The top music services for your mobile explored

Thinking of filling your mobile up to the brim with the hottest tracks around? Then look no further than our guide of the best mobile music services out there.

We're going to look at the features and details of each one, then we'll test out their music catalogues by checking each for a handful of tracks of varying obscurity.

iTunes

iTunes has been around virtually since the beginning of the milennium, so it's no surprise that it's one slick piece of software. It comes bundled with iPods and iPhones, but can also be downloaded via Apple's website. It also comes preloaded on Apple mobile devices (iPods and iPhones). The one flaw of this service is that it's not compatible with any other mobile phone models unless your music collection is fully DRM-free, which quite frankly sucks.

Apple has only recently added the option of downloading songs over the air rather than using Wi-Fi onto your Apple iPhone, presumbly a ploy invented by networks who weren't happy with large downloads at their cost but, now that you can use your 3G connection (providing you have an iPhone 3G), this matches other mobile music services out there.

iTunes is also the cheapest service per track download, along with Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Arena. At 79p, it's on par with the usual iPod downloads. It's nice to see mobile phone music users aren't cheated there. Another advantage for iTunes over the likes of T-Mobile, Vodafone and Nokia is that the tracks are completely DRM-free as of MacWorld this year.

This is only available if you're downloading tracks from EMI's catalogue, and the price is hiked up to 99p per track, but it's a compromise you'll have to make if you want to be able to play your tracks on any device.

The final and possibly the winning aspect of the iTunes store is that there are more than 10-million tracks for you to choose from, plus podcasts for a little light entertainment.

Now, where's the iTunes Store's compatibility with other devices?

Sony Ericsson PlayNow Arena

The PlayNow arena is Sony Ericsson's web-based take on itunes, offering a similar range of content but for standard mobiles rather than just the iphone. As such, it handles games, wallpapers, ringtones and themes as well as music. Tracks are priced at 79p and you can buy full albums for £7.99.

As a non-carrier service, you can't just get PlayNow to add on any charges to your bill. Instead, you'll have to pay by credit card or premium SMS, the latter of which may well push the overall cost up significantly. Unfortunately, you'll also have to foot the bill for any data charges which may, depending on your data allowance, prove to be a deal-breaker.

PlayNow does give you very high quality files when using a PC though, supplying 256-320kbps MP3s. When downloading through the WAP site, you get the quick-to-download 64kbps AAC+ versions. The mobile files in particular have had some serious DRM inflicted on them, meaning that you can't transfer them off the phone using any method and that a firmware update may cause the files to stop working completely.

Thankfully, the higher quality PC files can be transferred more freely, so you could in theory send these to your mobile if necessary.

T-Mobile Jukebox

Slightly more expensive than some, tracks on the T-Mobile Jukebox service cost £1 each. Albums tend to cost between nine and fourteen pounds, although this doesn't relate to the number of tracks in the album.

Like Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Arena, you're also given access to two versions of the song upon purchase- a small AAC file for mobile use and a higher quality WMA file for your computer. To download these higher quality versions, you just have to login to the Jukebox's website.

Rather stingily, T-Mobile still charges you for any browsing you do around the site but any more hardcore data costs, like actual downloading of songs or previews, are waived. Charges will be added to your monthly bill, or removed from your credit if you're a pre pay user.

3MusicStore

The 3MusicStore is one of the most expensive services on test, with the most popular tracks costing £1.49. That's almost twice the price of some of its competitors. You do get the tracks as dual-downloads, though- a compressed quick-to-download version for your mobile and a high quality 192kbps wma file to download from your PC. The selection of tracks is decent too, with 3,000,000+ on offer.

The store also has a New Music Club. You have to pay £5 a month to join it, but you'll get to download three music tracks or videos plus an additional two chosen by the store. It also gives you free access to their music TV channels, Kiss, MTV and Vid Zone. Exacatly what criteria they use to choose the two bonus songs is anyone's guess, but we suggest going in expecting the worst.

Considering that membership of this club costs more than the three tracks you get to choose yourself combined, it's only really a bargain if you're likely to make use of the additional music TV and music news services.

O2 Napster

If it's trying to offer a viable alternative to itunes, O2 could have done worse than teaming-up with Napster. With their 7,000,000+ song archive, the catalogue easily trumps the majority of services on test here. In tagging-on the O2 logo to the Napster service, each song has gained a weighty 20p to its price, though.

Where songs on Napster proper cost 79p, they're 99p on O2 Napster. There are inevitably going to be weighty costs arising from a 'Honey I Shrunk Napster' project like this mind, so the price hike does make sense. If you're buying multiple tracks, you can also get a bundle of 5 for £4, effectively negating this price difference.

O2 Napster is accessed via the O2 Active WAP portal, and tracks can be downloaded directly using your mobile or you can have the track delivered to your email address. Although there's DRM underneath them, it won't be hugely restricting for most users since it allows you to copy tracks to an MP3 player or to CD.

The service's core weakness is its limited handset support. Although it covers the top phones from Sony Ericsson and Nokia, LG and Motorola support is very weak.

You should be fine if you purchased your phone from O2, but if you're using your O2 sim in an unlocked phone, you may not be able to use the service.

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