Europe
: Orange today announced the launch of the UK’s first web integrated
mobile music download service. The service allows management, storage
and preview of tracks from the Orange Music catalogue, and enables
the transfer of digital music (e.g. MP3) from PCs to Orange phones.
The new music service, available on 1st November, is being launched
across the Orange range of 11 ‘great for music’ handsets
including three 3G handsets for super fast download, all of which
are priced from £free on contract.
“Further
to Strategy Analytics’ wireless benchmark survey, which placed
Music Player as the best in class service in the UK, we have taken
feedback from all areas to enhance our service even further,”
said Mark Ashford, head of music, Orange UK. “We have listened
to critics and consumers alike and introduced web based previewing,
storing, managing and purchasing of music. The new Music Player features
are a huge leap forward in mobile music delivery and web integration,
and demonstrate our commitment to pushing the boundaries of mobile
music experience. We want to demonstrate a total music experience
for our customers. You have to ask the question, why buy a separate
music device this Christmas, when everything you need is on an Orange
phone?”
Manage tracks
online
Music Player is
accompanied by Music Player Manager, a web based companion that synchronises
with the Orange phone, allowing users to manage music files and create
personal playlists online before transferring them to their mobile.
Orange customers can also use Music Player Manager to access, preview
and purchase music online from the 300,000 tracks available. (Increasing
to half a million tracks available by Christmas).
The new service
also allows for complete track back-up, ensuring their purchased tracks
and playlists can be retrieved should their handset be upgraded, lost
or stolen. Users can log onto Music Player Manager at: www.orange.co.uk/music
Convert digital
music from your PC
The new Music
Player also features Track Converter, an application which users can
download to their PC. Track Converter enables Music Player users to
convert MP3, WMA and WAV files into the mobile format (aac Plus) and
upload to the handset, whilst complying with anti-piracy digital rights
management regulations.
Great for music
handset range
3G handsets:
• Nokia
6630
• Nokia
6680
• Nokia
N70 (released later this month)
The full range
of 11 handsets include both 3G and 2.5G handsets. On November 1st
the music hero handset, the SPV C550, will launch with a stereo jack
for connectivity to standard headphones and a stereo cable, allowing
users to plug into a home stereo. Dedicated music hard-keys give direct
access to music and playlists and allow users to play, pause, skip
forward and skip back at the touch of a button.
The handset, which
runs on the Windows Mobile operating system, also features one of
the best speakerphones found on any mobile. The SPV C550 boasts 64MB
of internal memory with an additional 512MB Mini SD card providing
enough combined capacity to store approximately 700 tracks.
Customers wishing
to store more music can either buy a larger memory card from an Orange
store, or use Music Player Manager to swap tracks to and from the
phone.
Customers with
‘great for music’ handsets can download the new Music
Player for free from Orange World and as part of the Orange TRY before
you buy offer will be able to download 5 tracks free.** Music Player
is available to both contract and Pay-As-You-Go customers from 1st
November 2005, with users paying £3.00 for three tracks.*
*As part of the
Orange 3 tracks for £3 deal. Individual tracks are priced at
£1.50 each
**Until 31st December
2005, any customer who uses Music Player for the first time will receive
5 free tracks
Great for music
handsets compatible with Music Player 2.1:
2.5G handsets:
• Orange
SPV C550
• Orange
SPV C500
• Nokia
3230
• Nokia
7610
• Nokia
6600
• Sony Ericsson
P800
• Sony Ericsson
P900
• Sony Ericsson
P910
3G handsets:
• Nokia
6630 •
Nokia 6680
• Nokia
N70 (released later this month)