Comments on: Streaming music for smart phones

Internet radio service Mercora introduces an application that streams music libraries wirelessly.
Images: Mercora's "M"

[dclaryjr]

Why Pay $4.99 a month?

I can already stream music to my WM5.0 phone using ORB for free!

[fc11]

MS should buy the radio station and offer free music and add advitisement

MS should buy the radio station and offer free music and add advitisement

[ballssalty]

Will fail

First problem is that most (if not all) smartphones will not allow you to receive a call while you are connected to a data network. So if you're streaming music with Mercora and someone calls, you get a busy signal. If I'm playing music with local songs on a storage card I can receive phone calls.

Plus who want to pay for this service? For $50 I can buy a 2GB storage card and larger capacities are available. Plus you can buy more than one storage card to carry around, they are tiny so the 2GB is too small argument carries no weight (literally) when you can carry as many storage cards with you as you want.

[dg1964-20641623766489280533517]

RE: Will fail

actually, this isn't quite true.

when an incoming call comes in on a WM5.0 phone, the music stops and the call is announced. the user can then decide whether to pick up or ignore the call.

secondly, of course you can carry as many storage cards as you want, but not everyone will want to do this. also, cards don't give you access to all of the internet radio stations.

[El Kabong]

Why do it at all...

on your cell phone?
When the car breaks down or you need to reach the baby sitter or dial 911, your battery will be dead from listening to music on a third rate unit, when you could have been listening on a decent player, using up the player's battery and saving your phone for, of all things, calling someone!

[fc11]

solution to batery problem

Cell phone will refuse to play music when there is only 20% batery left

[Musica360.com]

Is There Any Editor Here That Checks Facts...

"Apple uses a proprietary format called AAC, which Mercora M can't play."

AAC IS NOT a proprietary format. It's an open format. Apple's Fairplay DRM which is wrapped around files purchased from the iTunes music store is proprietary!

You think that by now everyone would know this.

[just_chilin]

I doubt you know how the wrapper works.

The important thing is, Apple's music files are encoded.