Cell Phones To Chime To iTunes

Music listeners will soon be able to transfer songs they buy from Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes music store to Motorola Inc. cell phones.

The companies announced plans late Monday for Apple to create a new iTunes mobile music player that can transfer songs to Motorola mass market cell phones. At the iTunes online music store, customers can buy and share individual songs from a set list.

The new service will enable users to transfer songs from their computers to Motorola mobile handsets with a USB port or Bluetooth wireless connection.

The service is expected to become available in the first half of 2005.

"The mobile phone market — with 1.5 billion subscribers expected worldwide by the end of 2004 — is a phenomenal opportunity to get iTunes in the hands of even more music lovers around the world and we think Motorola is the ideal partner to kick this off," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a release.