Developer makes MySpace better using the iPhone

Unless you're in Korea, the MySpace experience hasn't evolved much visually. Mobile users have it even worse with a stripped-down version that cuts out a few features in the name of being quick to load and working better on small screens.

However, developer Jake Marsh isn't willing to give up the latest and greatest features in the name of mobility, and has nearly completed a mobile port of MySpace for the iPhone that does a great job of copying the brilliant user interface of Facebook's iPhone app in the name of making MySpace more accessible to iPhone users.

While it lacks points for originality in the looks department, it makes up for it in functionality that's far easier to use than some of the solutions currently available in MySpace's official mobile version, and the one found on Helio's phones. One of its greatest feats is taking music, the centerpiece of MySpace, and letting you run the tracks right on your device, something you can't do because of the lack of Flash. It's also made it easier to subscribe to people's newsfeeds, something introduced this year with the apps platform that's not the central focus of the mobile app like it is for Facebook. Marsh has also implemented a photo viewer just like the one found on Facebook's app, letting you browse photos in album form instead of one at a time.

Update: Marsh got in contact with me to let me know it's slated for release in late summer (August-ish). He also gave me the link to play around with the development version (linked to his account), which doesn't yet work with 100 percent of MySpace's features, but works as advertised for going to band pages and listening to their tracks, which is about the coolest thing since sliced bread.

To see it in action, check out the preview video below.

[via Digg]