Napster on your mobile

Online music download firm Napster have announced that Napster To Go, the world's first portable music subscription service, is available for users of the new Audiovox SMT5600 Smartphone.

The Napster To Go / Audiovox SMT5600 is the only mobile phone in the U.S. market to allow music fans to seamlessly transfer and play an unlimited number of full-length songs on the go for one low monthly price of $14.95. The Smartphone also supports individual tracks purchased by Napster subscribers or downloaded a la carte from the Napster store.

Chris Gorog, Napster's chairman and CEO said,

"Napster was the first service to make the promise of the portable subscription model a reality, and today we are taking that innovation to the wireless marketplace. This new phone from Audiovox and AT&T Wireless furthers Napster's mission to provide music lovers with the ability to conveniently enjoy the most comprehensive digital music experience available."

The Audiovox SMT5600 comes with 28MB of internal flash memory which can hold up to 6 songs. Consumers can purchase MiniSD memory chips for additional song storage in either 128mb or 256mb varieties, which can hold approximately two and four hours of songs respectively. MiniSD chips are currently widely available for under $25 each.

Powered by the Windows Mobile 2003, the new Audiovox SMT5600 contains the latest in personal information management (PIM) functionality such as over-the-air access to Outlook Calendar, InBox and Contacts.

In September 2004, Napster previewed the unprecedented, fully portable digital music subscription service, Napster To Go. Expected to officially debut later this year with the release of Napster 3.0, Napster To Go is currently available via a plug-in to the Windows Media Player 10 at an introductory $14.95 per month and lets consumers move an unlimited amount of music from Napster's massive library to compatible MP3 players and portable devices.

People in the UK may also notice that the Audiovox SMT5600 is actually better known to them as the Orange SPV.