Sony Music Unlimited represents a rare thing?a streaming music service that's available on a portable gaming device. Certainly, handhelds aren't required to have them?gaming is the focus, after all?but it's very cool to stream your favorite songs and compositions over 3G and Wi-Fi as you're passing time in a waiting room or zoning out on a commute. That said, Sony Music Unlimited lacks a free option, so you must pay a premium (starting at $3.99 per month). Considering that there's no Slacker or Songza available on gaming units at this time (streaming music services with quality free options), it may be worth the investment if you're a PlayStation Vita ?owner.
The Basics, Interface
Sony Music Unlimited offers a library of over 15 millions of songs on demand for those willing to pay the $9.99 per month Premium subscription. A lower-priced Basic membership is available for $3.99 per month, but it lacks on-demand playback, library building, playlist building, some genre-based channels, and other features that make Premium accounts worthwhile. Sony offers a 30-day trial if you want to dip your toe into the pool, but the lack of a truly free offering is a downer.
The interface consists of album art arranged into five rows: A top spot (that rotates between Top Songs, Top Artists, and Top Albums), Recently Played Channels, Newly Added to My Library, New Releases, and You Might Like, the app's recommendation area. Navigation is a simple as swiping between rows and icons with a finger.
The Listening Experience
Tapping a song icon starts the music playback and displays the album art, song title, artist name, and runtime. There are also options that let you like or dislike a song, as well as add the song (or entire album) to a playlist or My Library. You can also cache those added songs for offline playback?a handy feature if you're outside 3G or Wi-Fi signal range. A column in the right portion of the screen houses related music that you should check out. The Home button in the upper-right hand portion of the screen reveals a menu bar with shortcuts that let you quickly jump between areas.
Sony Music Unlimited's audio quality is surprising good, whether you listen through headphones or the PS Vita's speakers, and the tracks played smoothly over our office Wi-Fi connection. The music selection is impressive?I've found every album from The Dirtbombs, an indie Detroit-based rock band. There's comedy, too; Patton Oswald's three major comedy albums are also in the library, as well as other acts. Unfortunately, Sony Music Unlimited only has two of Joe Rogan's handful of comedy discs, so there are some gaps in the library.
On the upside, playlists sync between the mobile app and the browser-based app, so your Sony Music Unlimited Experience remains the same across platforms.
Nearly Unlimited Joy
Sonic Music Unlimited is the lone streaming music service on the PS Vita?that alone makes it worth a look if you're into such things. That said, you need to plop down $9.99 per month if you want to get the most out of the service. If you do, you shouldn't be disappointed, despite a few album omissions.
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Source: http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/QtEsHypRbKU/0,2817,2408880,00.asp
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