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Nokia shuts down Ovi Music Unlimited service in most markets, cites lack of traction
Whether you knew it as Comes With Music or Ovi Music Unlimited, the sad fact is that pretty soon you won't know it all -- Nokia's subscription music service is being shut down almost universally, with the exception of a few select markets like China, Brazil and South Africa. Reuters reports that the use of DRM to lock down content to less-than-cutting-edge devices was a major stumbling block in the rollout of what was originally supposed to be a major iTunes competitor. Those who are already signed up will continue to have access to their music libraries indefinitely, but won't be able to access new tracks once their current subscription expires. From then on, you'll only have the DRM-free Ovi Music store to keep you warm during those long Finnish nights.
Nokia N8 review
The first time Nokia's N8-00 popped up on our radar was way back in early February of this year. On that chilly, misty morning, we learned of a mythical being capable of shooting 12 megapixel stills, recording 720p video, outputting via HDMI, and -- most importantly -- ushering in the promised Symbian^3 touch revolution. It's been a long road of leaks, teasers, hands-ons, and previews since then, but at long last, the legend of the N8 has become a purchasable commodity. All the early specs have survived, including the 3.5-inch AMOLED display, but the key question today, as it was at the beginning, relates to that all-new software within: does Symbian^3 succeed in elevating Nokia's touchscreen experience or does it drag down an otherwise stellar combination of high-end parts? For that verdict and much, much more, join us after the break.%Gallery-103738%%Gallery-104212%
Nokia now Comes With Music morphing into Ovi Music Unlimited everywhere
It already kicked off this process in India a while back, but it looks like Nokia is finally ready to bring its faltering Comes with Music brand and service under the reign of the Ovi mothership on a more global scale -- or in markets where Comes with Music has launched, anyhow -- now that UK customers have started getting the news. There doesn't seem to be word yet on exactly how this is going to work, but it would make sense to see Nokia structure this the same way Microsoft does with Zune -- Ovi Music for a la carte purchases, Ovi Music Unlimited if you want to pony up a monthly fee (or, if they keep the original Comes with Music model, you pay more for the phone upfront). Seeing how the service still hasn't launched in the US, this would be a good opportunity, it seems -- particularly with the N8 launch around the corner.
Nokia phones will still Come with Music, only stores see rebranding
If you live in India, our story was correct -- your mobile subscription music service will be called "Ovi," and no longer carry the weight of the cumbersome Comes with Music branding -- but we're hearing that in other Nokia territories, including the UK, that's not quite the case. Nokia UK told Pocket-lint that while the company's online music store will indeed be renamed "Ovi Music" across all 22 territories this year, the Comes with Music service is here (and there) to stay. To tell you the truth, though, we're not that interested in the fate of a brand name. We'd prefer if Nokia made a more ballsy move -- like discontinuing their service's most controversial feature, Comes with DRM.
Ovi Music Unlimited replacing Nokia Comes with Music branding
We can't say that we'll miss the awkwardly named Comes with Music service branding from Nokia. Of course, we're making the assumption that India's recently christened Ovi Music Unlimited store will be making its way global as Nokia continues to tighten up its service offerings in the race to compete in the era of modern smartphones. It's certainly consistent with the new Ovi Music naming convention so why not. Otherwise, it looks like nothing else about the all you can eat (for a year) music offering has changed -- particularly the DRM that locks "your" music to your PC or CWM OMU handsets for life-ish.
