Market hots up with Napster To Go

Napster has unveiled a preview version of its forthcoming Napster To Go portable digital music subscription service.

The offering will allow consumers to move an unlimited amount of music from Napster's catalogue to compatible MP3 players, in addition to gaining access to unlimited full-length streaming and downloading.

But it is currently available only via a plug-in to Windows Media Player 10, and only to music fans who own the new Samsung PortableMediaCenter or Creative Zen Portable Media Center.

The final version of Napster To Go, with enhanced functionality and a range of compatible MP3 players, will become commercially available later this autumn as part of the company's launch of its newest client, version 3.0.

It will be available through the Napster link within Microsoft Windows Media Player 10's new Digital Media Mall.

The preview version of Napster To Go is available at an introductory $14.95 per month, but final pricing for the upcoming 3.0 client version is still being determined and will be announced later this year.

A survey released separately shows that UK consumers are waking up to the benefits of digital entertainment technology.

According to a poll of 1,016 home PC users commissioned by Packard Bell, almost three out of 10 are already using their home PCs for playing and downloading music, while a fifth use them for playing DVDs and watching films.

Almost 64 per cent of 15 to 24 year-olds indicated that they find the idea of digitally storing music appealing, compared to just 13 per cent of the over 55s.

Having broadband internet access was identified as a clear driver for the uptake of digital storage and delivery of entertainment, with 46 per cent of those with broadband access at home currently using their PC to play and download music.

"The results of this survey clearly show that digital entertainment is no passing trend, with the PC acting as the central hub to store all our entertainment and deliver it to a variety of devices for use either in or outside the home," said Graham Hopper, managing director UK and Ireland at Packard Bell.

"With increasing uptake of digital entertainment, and the availability of high quality content for legal download, filling your shelves with CDs could soon be a thing of the past."