Using HTML5, music service Deezer has added an “offline mode” that can be accessed directly via a browser, the company said on Tuesday.
The new feature will at first be available on Google Chrome, but it will also be available on other browsers soon, according to the company, which didn’t offer any details on timing.
The “offline mode” allows Deezer Premium+ subscribers to download their music library to their computers and to access it without being connected.
This feature also anticipates the future evolution of all mobile applications toward HTML5, which will streamline the development process for services accessible on every device, according to Deezer.
One of the advantages of Web-based applications compared to native ones is that users never have to upgrade, Deezer said.
Deezer isn’t the only company that thinks HTML5 has something to offer. On Tuesday, IDC and cross-platform development vendor Appcelerator published a report that detailed a growing interest among mobile developers for HTML5. Seventy-nine percent of respondents report that they will integrate HTML5 in their apps in 2012, according to a joint statement.
Thanks to its partnerships with Facebook, Orange and Belgacom, Deezer is now available in more than 50 countries and will be accessible worldwide at the end of 2012. The music service announced its global launch plans in December with the goal of launching the service in 200 countries by June.
Unlike competing services Rdio and Spotify, Deezer won’t be available in the U.S., a decision the company has attributed to market saturation and low growth forecasts. Deezer has also decided not to launch in Japan for the same reasons, the company said in December, a decision it is sticking with.
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