Rating: Samsung had supposedly struck exclusive content deal
An exclusive deal has supposedly been struck between leading Android handset manufacturer, Samsung and mobile music specialist MusicQubed. The first handset to come with the Official Top 40 singles chart app preloaded will be Galaxy Ace II. However, this app is also available from Google Play here. When we tried to download it to a non-Galaxy phone the server said it was incompatible with all of our devices except the Cm_tenderloin. We clicked on that and suddenly realised the app had been sent to our HP TouchPad tablet running the Cyanogenmod version of Android. And, yup, it works, folks.The pair thought they had created an exclusive Android app which delivers unlimited plays of all the tracks in the Official Top 40 Singles chart as compiled by the Official Charts Company.
The service features daily chart updates which are delivered automatically so that playlists are never outdated.
The Android app downloads and caches tracks overnight during off-peak network times which results in no streaming, no interruptions and crucially – no adverts.
That’s different from the official Top 40 Chart App for iPhone from the Official Charts Company which simply refreshes the chart automatically on Sundays. It’s available here.
The Official Charts Company has a second iPhone app which gives access to every chart-topping number one hit, from August 1952 through to 2010 and is available here.
The actual exclusive deal for Galaxy owners is free use for a two month trial period, with an Access All Areas pass available after the free trial period from £1 a week.
The Cyanogenmod TouchPad didn’t get the two month trial free but we did get free access to the current Top 40.
We rather suspect that Samsung UK’s vp for telecommunications and networks, Simon Stanford, is going to be a tad upset.
He had commented, “[This] is the latest exclusive content we’re bringing to our devices and we’re delighted to make it available to our customers.”
He added, “Access to all the latest chart hits instantly and exclusively free on Samsung devices, the Official Top 40 Chart App is a great content offering and is the latest example of Samsung’s drive to provide innovative technology to suit our customers’ lifestyles.”
Now, we are not ones to spoil a good party but the official Cyanogenmod site lists no fewer than eleven leading makes of smartphone here which can run this version of the Android OS.
GoMobile News intends to install Cyanogenmod on a Motorola Defy to prove the point.
Brian Rose, md with the commercial division, of Universal Music UK, had observed that, “Having a music service with the leading mobile device company in the UK and globally is good news for the UK music industry.”
The fact that the app should work with any Cyanogenmod device is good news for smartphone freaks everywhere.
For those who want to know how to install Cyanogenmod you could start by reading our previous story here.
