If you take a look at the “Music” section of Ovi Store these days, you are likely to see that there are more and more interesting listening options available for download. One service that caught our attention is called “Aupeo!” and they have apps to go along with different channels or music genres, ranging from “Adult Pop” to “Quiet Storm” – and everything in between. According to the Aupeo website, they have more than 100 channels available today, selected by their Berlin-based experts.

All of the apps are free, and each one does focus on a specific type of music, so in theory there should be something to suit just about every musical taste. I went straight for “Adult Pop“, figuring I qualify for the first part, and generally like the second part.

After you install the app, you can start listening to streaming music right away. There is no registration required within the app, although if you use their online Web-based service, there is an option to register, log-in, etc. (more on that shortly). Again, this is a streaming service, so you need an active Internet connection to use it, but if you have an all-you-can-eat plan for your mobile usage, you’ll be all set.

Not knowing what to expect musically, I was happily surprised with the very first tune sent my way – a cool song by Ben Folds. It was followed by many more songs from artists I either already like, or could see myself wanting to get to know better.

The interface for the app is as easy as you could expect. It is truly clutter-free, and the options are kept to a minimum – nothing much getting in the way of enjoying the music. As you can see from the screenshot above, there is a button below the album cover art to adjust the volume, and a button for play (or pause, when already playing).

The button for a shopping cart brings you to a web page for Ovi Music, with a big “Coming Soon” notice on the page. Let’s not dwell on that for now.

The button for the music note is the equivalent of a home button in this app. The big plus sign button brings you to a web page to download other Aupeo! channels; and the “i” button brings up information about the app, which looks promising …

… but seems misleading at this stage. Specifically, the “Create” options for “love” and “ban” buttons are nowhere to be found in this app … I have no idea why they would tease us with this, other than that they note along the bottom of that screen “all this and more on www.aupeo.com.” So, maybe you can only use those functions in their web-based (i.e., desktop) service, but that does feel like a missed opportunity with the app itself. You can also sync the desktop service with your Facebook account, which would also be a nice addition to the mobile app …

Now, on the positive side, the app works flawlessly. The music selection is cool – although there is not an option to search for artists or channels, like you might find with Spotify or Slacker Radio (we plan to review the latter very soon). And, while the app does display little banner ads on screen from time to time, you could run this app in the background on your device, and not be bothered with a single ad the entire time you use it.

The biggest quirk, though, has to be the fact that you need to download each channel or genre of music as an individual app. What if I don’t want to listen to Adult Pop all the time? You need to grab a different Aupeo app. Mind you, each app is free, and each app is a very small file, so it won’t take up much room on your Nokia device, but why separate them? From the Aupeo website, you can easily move back and forth between musical styles and sounds. The same should be true for the mobile app, IMO. Maybe the next version of the app will offer a consolidated all-in-one option.

If you know your musical tastes aren’t likely to vary much, then find the Aupeo app that is right for you, find a pair of headphones, and enjoy.

The Adult Pop app is free in Ovi Store; as are the other app options by Aupeo!

To learn more, take a look at the Aupeo website.