The new Rhapsody is [out][1] and it's pretty much what you might have expected: a clone of Napster To Go (yes, called Rhapsody To Go) using Microsoft's Janus DRM technology. The most surprising thing here is that Rhapsody is offering 25 free songs a month to non-subscribers, I don't know if these are downloadable or just streaming. The new release has a lot to offer for those of us who hate DRM and love streaming music, though. For the first time in the two years since Real bought Rhapsody, the client software and the service have new features. The software now acts as a full-fledged iTunes-like music player and manages your local music library. There is now a Playlist Central area with celebrity and user-posted playlists. Finally, the player interface has received significant revamp.

So over all it's a nice upgrade but I'm dissappointed that Rhapsody To Go is so uninspired. It's too bad the technology companies have sold us out to the music industry when it comes to DRM.

[1]: http://news.com.com/RealNetworks offers free songs for new service/2100-1027_3-5684989.html?tag=nefd.lede