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iPhone 101: Browser-based playlists

Call me fickle, but sometimes I don't want to hear any of the music I've got on my iPhone. What should I do when I'm away from my computer, itching for new music? Create a browser-based playlist.

The Internet Archive is a tremendous source of streaming music files (among other things) that play just fine on the iPhone. Here's how to set things up.
  1. Create a new bookmark folder in Mobile Safari. I named mine "Rock."
  2. Navigate to the Internet Archive, and find some music you'd like to listen to (I chose Smashing Pumpkins)
  3. The Flash player at the top of the page will not work, but scroll down to the botto and click either of the "Mp3" files
  4. A new page will open to play the file
  5. Click "Done" at the top of the page, then touch the menu bar
  6. Add a bookmark to the file to the "Rock" folder
Done! Add as many links as you like, and you've got a web-based playlist of tunes that aren't hogging storage space.

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iPhone iPhone 101

Call me fickle, but sometimes I don't want to hear any of the music I've got on my iPhone. What should I do when I'm away from my computer,...
 

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Quicknik

Am I doing something wrong? When I click on either a 64Kbps mp3 or a VBS mp3, I get a message popping up on my iPhone's Safari screen: "Safari can't download this file." I chose the Smashing Pumpkins page that Dave hyperlinked in his article.

September 12 2007 at 11:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
marcos

Hey, Dave. You're fickle.

September 11 2007 at 12:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
muaddib420

thanks, jeff, awesome site bro!

September 10 2007 at 4:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
icruise

You're still limited to just playing one song at a time, though, aren't you? That's my main problem with Dot.Tunes (aside from some wonkiness that seems to occur when you have too big a music library). With the iPhone client, you seem limited to selecting one song, playing it, and then selecting another. Not very useful if you just want some background music. Am I missing something?

September 10 2007 at 4:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Snow

Great idea! Now if I could just figure out how to stream internet radio on my iPhone, I'd be gold. I tried (the MP3 stream at http://www.radioparadise.com, which is my favorite internet radio station); it just said "Safari cannot download this file." I'm open to suggestions....

September 10 2007 at 4:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff

seeqpod.com

September 10 2007 at 3:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff

You can also use something like DOT.TUNES to stream your entire iTune's music.

September 10 2007 at 3:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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