7digital extends its digital music service with native Android app for tablets

Back in May, we reported that London-based digital music provider 7digital had released a new Android app to bring its MP3 Store and ‘Digital Locker’ to handsets in 16 countries. And now 7digital has announced that it’s launching a new native Android 3.0 (“Honeycomb”) app for tablets.

Established in 2004, 7digital’s download store and mobile applications gives consumers access to over 16 million MP3 music tracks, as well as audiobooks and videos, across Europe and North America.

As we reported earlier this year, one of the most impressive features of the latest incarnation of the Android smartphone app was the way in which tracks are delivered. Rather than using up the full 3G bandwidth and data-allowance on a user’s mobile by downloading a full 320kbps track, 7Digital downloads a compressed version of the file when connected to a mobile network, and then follows through with the full, high-quality file when a WiFi connection is established. The full feature-set of the smartphone app will be replicated on the tablet version.

The new app has been designed from the ground up for Android tablets, and it features wireless syncing, with a personal ‘cloud locker’ giving users access to their tunes on any device running the 7digital app.

“This is a major addition to our mobile device offering, bringing high quality digital music to Android tablet owners”, says Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital. “The Android 3.0 OS has allowed us to create a highly interactive, visually rich application for tablet users. We’re aiming to provide our customers with the choice to access their music however, whenever and through whatever platform they choose.”

The app is available worldwide and will be fully localized for the European and North American markets, with track and album pricing tailored to users in each region. The app is free to download directly from the Android Market, Amazon App Store and Get Jar.

Back in September, we reported that 7digital was serving one million active users on mobile devices, following deals that had seen 7digital’s services come pre-installed on millions of mobile devices, plus third-party use of the company’s API had also driven the growth. And just a few weeks ago, we reported that the company was expanding into Asia-Pacific, making its music catalogue available in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore.