mSpot, the service that lets you upload music to the web from your computer and listen from Macs, PCs, and Android phones, has finally made its way to the iPhone today.
The company says its Android app has reached nearly 1 million users since it was launched in June. Now iPhone users will be able to join in on the fun and listen to their mSpot music library over 3G and WiFi connections.
The service itself is simple: Download the mSpot Uploader program to your Mac or PC, choose the music you want uploaded and sit back while the upload is completed. Once your music is on mSpot&'s servers, you can play it back from any Mac or PC web browser, as well as the Android and iPhone apps. The uploader keeps your mSpot collection synchronized with your computer&'s music, and it also carries over metadata like track titles and cover art. You get 2 gigabytes of storage for music free, which you can upgrade to 40 gigabytes for $4 a month.
On mobile devices, you have the option of caching music on your phone to account for cellular reception issues, or you can just stream your music collection entirely to save storage space on your phone. The mSpot app on iPhone and Android offers an &''Airplane Mode&'' to listen to cached music when no network connectivity is available. There&'s also a &''Live Lyrics&'' feature that lets you read the lyrics to songs as they play on your phone.
I didn&'t have the chance to test out the iPhone app before it hit the App Store, but my experience with the Android app has been generally positive. Music sounds decent (it&'s certainly not as good as having an MP3 file right on the phone), and the service switches between songs quickly &8212' even over 3G connections.
Apple bought (and shuttered) a similar service called Lala late last year, but it has yet to do anything with the acquisition. It&'s been rumored that Apple is preparing to bring iTunes to the cloud with Lala&'s talent and technology.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based mSpot raised $2.3 million in funding in 2006. It also runs mSpot Movies, a service that lets users stream movies to their smartphones.
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Companies: Apple, lala, mSpot
Companies: Apple, lala, mSpot
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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