Tech Shout!

Move over Apple, because Nokia is here with its own rendition of iTunes. Called the Nokia Music Store, this Internet services part of Nokia’s new Ovi offering.

The Nokia Music Store offers a combination of download as well as streaming music for use on Nokia devices or even PCs. A great feature of this service is that users can access the Store from their PCs or directly from optimized Nokia phones such as the newly launched Nokia N81 and Nokia N95 handsets.

The Music Store is loaded with millions of tracks from most major labels and independent labels from around the world. At the Nokia Music Store, users will be able to browse for new music, get recommendations from others or even search for artists, songs and albums.

Another great feature of the Nokia Music Store is that is provides users with dynamic recommendations engine as well as genre-based instant playlists. Also, this store will offer users locally relevant music, besides internationally acclaimed artists.

Tommi Mustonen, the head of Nokia’s music activities said, “People don’t just want the top global hits, but also music that is relevant to them, whether from local artists or songs in their own language. That’s why we are working with thousands of major and independent labels to bring as many songs on the local top charts as possible to the Nokia Music Store in each country.”

Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group International said: “It’s obvious that innovation and imagination in the digital music download business are the keys to future growth. It’s good for music - and good for our artists - that consumers can easily find and buy the songs they want, when they want. That’s why we welcome the Nokia Music Store.”

Typically, audio tracks will be delivered in high quality 192Kbps audio in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. Using Windows Media Player, the transfer of purchased songs onto Nokia devices is quite a breeze.

Individual tracks on the Nokia Music Store will cost EUR 1.00, while albums will cost you EUR 10.00. Users can pay by a variety of options including credit cards, PayPal and pre-paid vouchers.

The Nokia Music Store will be available in key European markets this Fall and in Asia in the months to come.

Looks like Apple’s iTunes and iPhone may face some competition from Nokia. However, just before the launch of its Music Store, the Finnish phone maker faced a problem wherin Orange, a mobile phone carrier refused to carry the company’s upcoming phones until they assessed the performance of the Nokia Music Store.