Sprint Nextel launched its EV-DO upgrade to its CDMA network in tandem with a wireless music store that allows subscribers to download songs to their handsets over-the-air. Each $2.50 song download will come with two versions: one formatted for the handset and another configured for PCs. Sprint's store, powered by Groove Mobile, offers over 250,000 songs from EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and Universal Music. The service is currently supported by two handsets made by Sanyo and Samsung. Cingular and Verizon Wireless said they plan to launch similar music services sometime next year.
Sprint's offering is wise to offer formats for both the handset and PC. The same goes for Motorola's iTunes ROKR, but the ROKR requires a PC for music download. If the download speed is there, direct to phone seems like a good value proposition; but maybe not at $2.50 a pop. Last week's reports of Steve Jobs fighting tooth and nail to keep iTunes at $0.99 per song can't be sitting too well with Sprint EV-DO subscribers.
For more on Sprint's EV-DO music download service:
- take a look at this article from Forbes