I’m sure you’ve heard of Shazam at this point. And no, I’m not talking about the 1996 movie where Shaquille O'Neal was a genie. That was called Kazam. Get your facts straight. No, Shazam is the application you use to find out which artist is playing on the radio or a party. You know, without having to ask anybody. Additionally, the application does the same for television shows. How do you use it and does it actually work? Let’s take a look.

How Does It Work?

One thing I can definitely applaud Shazam for is simplicity. The app keeps everything very clean and streamlined, making for very easy use. You simply hit the Shazam button, hold your phone as closely as possible to the music, and wait. And, to be honest, it got everything absolutely right. I even tried a few more obscure songs/artists to throw it off and it still pulled up the song, sometimes within seconds. Maybe a little too fast. Is this speed reminiscent of the upcoming robot takeover, which will happen so quickly we won’t know what hit us? Yeah, probably.

What About TV?

Like I said, Shazam also advertises its ability to recognize television. I thought this was a pretty fascinating idea, as there have been plenty of times where I came across a TV clip without knowing what was playing. Does it work? Well….not exactly. You see, I tried many television shows that were definitely not obscure and…nothing. I tried playing some Seinfeld clips and “1991 To Forever” came up. I have my doubts that was a simple typo.

Should You Get It?

Overall, Shazam really impressed me with its ability to quickly recognize music. However, the television aspect definitely leaves something to be desired. In fact, it leaves everything to be desired. Regardless, should you use the app to identify which Ke$ha song is on the radio? Absolutely. And that’s all that really matters.