Review Conditions
Audials Mobile sis file version 2.0.40, built on May 22 2009 was installed on a Nokia E71, an S60 3rd edition FP1 device.
Installation
Installation of the sis file is simple, using the Nokia application installer. Additional plug-ins must be downloaded separately and transferred to the mobile device and the Audials software picks up the plug-ins from a designated location on the phone’s memory.
First View
Audials Mobile is an Internet music “search and download” software from RapidSolutions Software. RapidSolutions Software primarily focuses on developing and marketing the Audials brand. Audials calls itself the is the only software that allows one to download the best MP3 music the Internet has to offer from the newest generation of social radio stations. Lets take it for a spin.
Main Review
Audials crawls all over the Internet for music you are looking for, picks them up from streaming web radio stations and downloads it to your mobile. The basic installation comes with two plug-ins, for Esnips and Garageband. More plug-ins can be found at a very active Search and Record Plug-in Forum that’s available at audials.com. I downloaded the Audials Plug-ins pack, last edited on 17th June 2009 and it supported 4 more sites, projectplaylist, tagoo, wrzuta and Tunefinder.
Plug-ins are in a file format .aplp and installation is simple. Just transfer the plug-ins to the mobile and in Audials, select “Search & Record Plug-in” to Add a new plug-in from the mobile.
All Plug-ins are listed and their ‘cloud state’, i.e. whether they are installed and running is also displayed to the user.
Songs can be searched by entering Artist names or by Genre. There are 15 top level genre and each has many sub genre. For e.g. Rock as a genre has about 10 sub genre like Alternative, Classic Rock, Gothic, etc. I searched various popular artists and found hundreds of tracks for almost every artist.
Files that are already downloaded to the mobile have a “tune’” symbol before them indicating that you already have it. Files being downloaded also have a symbol before them. The download process is called “Recordings”. I guess this is a way to avoid the negative reaction of download music online.
Handling
Audials is very easy to use. I didn’t have any problems getting around it and was using it like a pro in a few minutes.
Weaknesses
I really liked mobbler’s streaming music. I would have liked to hear music streamed to my mobile instead of downloading them to the mobile device. There is more instant gratification in streaming music 
Conclusion
Audials is compatible with a nearly eighty S60 devices from Nokia, LG and Samsung. It also supports other mobile platforms.
With more services moving towards the cloud, the notion of downloading music to the desktop will eventually become obsolete. While Audials allows download of tracks, its only a matter of time before they are forced to move to the model of streaming music to the mobile directly, like Mobbler and Last.fm. Audials Mobile has the basic infrastructure in place to make this change smooth and easy. The folks at Audials assured me that its legal to record streaming music from web radios in Germany and many other countries. While Mobbler only connects to Last.fm, with a vibrant forum, Audials offers plug-ins for getting music from various sources, not just Last.fm.
Audials Mobile Trial is available, where you can download a maximum of 2 songs. Audials Mobile Premium, the full version is available for GBP 7.90 and you can get unlimited music downloads. Its good stuff and I’ll give it 4 of 5.
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