A cloud-based, streaming music service from Google is almost certainly an inevitability now, as a freshly leaked version of the Android Music player has been making its way around the tubes.
The app looks similar to the music player found on the new Android Honeycomb tablets but works on Android smartphones as well. I took it for a quick spin and found myself nodding approvingly.
The settings menu is perhaps more tantalizing than the app itself. There’s a setting that lets you link up to your Google account and a few settings underneath it that suggest streaming options. None of them are active, unfortunately, but their presence in the settings menu is telling.
The not-yet-official app has been yanked from Google’s servers, but there are copies of it floating around if you’re interested in trying it out for yourself. You’ll need to enable the installation of non-Market apps on your Android device first (Settings > Applications > Unknown sources). Enjoy.
More on TIME.com:
Google Begins Testing Google Music, Hints at Launch
Android’s Hidden Music Backup Feature Harmonizes with Google