Jupiter: What About the Other Music Phones?

Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch about all the hubbub surrounding the ever-impending launch of the Apple/Motorola music phone. Lost in the din is the fact there are already a number of capable phones on the market that can play music. Gartenberg notes:

They're not new and some like the SMT-5600 from Audiovox or Nokia's N Series are pretty capable devices. But the rumor of an Apple related phone generates this incredible level of buzz and attention. Must be frustrating for all those other folks out there.

I have to agree. I transferred MP3s to my SMT-5600 and it's pretty simple as long as they are from my collection of CDs. What the new Apple/Moto phone will have going for it is seamless integration with iTunes. For me it's an extra couple of steps for songs purchased through Apple. I need to first burn them to a CD (which I'll play in my car) and then rip the files back to iTunes before transferring to the phone. I can also tranfer the songs to my son's PSP too so it's not that bad. In the end, it's more work but then again geeks love the journey :-)

Gartenberg's colleague, analyst David Card, also chips in his 2 cents on the upcoming Apple announcement. Card states:

"Sideloading" -- or docking a phone to your PC -- is much more interesting than over-the-air downloading, at least for now.