There's no denying that SoundCloud's iPhone app is a rad tool -- it was recently named one of Apple’s top cloud apps of 2010 -- which is why we're a bit disappointed with the Android version.
The other week, we reported on SoundCloud's newly minted "Record" feature, which allows users to record from both in-browser and in-app. This feature lets musicians and casual users alike store recordings on SoundCloud, tagged with pictures, locations and descriptions. At the time, we were struck by how useful this feature would be for journalists, students attending lectures and anyone else who needs to record and store info on the fly.
Well, now Android users can get in on the action as well. That's the biggest plus of the brand-new app: Users can record and store recordings both in-app and in-browser.
Now for the downsides: 1). You can only record for five minutes in-app -- the iPhone app has no such limit. 2). You can't add your location via geo-location, as in the iPhone app. You must type it in. 3). You can't add comments to your recordings or those of other users (another iPhone app feature). 4). You can't share recordings to your social networks (guess which OS lets you do that).
Of course, Android users won't be among the have-nots for too long. According to an announcement from the company, "Today’s release is the start of an iterative process that will see additional updates, including comment and sharing features, made to the Android app over the coming months."