Basically $15 a month gives you unlimited download to you Windows DRM enabled media player. The license key gets updated every time you sync the player with the client, but if you stop paying the subscription fee, or fail to sync with the client for 2 months your content is rendered unplayable (technically on both the portable device and on the PC). You can purchase the song for $.99 additionally, which I believe is completely free of any DRM.
As of yet the record labels won't let anyone do this. I can tell you for a fact that napster fought the labels to let them sell content in MP3 format without any DRM attached. They also fought with the labels over the 5 song limit. Every online music service is bascially a compromise between the labels and the distributors, and the labels usually get what they want. They mandated that napster use the windows DRM and therefore are able to control the use of the content, even on portable players. The bad news is that windows DRM is lacking in certain areas, especially on portable players (hence no real decent ipod competitor...even though some of the new samsungs are pretty sweet). Anyway, people need to stop blaming the distributors and start thinking about the labels they support if they really want to change things. Independent labels are way more relaxed about the distrubution of online content, and usually have better music. Unfortunately a vast majority of this country whose scope of vision extends just past their nose are incapable of finding anything outside of what is shoved down their throats.
I'm seriously considering buying one of these, but I tried out metroid at the local targét last night, and found it kind of awkward due to my being left handed. Has any one else found this to be an issue. Holding the stylus with my right hand and manipulating the dpad just seemed odd...
Slashdot Mirror
Basically $15 a month gives you unlimited download to you Windows DRM enabled media player. The license key gets updated every time you sync the player with the client, but if you stop paying the subscription fee, or fail to sync with the client for 2 months your content is rendered unplayable (technically on both the portable device and on the PC). You can purchase the song for $.99 additionally, which I believe is completely free of any DRM.
As of yet the record labels won't let anyone do this. I can tell you for a fact that napster fought the labels to let them sell content in MP3 format without any DRM attached. They also fought with the labels over the 5 song limit. Every online music service is bascially a compromise between the labels and the distributors, and the labels usually get what they want. They mandated that napster use the windows DRM and therefore are able to control the use of the content, even on portable players. The bad news is that windows DRM is lacking in certain areas, especially on portable players (hence no real decent ipod competitor...even though some of the new samsungs are pretty sweet). Anyway, people need to stop blaming the distributors and start thinking about the labels they support if they really want to change things. Independent labels are way more relaxed about the distrubution of online content, and usually have better music. Unfortunately a vast majority of this country whose scope of vision extends just past their nose are incapable of finding anything outside of what is shoved down their throats.
I'm seriously considering buying one of these, but I tried out metroid at the local targét last night, and found it kind of awkward due to my being left handed. Has any one else found this to be an issue. Holding the stylus with my right hand and manipulating the dpad just seemed odd...