Ben
14th April 2005, 12:39 AM
Given the recent media hype you'd be forgiven for believing Orange 3G is where you need to be for mobile music downloads.
You'd be mistaken.
A direct comparison of the tracks downloaded from Vodafone Live! with 3G and Orange 3G on my Nokia 6680 shows some significant inconsistencies.
For a start, tracks you download from the Orange Music Player are confined to that player. Luckily the player is quite capable, but that's not the point - the phone has RealPlayer for a reason!
Most importantly, the sound quality of the Orange tracks is just horrific. I'm no audiophile, but if I was I think I'd have burnt the USIM after hearing the quality they're trying to pass off as a £1.50 purchase. I knew there was something wrong, but it was only when I played one of my own MP3 files on the handset and then went a step further and downloaded a track of Vodafone Live! with 3G using my Vodafone USIM (damn SIM-Free is good) that I realised how poorly compressed Orange's tracks are.
With the Orange tracks you hear a lot of 'digital' noise - it basically sounds a bit like you're listening to on hold music! Vodafone's tracks, and my own MP3's, play through the hardware speaker and earphones beautifully, with all the clarity you'd expect from this high-end powerhouse of a phone.
Now that I've had my rant - what do you think? Who's King of Music on the move? If you're voting purely from what you've heard on the street or seen in the news then please state so below along with your choice.
Note: This is only between Orange and Vodafone. Three do those videos... but the sound quality is a bit like Orange's if not worse + they're not the actual tracks. O2 also dabble with music, but not in any way I've experienced.
You'd be mistaken.
A direct comparison of the tracks downloaded from Vodafone Live! with 3G and Orange 3G on my Nokia 6680 shows some significant inconsistencies.
For a start, tracks you download from the Orange Music Player are confined to that player. Luckily the player is quite capable, but that's not the point - the phone has RealPlayer for a reason!
Most importantly, the sound quality of the Orange tracks is just horrific. I'm no audiophile, but if I was I think I'd have burnt the USIM after hearing the quality they're trying to pass off as a £1.50 purchase. I knew there was something wrong, but it was only when I played one of my own MP3 files on the handset and then went a step further and downloaded a track of Vodafone Live! with 3G using my Vodafone USIM (damn SIM-Free is good) that I realised how poorly compressed Orange's tracks are.
With the Orange tracks you hear a lot of 'digital' noise - it basically sounds a bit like you're listening to on hold music! Vodafone's tracks, and my own MP3's, play through the hardware speaker and earphones beautifully, with all the clarity you'd expect from this high-end powerhouse of a phone.
Now that I've had my rant - what do you think? Who's King of Music on the move? If you're voting purely from what you've heard on the street or seen in the news then please state so below along with your choice.
Note: This is only between Orange and Vodafone. Three do those videos... but the sound quality is a bit like Orange's if not worse + they're not the actual tracks. O2 also dabble with music, but not in any way I've experienced.