Android device owners are singing a new tune this week with the addition of streaming music provider Rhapsody to the list of services available for download in the Android Market. For $9.99 a month, users can stream an unlimited amount of music to both their handsets and computers. There is no local caching in this initial release, however, so a web connection is required. But Rhapsody says it will come in a future version, thereby bringing it in line with existing services such as Pandora, Slacker and Thumbplay.
The Android Market is a convenient place to find new apps that can be installed on handsets, but it lacks integration with the desktop as enjoyed by iPhone owners with iTunes. But now Android phone owners with Mac desktops have DoubleTwist. Much like iTunes, DoubleTwist is designed to handle desktop media libraries (music, video and photos) — it also allows for the synchronization of such media with phones. The program has long supported the BlackBerry line of devices, and it now works with those built atop Android, providing complete integration with the Android Market.
And the growing number of Android-based phones in consumer hands is starting to become evident by the rash of app developers now supporting the platform. There are now roughly 40,000 apps available for Android, according to figures released this week, and some 9,300 of them were made available just last month. The iPhone App Store still has a comfortable advantage in number of apps available, but Android developers are working hard to even the playing field.
