Both Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless operate mobile music stores--you can search, purchase and listen to music right on your phone. Feature wise the stores are pretty similar:
The video review covers both stores and runs about six minutes long. We purchased a song from each store and show the process in real time. Both a LG VX8100 and Samsung a920 are used in the demo.
While it's nice to be able to quickly find and purchase a song, we weren't impressed that you can't use the rest of your phone while listening to tunes (this was the same with both services). On the ROKR and Walkman phones you can use your phone normally while playing music, we especially like being able to text message. Pricing is also an issue, Sprint charges $2.50 while Verizon charges $1.99. However, with Verizon you can download songs on your computer first and then transfer them to your phone--that only costs $.99.
Then there is the issue with Verizon removing MP3 playback from its V Cast Music phones... They claim it was for usability, but what it really means is you'll need a Windows powered computer to send over music. Having one app play a variety of formats would be nicer.
Sprint's music store is quite plain and the selection isn't that great (though it should be improving).
If you have trouble viewing the movie or have a slower connection, we recommend downloading the file to your hard drive first. Download music store video review [Right click and select download]