The Spark Radio app for iPhone, developed by Handcast Media Labs, aims to take advantage of the international reach of radio.com to give you access to thousands of different radio stations via the streaming capabilities of 3G and Wi-Fi. Spark Radio has been available for a number of months, and recently the price of it has dropped considerably, making it much more affordable. For those who put put off it initially by the relatively high cost, yet in the months since have not come across a radio app that particularly please you, this would be a good time to reconsider giving it a try.

At first look, Spark Radio has the appearance of being merely another way to use your iPhone to listen to the radio. A more in-depth examination, however, shows an app that’s not only very robust but features a great number of different features and options, making your radio experience both easy and enjoyable. You are given a web browser that’s fully integrated, different search functions, and most importantly, simple access to a great number of different music genres and stations. Spark Radio brings about 24 000 stations internationally to your iPhone – it populates a selection of stations local to your area, and provides options for searching the URL streams of a great many others.

Spark Radio offers you a vast range of options for settings, a visual display that with just a touch will re-animate itself, and access to a staggering number of musical genres – everything from Christmas music to punk rock, and anything in between, as well as talk radio. You can even perform specific searches on stations for any of your favorite artists. The most impressive part is that even when your signal gets a bit weak, the stations still play. At first, the huge number of settings and options may seem like overkill, or even overwhelm you a bit, but as you start to get find your way around it, it gives you a very pleasant feeling of control.

The web browser that’s been integrated means that it’s possible for you to search the web while simultaneously playing the radio, and while this may be a drain on the battery eventually, it’s a very useful feature. You can also listen to the radio while your phone’s plugged into a car adaptor or stereo dock.

Spark Radio is a great choice, given it’s huge array of options and how robust it is. The new price makes it affordable at $1.99, and that’s a price worth taking advantage of.