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Windows Phone 8 smartphones to ship with Xbox Music service

What Mobile
October 16, 2012

Microsoft has announced Xbox Music, the replacement for its Zune service, and also released details of it appearing in Windows Phone 8 devices from launch.

That’s great news for anyone planning to buy a Nokia Lumia 920, HTC Windows Phone 8X or even Samsung Ativ S handset.

Xbox Music launches today on the Xbox 360 gaming platform, and will be available for Windows 8 laptop, tablet and PC users by the end of the month.

Microsoft has announced that Windows Phone 8 users will be able to access millions of songs on their handset using the Xbox Music Pass subscription service.

Xbox Music will come in a variety of forms, from the free streaming version, which is supported by adverts and will launch in 15 countries initially, to the monthly Xbox Music Pass subscription for unlimited ad-free listening and an offline playback feature. Pricing is set to start at $9.99 a month, but will be considerably cheaper for an annual fee.

It’s thought that more features will be added in 2013, including better social integration, as well as a cloud-based music locker separate from your SkyDrive account.

Unfortunately, Xbox Music will not be made available for those currently using Windows Phone 7.5 handsets. You’ll need to carry on using Zune for music services.

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