Rdio takes on Spotify with UK launch
US streaming music service matches the Swedes' pricing – and wants to reel you in with a seven day free trial
Fed up of Spotify’s complete and utter dominance of music streaming in the UK? With the exception of brave attempts from Pure Music and quasi-integration of last.fm (via Spotify apps), there’s not really much choice. And now Spotify has a Retina Display-optimised iPad app with AirPlay support it seems its master plan is almost complete.
Or is it? Rdio has just bounced over the Atlantic from the US – and since it’s popular in America, has more than 15 million songs and apps for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry and Sonos, it’s definitely worth a look. There’s no free option but you can try out Rdio with a seven day free trial – after that it’s £5 a month for desktop use (PC and Mac) and £10 a month for the Unlimited plan.
So with identical pricing, there’s no immediate reason to switch from Spotify – but Rdio might still have a shot at tempting new users, much like Netflix recently took on Lovefilm in the movie streaming arena. The UI is slick and there are nice features like Heavy Rotation, which gives you a burst of albums being listened to by people in your Rdio network. The apps also come with the ability to sync songs to listen offline. Come on Rdio, we’re totally fickle – £8 a month sound good to you?
Eyestalk app is Instagram for Daleks
Microsoft to offer cheap Xbox 360 consoles with subscription plan
25 best director’s cut movies
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
