is limited to the master device, and is pretty generic (standard iOS player controls). The app imports your tracks and doesn't seem to remember what it imported from past sessions. The setup was a little wonky at first. I couldn't get the second device to connect for a bit, and the playing track started to lag just a hair behind the master as the song played. The developer told me they would look into that, and that newer versions will have superior streaming features and options.
The Verdict
Even with the few glitches in this very early release version, it is obvious TuneMob is a great (and currently free) way to crank up the party music throughout your house. It worked with all my old 30-pin docks and from my basement to the top of my house. The TuneMob folks are planning to keep the basic app free (likely with ads), and introduce a Pro version soon. TuneMob is a great way to share your jams live, practically anywhere with anyone, so go grab it at the link in the opener!
Pros
- Free way to stream music throughout your house
- Simple and easy to use
Cons
- A little buggy
- Limited functionality
- BT not as high fidelity as Wi-Fi streaming