I finally recieved an email with my Google Music Beta invitation, so now it is time to take a quick look at the cloud music service.
Installation/Activation
Cloud Setup
As a cloud service, there is not actually anything to install per se; however Google does have a small program that sits in the taskbar and is capable of “watching” specified folders for new music and uploading them to your Google Music Beta library. There is also a quick activation process.
From the email, the activation process consists of being taken to the Google Music sign-up page where you then accept two license agreements, choose genres from which Google will load a few free tracks into your library, and download the small music uploading program. After downloading and configuring the music uploading program, you can jump straight to the library where you can see how many tracks have been uploaded successfully, create playlists, and listen to your music.
Installing Music Uploader
The Google Music Manager is small 575KB .exe download that sends uploads your music tracks to your library on Google’s servers. It is an extremely simple process of selecting what folders (or application music libraries such as your iTunes library) you wish Google to pull music from and allowing it to run in the sidebar. You can also view the progress of the upload process to see just how many tracks have been uploaded. The process is detailed further in the image below (click for a larger image). It is very simple, and even non-tech savvy people could easily get their music into the cloud so to speak.
See? simple 
Set Up and Usage
?Once the music uploader has completed uploading all of your tracks (which could take a long time depending on the size of you library and your internet connection), you will have access to all of your music by logging into your Google account and heading over to google.com/music.
I used Chrome (latest stable) to test out the browser interface and was not disappointed. The Google interface is extremely responsive and minimalist, which is a good thing in my book. It pulls album art and is able to organize your library by Song, Album, Artist, Genre, Recently Added, and by playlists. While playing a music track, you are completely free to navigate through your library as your music continues to play. You are able to do most things that you can do with a standard desktop application, and the audio quality seemed to be comparable.
If you know me, I am usually one to write quite the diatribe in my reviews; however, for this beta service I felt that a video would be better to illustrate what the cloud application is all about. Enjoy the video below and then read on to the conclusion .
Conclusion
What I Love
The interface is responsive, the library is easy to use, it’s free, and the uploading process while slow because of my internet connection is a painless affair of allowing Google to monitor my music folder and keep my library updated. Having an easy log-in process due to my Gmail account already being logged in the majority of the time is another huge plus.
What I Would Like To See Improved:
One unfortunate aspect of the cloud service is that it utilizes flash for the interface. I would have liked to see an HTML 5 version, though this is a minor quibble. I would also like an option to tie the service into my music folder but exclude certain folders from within that folder. This is technically possible by manually selecting all folders except those folders; however, that’s a rather laborious work-around and a nice GUI exclude option would be a nice update . The biggest thing that I would like to see improved is for Google to either partner with a music store and offer side-loading of user’s MP3 purchases, or for them to fight the RIAA to acquire their own licenses and develop their own music store. The lack of a store is what is going to ultimately hold people back from using this device as Amazon and Apple are able to offer similar services that further include easily adding new music without downloading and re-uploading. Especially when Amazon’s Cloud Player is able to offer a compelling option on the Android platform, just like Google Music Beta.
Verdict:
I think that Google’s Music Beta service works well, especially for being a beta. Set-up, uploading, and library management is a simple and intuitive process. The minimalist interface is fast and responsive, and Google Music is great for, you guessed it, playing music! Definitely check it out!
The very first Worthy Beta Award goes to Google Music for a service that works extremely well as advertised. While we would like to see a few aesthetic and feature additions to make it even more awesome, it works great right now, and as such is a Verry Technical Worthy Beta worth checking out!
Do you guys want to see more pictures of the new cloud music serive? What else would you like to see Verry Technical test out? Let us know in the forums or comments!