The latest version of the Yahoo Music Engine (YME) has added support for iPods and new playlist features. The free download includes a variety of extra content for Yahoo subscribers, including a 7-day trial of the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription service, but users who don’t want to create a Yahoo account still have lots of functionality, including ripping, burning, and playlist creation. The program performs very well as a music manager and player, with a few features we’d like to see added to iTunes. However, aggressive system behavior and a confusing music store prevent it from earning a top rating.
Unlike the beta version, the full release of YME supports the megapopular iPod portable device; unfortunately, though, it doesn’t support the Nano or Shuffle versions, and music from the Unlimited service cannot be transferred to iPods. For Yahoo subscribers, the amount of features increases. You can share music with your contacts from Yahoo Instant Messenger, listen to customized LaunchCast Radio channels, and sign up for the free 7-day trial of Yahoo Music Unlimited.
The Yahoo music store needs clarity. A credit card is required for the free Unlimited trial, and be warned that it costs $4.95 per month once the 7-day period ends. Plus, in its push to promote the Unlimited service, YME fails to explain that you don’t need to be a subscriber to buy burnable digital files; songs cost 79 cents for Unlimited members and 99 cents for nonmembers. However, it’s very difficult to search the store without signing up for the free Unlimited trial or getting annoying promotions for it.
Most bothersome about YME is its aggressive system behavior. The standard installation includes all the Yahoo software under the sun. The end-user license agreement is lengthy (18 pages) and unnecessarily complex. YME also requires Windows Media Format Runtime, which when installed, changed our MP3 file association to Windows Media Player. YME also tried to insert itself into our start-up menu without asking. We like the new on-the-fly playlist and sharing features, but both minor and major annoyances detract from the experience.
