Mobile music – mobile phones battle MP3 players to quench thirst for portable music

Listening to music on the move is no longer something that involves CD cases, homemade compilation tapes, eject buttons and double A batteries. The digital age has transformed the way we listen to music with various devices offering us the chance to store and listen to our favourite songs on the go. All of this now involves minimal fuss, with handy little gadgets that fit our top pockets. Our thirst for portable music is growing and now looks set to put mobile phones and MP3 players into a pitched battle for control of a highly lucrative market.

MP3 players from the cheapest cigarette lighter-size all the way up to the iPod Nano offer a dedicated music device that can store and manage our favourite tracks. But while these gadgets are very popular, they face a significant challenge in the form of the mobile phone. Over the last five years mobile bandwidth and handset design have made it possible to download music files and store them on mobiles. 3G networks and next generation handsets are raising the bar in terms of memory size and functionality on a regular basis posing a real threat to the low end of the MP3 market.