Radio and iPhone share a love & hate story, inherited from the difficult iPod approach to FM reception. Nevertheless, there are now tens of amazing radio apps available on the iPhone appstore. Some of them are simple audio players (fstream), some integrate a daily self-updated list of stations (Pocket Tunes), and some are dedicated to only one station, like the app we’ll review today.
For those who don’t know it yet, OUÏ FM is a commercial rock station in Paris that, after having been owned by Sir Richard Branson and led for years by a very amateurish local team, was recently bought & reformated by real radio professionnals.
The most amazing aspect of the OUÏ FM iPhone app is that although it is simple, it perfectly uses the 3 possible dimensions of listener-to-radio relationships. It’s descendant, ascendant, and horizontal.
1. The « descending » part : from the radio to the listener.
Ouï FM app offers 3 different audio feeds : the main signal (the one broadcasted on air), and two supplementary feeds : « L’alternative Rock » and « L’Odyssée du Rock ». For each of those feeds, you can actually SEE what song is being played BEFORE opening the feed, while you listen to another one. That’s quite smart, isn’t it ?
Then, even in this « descending » part of the app, the listener can send a feedback, by clicking on « J’aime » (I like) or « J’aime pas » (Don’t like).
After you cast your vote, the app thanks you with an iPhone notification.
2. The « horizontal » part : the Ouï FM community.
That « community » part of the app is mostly made of details about events sponsorized by Ouï FM : concerts, movies, exhibitions, night-life, festivals, etc. Each item includes its own dedicated page, with description, pictures and external link.
3. The « ascending » part of the app : become a reporter !
After having used the « event » part of the app, you decided to actually go to a concert. Well, then you can write your « report » attach pictures, and those elements will then be uploaded to Ouï FM website ! This is a simple idea, but very smart. It will create a huge buzz around the app.
And of course, this message+photo upload feature allows more, like contests for example. This summer, Ouï FM asks listeners to send a picture from their holidays, and they can win a trip.
And finally, the last part of the app is the only one I’m not quite fan about : podcasts. I still have a strategical problem with providing sound clips to my listeners, while they could be listening to my live feed and its advertising breaks 
I know, I know, it’s a huge debate and I sound like the old-guy-who-doesn’t-want-to-change-his-reflexes… but… please think about it… 
So… I’ve seen a lot of radio apps for the iPhone, tried a lot, and sincerely, it’s the first time I feel I want to share the experience. This application is SIMPLE, EFFICIENT, SMALL, and USEFUL. No, it’s not particularly « fun », but it’s not supposed to be. In a way, it’s there to be forgotten, while I listen to the radio, isn’t it ?
To download the Ouï FM iPhone app, it’s HERE.
ps : For those of you who are not French-speaking, « Ouï FM » doesn’t mean « Yes FM », it means « Heard FM »
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