Verizon Wireless made headlines at the Consumer Electronics Show when it unveiled a new full-track mobile music download service. But the carrier was busy last week defending the offering’s lack of support for MP3s.
Vcast Music offers tunes that can be downloaded to a Microsoft Corp. Windows-based computer as well as directly to a handset, and includes a “side loading” feature that allows users to move songs from pre-existing PC libraries to the phone using a USB cable. The service uses Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, which automatically transcodes MP3s into Microsoft’s WMA format as they are transferred to the handset, without creating duplicate files on the PC.
But the software also disables native media players designed to play MP3 files. Verizon Wireless said it decided to support only one media player on the handset in an effort to simplify the user experience.
“The reason we have done this is that we wanted to create the cleanest, simplest, most user-friendly experience on the device possible,” said Jesse Money, Verizon Wireless’ director of consumer multimedia services. “Two media players would create a very confusing user experience.”
Verizon Wireless expects to launch its new music service this week, offering full-track downloads to a PC for 99 cents or to both a PC and phone for $2.
New handsets that support Vcast Music, including Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s SCH-A950 and LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s VX-8100, will use the new software instead of a native MP3 player. Users who already own supporting phones may choose to keep their existing media players, or can migrate to Vcast Music in lieu of their existing player.
Because Windows is available only on PCs, customers using either an Apple Computer Inc. or Linux-based computer are unable to transfer MP3 files to Microsoft’s format. The news sparked an uproar in the blogosphere, where critics speculated that Microsoft demanded Verizon Wireless disable MP3 functionality in an effort to “lock out” Apple’s iTunes, but Money said the software giant “had absolutely nothing to do with this.”
Regardless, the news is another big win for Microsoft, which is gaining substantial traction with its digital rights management offering. The developer is touting its consumer-facing technology, dubbed PlaysForSure, in an effort to encourage users to purchase interoperable content and devices that use Microsoft’s solution.
But the move is also another step toward an ever-fragmenting wireless DRM market, as carriers and technology companies continue to deploy proprietary technologies in lieu of a standardized platform adopted by the Open Mobile Alliance. The OMA-approved solution has been stalled for nearly a year as wireless industry associations and a licensing clearinghouse haggle over proposed royalties for the technology.
Analyst Andrew Seybold of Outlook 4Mobility called the criticism of Verizon Wireless “utter and complete nonsense,” pointing out that PC users can transfer MP3 files to Vcast Music phones without even being aware of coding differences.
“I don’t understand what the big deal is here. Who really cares what music format is on the phone?” Seybold wrote in an e-mail. “The music on your PC is still in MP3 format and usable on any MP3-capable device or on the PC and it can be copied to CD.” RCR
