In August, RealNetworks submitted their Rhapsody app to Apple’s App Store, and today it has finally been approved, bringing the music subscription service to iPhone and iPod Touch users.
The approval marks the first time Apple has allowed an on-demand streaming service in the United States. Recently, the company approved of Spotify for European users.
Rhapsody subscribers have to pay $14.99 USD a month to get the unlimited streaming service, but the app itself will be free. The service has over 8 million tracks, and users will be able to stream wherever there is cell service or Wi-Fi.
The service will eventually be updated to cache songs for playback when there is no Internet available.
Adds Neil Smith, vice president of business management for Rhapsody America: The new app will “reach the iPod Touch and iPhone audience that was unavailable to us before.”
Notably however, the songs will stream at a lowly 64 kbps, hardly “CD-quality.”
Result for: rhapsody
SanDisk has announced the launch of the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player, which uses a microSD slot for added memory.
The player will work with SanDisk’s slotRadio and slotMusic cards, which are cards purchased from retailers with preloaded music on them. You can of course add your own music to a microSD card and play it back.
“We made a great product — the Sansa Clip — even better,” said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. “This small player packs big features, including a new microSD memory card slot that gives music lovers the ability to listen to thousands of additional songs in seconds. It’s the perfect player for travelers, busy moms, fitness buffs or anyone looking to enjoy music without the hassle of loading songs from their computer or updating playlists.”
The company also says the player is the first Windows 7 certified MP3 player.
The player should be available in multiple colorways, and available at Best Buy on August 31st. 2GB model will sell for $39.99, 4GB will sell for $49.99, and 8GB for $69.99 USD.
From the press release:
* Superior sound - one of the best sounding MP3 players on the market
* microSD expansion slot which is compatible with slotRadio and slotMusic cards and any standard microSD card
* A wearable clip for hands-free portability and effortless enjoyment of digital music on the go
* Large(1″), bright (OLED) screen with a simple user interface that makes it easy to choose playlists or songs sorted by title, artist, album, genre
[More]>>
Result for: rhapsody
RealNetworks has submitted their Rhapsody music subscription service to the Apple App Store this week, and is currently waiting on approval.
The app will allow users to stream unlimited music on their iPhone/iPod Touch for $14.99 a month. The app itself will be free as long as you have a Rhapsody To Go account.
The bigger question however is whether Apple will accept the application, being that it will possibly compete against Apple’s iTunes platform.
Rhapsody offers over 8 million songs.
