Napster Highlights Cell Phone Support
In an attempt to counter Apple's expected announcement of an iTunes phone next week, Napster on Wednesday said that its subscription-based Napster To Go service was already available on several mobile phones.
Almost any phone that operates on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 2003 is able to transfer and listen to songs from the service. This includes the Motorola Q, due early next year, as well as devices from Audiovox, HP, HTC, i-Mate, Orange, Palm, Samsung, Siemens, and Sierra.
Devices with Windows Mobile 5.0 come with Windows Media Player 10, which adds digital rights management (DRM) compatibility. While the player is not available for download, an update is available for some earlier Windows Mobile 2003 devices.
Bill Pence, CTO of Napster, says that the company is "excited" to see so many companies offering phones that are compatible with the service.
"We feel the decision to offer these phones, made by so many leading wireless device manufacturers, indicates that consumers looking to take their music anywhere are indeed attracted to the portable subscription model as an alternative to pay-per-download stores," Pence says.
However, there is not much of an indication that subscription music is taking off just yet. While recent reports by analyst firm Jupiter Research indicate there is increased interest among young adults, interest elsewhere seems to be lacking.
Consumers still prefer the pay-per-download model by a wide margin to services like Napster To Go Go, and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, another Microsoft DRM based music subscription service.
Napster charges $14.95 USD per month for unlimited access to its 1.5 million-song music catalog.