The MusicStrands mobile team is hard at work providing more MyStrands features for a mobile world. Another new release of MyStrands for .NET Mobile is available for download.

MyStrands for .NET Mobile version b0.2.2.000 (for those keeping track) includes all of the great features described in the March 9 posting, and adds:

• Tag Cloud — the ability to easily build playlists based on tags applied to your music
• Offline mode — accessed through an option on the Preferences page
• More track information — a menu item on the Track info page lets you read detailed information about the track on the MusicStrands Mobile website.
• More community features — contacts and influences are now displayed on the community page
• Technical improvements — contact information is cached for the current session, and a playlist ordering issue has been resolved.

In case you’re not familiar with MyStrands for .NET Mobile, here are a few screenshots to introduce you to the product.

The Library view shows your library by track, or as shown here, by artist. From the Library view you can select the music you want to play, build a playlist, get recommendations based on a selected artist or track, or select the way you want to browse through your music.

The Now Playing view shows you basic information about the tune you’re playing, and lets you get to more info with a click or two. From the Now Playing window you can:

- Find out more about the track
- View, add or delete tags
- Get recommendations
- Explore community information (through Who’s Listening)

Both the Library view and the Now Playing view provide a link to the Recommendations screen. The Recommendations screen lets you play a 30 second clip of a selected track and choose to view track information on the Mobile website. Recommendations let you discover new tracks and artists, expanding your knowledge and experience of music.

MyStrands’ Community features—shown in the following screen shot—enhance and enrich your music experience. The contacts section lets you see what friends, or those whose musical taste you admire are playing. Select a track from the list under a contact’s ID to obtain and play a 30-second clip. MyStrands’ Who’s Listening feature lets you see who has recently played the track you’re currently listening to, and then check out what else that listener has played. Links to User Info on the mobile web site let you read a user’s blog, look over his or her playlists, and discover even more tracks through a user’s play history.

Tag Cloud provides a quick and easy way to build a playlist for your current mood, activity or musical preference. The Tag Cloud screen lets you choose from a set of tags applied to your music, then instantly select the songs in your mobile that are marked with that tag. It’s a quick and easy way to get a set of tunes organized an playing on your mobile device.

If you have a Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, try out this new release of MyStrands, and let us know what you think. And, remember to check out this page for new information on continued development.