Spotify is used by tens of millions worldwide, and although digital music services such as iTunes continue to thrive, Spotify has proved there is still room for the streaming / rental model among consumers.
Similarly to iTunes, there’s a desktop music player and also an accompanying app for mobile, allowing content to be downloaded on-the-fly. Having used the iPhone app in the past before opting out of the service, I can vouch that it works well, has a functional interface, and looks great; and from what I hear, so does the Windows Phone iteration.
Conversely, the Android version hasn’t exactly lived up to expectation, and since – as Android chief Andy Rubin frequently likes to remind us – the Big G’s platform boasts more users and daily activations than any of its competitors, the under-performance of the Android Spotify app especially, is not a good look for business.
Recognizing this, however, Spotify’s Android devs appear to have been hard at work, since the app has now been completely revamped. In a similar fashion to the aforementioned rivaling offerings, it’s now heaps cleaner, easier on the eye, and functions better – helping you discover many more new artists and tracks than ever before. You can check out Spotify’s own recommendations or trawl through friends’ profile pages and playlists in your quest to add to your music collection, and there’s also some Last FM scrobbling included in the final version as well.
Navigation takes a whole new approach, one that I suspect Spotify fans wielding an Android device are going to love. Moving through the app’s various functions is a smooth, joyous affair, taking advantage of the slide-out system seen in many of today’s apps.
Additionally, Spotify has clearly worked on making the entire app look better in general, with images and artwork updated to show in higher resolutions. While having a pretty interface is by no means the be-all, end-all of an app (functionality comes first, in my opinion), it certainly helps, and if you like the idea of accessing millions of tracks for a minimal, flat monthly fee, then you should certainly take Spotify for Android into consideration.
The newly-updated Spotify for Android land over at the Google Play Store in the very near future, and until then, you can check out the beta version.
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