Cingular launches "Cingular Music"
By Paul Miller 
posted Nov 2nd 2006 11:51AM
posted Nov 2nd 2006 11:51AM
Well, it looks like that WSJ rumor we ran yesterday was pretty much spot on. Cingular is indeed launching a music service today, and we must say the scope of their undertaking is quite impressive: integration with three separate music stores, along with supplemental content aplenty. For starters, a Cingular Music phone can work with Napster to add subscription tracks from your computer with a $15 a month Napster To Go account, and you can also access the new Napster Mobile, which allows 30 second previews and song purchases, but it looks like the songs are only downloaded to your PC, and will be transferred to your phone later. The good news is that those tracks only cost $0.99, quite a bargain compared to most current mobile services, but of course you're not paying for those hefty data charges, and you're not getting the track right when you want it. The Yahoo! Music offering is quite similar to that of Napster, with $12 a month buying unlimited subscription track usage, but phone-based song purchases still being downloaded to the PC, for syncing with your phone later. There doesn't seem to be much of a mobile slant to eMusic's DRM-free MP3 offerings, just added integration with Cingular, and 50 free tracks with the purchase of a W810i or W300i. A free 60-day trail of Napster is also available to Cingular customers. Cingular says all of this music store integration is "allowing consumers to extend their existing music libraries not rebuild them," but the lack of mobile song purchasing straight to a handset seems to sort of miss the point. But wait, there's more! Cingular is also announcing 25 channels of XM radio for $9 a month, that MusicID song identification service we mentioned yesterday, Music Videos, and all sorts streaming music and music related content. Cingular music will be supported by the upcoming Cingular SYNC (Samsung A707), along with the LG CU500, Cingular 3125 and those two Sony Ericssons we already told you about. All this should be going down November 6-ish.
Nice to see they're using the blue iTunes music notes.
Good thing they have a huge 3g network and tons of cool 3g phones with cool music players.
NOT!
the downloads go to the pc and then sync to your cell
browsing the nokia n75 fcc manuals that were released the other day, looks like it should support cingular music as well. Key references include access to "connect to cingular's music download site", sync with WMP, and MobiRadio/MusicID.
Just wait until MacWorld 2007 and get the real deal, and the stuff you really want. All this rubbish from all these ME-TOO companies is just a waste of time and your money. Save it for something worthy.
I guess I must be missing something. Isn't a phone with an embedded MP3 player, just a phone and MP3 player in the same box? Which is nice because it's one less box to carry (though some sticky tape, an iShuffle 2.0 and a phone is almost as good). So just give me a USB port and I'll fill it up.
Why do we have to have yet another damaged music download site selling damaged, expensive, DRM infested, low quality music just because the player is now inside a phone?
There is no huge difference in these music download stores. It's a great thing that artists are getting paid for the music though. Music on the phone is nothing new. I had a nokia 3 or 4 years ago with mp3 capabilities. It's a nice option if you don't want to carry your pmp to all locations.
They should have called it "Sing...ular Music", get it!
Ha Ha, me funny... :0
I've had a w810i for a few weeks and all of this was already available throught the Cingular Music icon on the phone... came with flyer for the emusic deal and everything else is already installed (via aps that are basically bookmarks).
maybe the advertising or rollout starts the 6th, or i got lucky, but it's been since October 17th for me.
@ .ed I got the w300i and got the same things but I have EDGE data no HDSPA and my phone does not have internet settings and my Mom's to technically challenged to call Cingular to set it up. But I'm down for downloading OTA.
Now Cingular's just gotta get their phone situation in order. The LG CU500 is really the only half-decent phone they've got right now (unless you want a smartphone, but Verizon's got better deals in that case). And I won't buy the CU500 because, vain as I am, it doesn't have a lanyard strap thingy. I couldn't believe that when I looked at it so I actually asked the salesperson (who had one himself) to confirm it; every other one of Cingular's phones does, and there's such an obvious place for it next to the hinge. Modern cell phones are all about personalization, man. We don't all want to be sheep with identical Razr's.
But the CU500 is the only 3G phone currently on Cingular's roster. They need more. I will take a heavy look at the Samsung A707, though, depending on the price. I'm eligible for upgrade for my Z500 (which also doesn't have a lanyard connector - that's how I know I want one), so I'll be able to get one for the new customer price. Hopefully it'll be under $100 like the CU500 is.
I actually had considered switching to Verizon for their better phone and network, but I need a goddamn sim card so I can keep my phone # when I'm in Japan.
I know I haven't talked about the music announcement at all, and that's because I don't care. I only hope it prompts Cingular to sort out their pathetic lineup of phones.
Why do they update the 3125 but not the 8125? bwahh?