FM channels might have given radio a new lease of life in In dia over the past couple of de cades, but a relatively less explored option is internet radio. Sometimes confused with podcasting, internet radio consists of live streaming stations, unlike podcasting, which comprises audio files that can be downloaded, on a regular schedule.

If radio is your poison, just Google to see the vast variety of options out there. Web radio streams live and thus cannot be paused or replayed. It requires no particular hardware or software apart from a computer, internet connection and a browser or media player. Unlike terrestrial radio stations that broadcast only to a limited area, net radio stations can be accessed anywhere in the world.

The browser route

The easiest way of accessing internet radio is through your browser. Of course, it helps to have an unlimited internet package as well.

While streaming audio does not guzzle bandwidth like streaming video, keeping your radio on for hours on end will keep your internet meter ticking over pretty quickly. If you're on a slow connection or are worried about overshooting your internet limits, select a lower birate station or look for narrowband options.

There are literally thousands of radio stations on the webto choose from, and if you're taking your first steps in this department, it might take a little bit of research to find the right one. The good news is, there are a number of online radio station directories, among which free SHOUTcast Radio (shoutcast.com) is arguably a user favourite.

Given over 44,000 professional and amateur stations listed in SHOUTcast, sifting through this library seems quite impossible. However, the handy categorisation of stations into genres and the search option makes it easy to zero in on a station of choice. You have the options of playing directly in a browser window or using the `bottom bar player', where the selected station plays on in the same window as you continue to browse the site. SHOUTcast offers broadband and narrowband filtering, as well as instructions how to play your chosen station in a media player.

Another option to explore is Live365.com, a network of radio stations that can be played directly on the browser. Live365 gives a choice of about 6,000 radio stations in a variety of genres, with the option of a paid ad-free VIP membership.

AccuRadio.com is another free online radio station, with an easy-to browse catalogue. If you're a fan of BBC, don't forget to try out the web-based iPlayer and listen to your favourite pro grammes. Simliarly, other well-known broadcasters from across the world, such as CBS, ABC and the others have web radio services.

Turn your media player into a radio

Applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp and the like can also double up as virtual radios. Users of the iTunes application might have already noticed the radio section. Whether it is Bollywood oldies or the spoken word, sports or classical music, the latest charts or religious tunes, one has a pick of innumerable options.

Windows Media Player has a Media Guide from where you can set up web radio stations. Other popular media players, similarly, have the option to set up radio stations.

If you like a bit of background music, talk or news while you work, internet radio could be just the thing for you. There are innumerable web radio stations, both paid and free, as well a number of directory services containing user reviews. Also look out for mobile phone apps that can allow you access to net radio while on the move.

Payal Dhar is a freelance technology writer