Sony Ericsson's Track ID

Written by Gadget Guy

Mobile Phones - Sony-Ericsson

Tags: mobile phones | music | Sony Ericcson | Track ID

It’s a clever phone concept that Sony Ericsson is trying to perfect. Sony Ericsson's Content and Acquisitions Manager Victor Fredel talked to the Gadget Guy about the idea behind Track-ID…

You're in a club and the overseas DJ suddenly plays an amazing dance track that you've never heard before. Less than a decade ago, you might end up humming the track to a clerk at your favourite record shop who would think you've gone bananas.

Not anymore.

Now, thanks to a simple bit of technology called Track ID, you can simply hold your phone up in the air and have the song, artist and album identified within seconds.

While this concept has already become standard in most phones, Sony Ericsson claims to be the only company that is currently offering the service for free. To do that, they've teamed up with the San Francisco music database company Greystoke and are integrating the concept into their online sites around the world.

“We currently get 200,000 hits a day on Track ID, peaking at 250,000 on the weekend," says Swedish based Content and Acquisitions Manager Victor Fredell about the service.

“Everything on our phone is about how to utilize it as a music player. It's discovery because there's so much music out there. But how are you going to sort through the clutter? You can't ask the DJ, but now with this function, you just hook up and do it.”

In the near future, there are plans to have extensive album artwork, recommendations and even lyrics as part of the service. This way, someone could just type in a snippet of a verse and that can be identified. Given that the service is on dozens of Sony Ericsson phone models and combine that with their savvy online store, the company is giddy about the possibilities.

“I wouldn't be surprised to see packages soon where you go to Paris on vacation and are able to get nightclub maps and translations on your phone,” says Fredell, “We're also getting close to the ultimate device that can deliver your camera, music, film, internet, lock your doors and pay your credit card. That will come, but for us it's more of a focus on entertainment and Track ID is a great step in that direction."

Now if they'd only come up with some software that would get me the phone number of that pretty girl at the bar just by waving it in her direction!

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