James Fee
11-15-2005, 01:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/Napster_Upgrades_Music_Service_to_35/1131555193' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/Napster_Upgrades_Music_Service_to_35/1131555193</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Napster on Wednesday rolled out version 3.5 of its digital music subscription service, upping the quality of song downloads and adding personalized recommendations through a "Playlist of the Day." Napster has also cleaned up its user interface with simplified navigation. All songs in the Napster catalog will now be available in a 192kbps bitrate rather than 128kbps, following the lead of Yahoo's Music Unlimited service. Yahoo stormed onto the online music scene earlier this year with lower pricing and higher quality downloads than competitors Napster and Real. "Napster now includes simpler, cleaner navigation, substantially enhanced audio fidelity and unique new features that create an experience personalized to the musical tastes of each user," said Napster CEO Chris Gorog in a statement."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/napster3.5.png" /><br /><br />The higher bit rate will probably be welcome to most users, but higher bit rates and subscription services have yet to make a real dent into iTunes sales. Still this should help fend off Yahoo! and others who have made inroads into Napsters sales. As an iTunes users I'm frustrated by the slow response of the program and confusing layout of the program. Simple is better and most users are probably better of sticking with the Windows Media Player plugin version of Napster which to me seems quicker and easier to use.