(On the left is the Snocap widget for MySpace. On the right is Lala.com's new MySpace widget.)

Since Lala.com debuted its MySpace widget on Tuesday, I thought I'd line them up and take a look at both of them. I've used the Snocap widget to purchase tracks. It's very easy to create an account and purchase music. I did not use the Lala.com widget. Though my curiosity runs high, I hardly want to spend $9.99 for a James Blunt album.

Other than the obvious design issues, the main difference between the two widgets has nothing to do with the actual design or function of the widgets. Snocap widgets are for single song downloading. To purchase an album over ten songs, it would be cheaper to go to iTunes or another download store (and cheaper yet to purchase at eMusic if available there). The James Blunt Lala.com widget -- the one case that exists to date -- allows for only an album download. (I cannot say if future Lala.com widgets will similarly offer only album downloads.)

The file formats offered by the two companies is another key difference. Snocap allows artists/labels to choose between MP3 or protected WMA files. In the case of Lala.com's James Blunt widget, the tracks are downloaded directly to the purchaser's iPod (and a CD is sent via snail mail). The tracks cannot be moved off the iPod to another device or to a computer. In effect, Lala.com allows Warner Music Group to sell iPod compatible music that dead-ends at its destination. Since the songs are not placed on the user's hard driver, the tracks will not end up on file-sharing networks. For a major label, that's a promising kind of DRM. Time will tell, but consumers just might be able to live with it.

The better of the two designs is Lala.com's widget. It has album art, clearly states the sequence of events required to purchase an album, and makes better use of space. Since all MySpace pages require a good deal of scrolling, there's really no need to made a widget short. A taller widget recognizes that fact.