Putting the 'sing' in Cingular

Seems like everybody wants to get into the music game.

As Apple Computer continues to dominate with music players and services and Microsoft gets set to launch its Zune device, Cingular Wireless announced it is partnering with Napster, Yahoo Music, XM Satellite Radio and eMusic to offer a music download service via the Cingular network.

The cellular company tried to break into the business before; but its launch of the Rokr music phone from Apple and Motorola had mixed success.

Experts have been predicting the convergence of cell phones and music players for some time. But there's disagreement on whether the winners will come from the cell phone world or the music world. Some bloggers were excited at the idea of a new player in the game, while others just keep waiting for Apple to come up with an iPhone.

Blog community response:

"When Cingular, the largest and generally the least aggressive U.S. carrier when it comes to new services, moves into a market, you know the market has been set to take off for awhile."
--Om Malik

"Some thoughts: it's step forward to the ultimate goal of 'device convergence' - but not quite there yet. Hopefully it's a taste of things to come."
--Orbitcast

"Is this service something in high demand? How often are users using mobile music downloads? Maybe if it's synced up to your iTunes account and you simultaneously grab songs on the phone and your computer, that would be useful."
--Gizmodo