SonicSwap Review (iTunes Playlist Widget)

SonicSwap is described as an iTunes playlist widget. It’s an add-on to iTunes for OS X that provides extremely simplistic usability for even the beginners amongst us. The app features several useful features that all worked extremely well for me and best of all, it’s available as a free download from the downloads section of the Apple website.

Basically, the main feature of the widget is the simplification of the iTunes interface. It sits neatly upon your desktop and allows you to control your tracks and volume etc. without having to bring up the bulky and sometimes laggy iTunes interface.

I have to say, that it doesn’t feature such an attractive look as most other OS X apps, it just doesn’t follow the usual style of apps. However, its functionality is key and it delivers all that it promises. Ok, so you could just leave the iTunes mini player upon your desktop, it would provide the same basics, however, with SonicSwap, not only are the navigational buttons displayed, artwork and track details are listed too without taking up a sizeable chunk of your desktop.

This is not the only feature though. One of the other key features of SonicSwap is the ability to backup your playlists with an online account which is available to any users free of charge. This is particularly useful for me as I am constantly revamping my iTunes libraries and OS X itself, therefore I like to keep a backup of my playlists to restore my tracks into the correct place when I add them back in to my library.

The online account is not just cloud storage though, it is also a small community. Once you have backed up your playlist online it can be shared and compared to music websites such as Yahoo and compares your playlists to others around the world. From there, you are recommended music videos online similar to the tracks within your playlists.

This kind of feature is something you find in other services such as Last.fm and the Spotify playlist sharing site called ShareMyPlaylists.com. Recommending the tracks as you go to stretch your knowledge of music and they hope that it is similar enough to your music taste that you will like it. You can also post your playlists to social networking sites like Facebook, which is a nice touch.

Lastly, there is also a plug-in available for iTunes which will automatically sync your playlists with your online SonicSwap account. Therefore scouring the internet for music videos and recommended tracks as you add new tracks to your iTunes library so you don’t have to go through the process manually. The process itself though if you do choose to do it this way, is not a lengthy one. It is an extremely easy to use widget.

I have to say that personally, I do not have great use for this app other than the backup feature which is useful, but not essential. However, I would recommend the app to anyone who is looking for something of the sorts. It is functional, stable and contrary to earlier in the article, it isn’t particularly ugly. It just isn’t beautiful either.

Head on over to the SonicSwap page on the Apple website and get your free download, then tell us what you think to this free iTunes widget.

Related Pages:

1. CoverSutra Review (Minimalist iTunes Interface For Mac OS X)
2. iTunes 8 Review
3. nuTsie Mobile App (Sync iTunes Playlists & Stream To Mobile Phones)
4. CopyTrans 4 Review (Backup/Transfer Your iPod/iPhone To iTunes)
5. iTunes 9 Review

Get Your Free Zath Subscription!

Did you like reading this article? If so, stay up to date with all our latest content by either subscribing to our RSS feed, becoming a fan of Zath on Facebook or by following Zath on Twitter.

You can also sign up to the Zath Newsletter and receive email updates by simply entering your first name and email address below then clicking the 'Submit' button - signing up is risk-free, if you don't find it useful, you can unsubscribe at any point!

We hate spam too, we'll never disclose your email address to anyone else!