While the mobile OS ecosystem battle sees Apple and Google fight it out for the prime position, the upcoming Windows Phone 8 from Microsoft is slowly gaining momentum on the Internet. Per reports, Windows Phone is currently sending out the option to personalize music for its users.
Users are now noticing a new Terms of Use pop-up on either the Windows Phone marketplace or the Zune desktop software. Johan van Miero of Mobility Minded was the first to notice the new Terms of Use and took an image of it to prove the new option pop-up.
A few other tech sites have described the new option by stating that the "Personalize my music" option was always there, and was a part of the Zune's desktop iteration; however, the option was hidden before and did not appear until now. This appearance of the option happened probably because Windows Phone does not have the same music personalization feature, which the Zune desktop software and previous Zune devices did.
"If you have any updates today on your Windows Phone you might get a screen first to accept new Terms of Use. However a little check box has been added that reads "Personalize my music". It looks like that these little updates will let us know more about the new features coming to the Microsoft eco-system before the Windows Phone and Windows 8 launch," Johan van Miero wrote.
Van Miero further stated that when users head over to the marketplace now to update some pending application, they will be greeted with a screen that will ask the user to accept the set-up of a "Personalize my music" account.
"It looks like that this might be the terms of use for a service in which Zune automatically collects data of the music you will play on your Windows Phone, Xbox Music and Zune and will suggest music for you based on your listening habits," noted Johan.
For those who are not familiar with the system, both the Zune desktop software and Zune media player devices have been developed in a way to keep track of the user's listening habits. This tracking is done by keeping a note of what the users mostly listens to, and then using that information to generate recommendations (or picks) for new music that they may like.
This system, as most Windows Phone users would agree, is a preferable way to find new (and even old) music that the user may have never heard before, but will probably like, because it's by the same artist (say Pink Floyd or CCR) or from the same album.
Moreover, Windows Phone also has the Smart DJ which will create a playlist purely based on an artist the user chooses, and later add similar artists to the list. Although the Smart DJ adds to the user's playlist, the picks feature generates suggestions based on the user's specific musical taste.
