Features:  

Shazam features the ability to identify music from a wide variety of sources including radio, TV, film, and even music coming out of a store, using its proprietary recognition system. Once Shazam has indentified the music, it will provide you with the artist, song title, record label, album title and art, as well as the song’s music video on YouTube, if one exists. Through Shazam, you can tag any music you find and save it for later, buy the music through iTunes, or share the song tag with friends via Apple’s Mail program. You can even add personal photos to individual song tags to help you remember the moment when you heard the song.

Interface:  

The interface is simple and clean. Tap the program to activate it and then hold it facing the music source. The iPhone will vibrate after approximately 10 seconds of “listening” to let you know it’s finished. After a few moments of communing with the “mother ship,” the information pops up on the screen. A single tap allows you to enlarge the album cover; a swipe scrolls additional information into view.

The only drawback to the app is the inability to delete multiple tags at once. If you’ve created several tags and then decide you want to delete them, you must go through each one and delete them separately.

Graphics:  

Shazam’s graphics are clean and polished just as they should be from a well-respected and established company such as Shazam Entertainment. The colors are crisp and the album art is presented in a true-to-Apple form of understated sophistication.

Stability:  

Shazam is a very stable app. It didn’t crash at all during the review testing and it correctly identified music 90 percent of the time.

Support:  

Email response from Shazam’s support team was quick and informative. During the review process, a rumor came to light about the app eventually charging for the service. A quick email was sent to their customer service asking for clarification. A response was sent within 12 hours. It was obvious from the contents of the answer, that it wasn’t just a preformed response. They clarified where the confusion came from, requested additional information, but offered assurance that the app would always be free. All in all, the support reinforces the confidence of Shazam Entertainment’s commitment to their customers.

Value:  

An app that is this polished, stable, and easy to use has good monetary value. The fact that it’s offered for free makes it a deal that can’t be refused.

Shazam’s clean interface, stable programming, and unique concept (not to mention its price tag) make it a must-have app for any music-lover’s iPhone.