Spotify on Monday launched a Symbian app for its streaming music service. Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, among others, use the Symbian operating system in the majority of their devices, potentially opening up the service to millions of new users. Spotify Mobile is already offered for the iPhone and for Android handsets.
UK wireless provider 3 said it will soon offer its first Android-powered phone, the HTC Hero with the unique addition of unlimited music. The Android smartphone will include a free Spotify Premium account, allowing users to access the online music service both on the phone and on a computer. While Spotify is available for iPhones and Android devices thanks to an app, and a monthly subscription, this is the first time it is bundled into an existing device, with the equivalent $16 monthly subscription fee waived as well. Also included with the 3 Hero is Skype access to VoIP calls.
New figures provided to music labels show Nokia's Comes With Music unlimited music service has had a relatively poor uptake despite having a year to expand. Data from July obtained by Music Ally shows just 107,227 active users worldwide for the service, which lets buyers of specially-labeled phones get a year's worth of unlimited music downloads they can keep after the subscription ends. The news comes despite heavy promotion by Nokia and the support of all the major music labels.
Online streaming music service Spotify will soon begin offering a self-branded handset in its home country of Sweden, says a Thursday TechCrunch report. Spotify has reportedly teamed up with the country's telecommunications and cable provider, Telia, which will bring the handset and new Spotify-branded services for TV and computers.
Spotify tonight quietly saw the release of both the iPhone (1.7MB) and Android versions of its promised mobile app. On both platforms, the free app lets those with a Spotify Premium subscription (roughly $14 per month) stream the service's entire catalog, including music from all the major labels. They also have access to an offline mode that caches whole playlists for use when Internet access over 3G or Wi-Fi isn't available.
Apple today said it has approved Spotify's iPhone app. A spokesperson for the company made the rare statement ahead of the app's appearance for paidContent in what's seen as a bid to prevent accusations of anti-competitive behavior regarding the app, which will need a 10 Euro (roughly $14) monthly premium subscription but which will give unlimited streaming of music over both Wi-Fi and on iPhones using 3G. It's unclear when the app will actually appear but is expected only in countries where Spotify is already available on computers, such as the UK or Spain.
Facebook is looking to acquire Spotify in what may represent a significant change in the way listeners get music, a rumor claims. While Facebook has supposedly been in talks to buy the unlimited music streaming service for the past year, TechCrunch has heard that the recent MySpace buyout of iLike has stepped up the pressure to take action in the past week. Those associated with the company have lately been expressing public interest in the company, including compliments to Spotify from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a status update and investor Li Ka-Shing putting money into Spotify alongside the social network.
Streaming music service Spotify is preparing to launch an iPhone app, says the BBC. The title is currently waiting for approval from Apple, and permits premium (paid) subscribers to stream Spotify playlists away from a desktop. A notable difference in the mobile client is the ability to temporarily store a playlist, allowing for offline listening.
UK-based music download site Spotify has denied it will offer unlimited downloads in an attempt to lure listeners away from established names that include iTunes and Napster, Pocket-lint reported on Friday. The rumor had Spotify planning to launch an "unlimited music download service" that cost £9.99 ($15) per month, but a Spotify spokesperson said these rumblings are "100% untrue."
