Pandora releases a beautiful home screen widget for Apple iPhone and iPad
You know what was funny? The excitement of iPhone users when Apple finally added home screen widget support to iOS. It was comical because Google had widget support on Android pretty much forever. In other words, the Apple faithful were getting all hot and bothered over what Android users considered "old hat."
But OK, it doesn't really matter which platform had widgets first -- both Android and iOS/iPadOS have them now. While there has long been a Pandora widget for Android, today, the music streaming company launches a new widget for Apple's mobile devices too -- as long as they are running iOS/iPadOS version 14.x.
Alexa, play a podcast on Pandora
Podcasts have been steadily gaining in popularity over the last several years, but thanks to COVID-19, it feels like interest has exploded recently. After all, people are stuck indoors -- whether unemployed or working from home -- and listening to a podcast is a great way to pass the time. Don't forget, Spotify recently paid Joe Rogan $100 million to get his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, on its platform exclusively.
Pandora may not be the most popular platform for listening to podcasts, but some people do, in fact, use it for that purpose. If you are one of those people, I have great news -- you can now start and listen to your favorite podcasts on Pandora using Amazon Alexa.
This is the Spotify mobile experience we need
Spotify revolutionized how we consume music, and although it faces strong competition from the likes of Pandora, Apple and Amazon, it remains the number one audio streaming service by some margin, with 286 million active users a month.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect though. Personally I’m not a lover of Spotify’s look, and I think the mobile experience could certainly be a lot better. I’m definitely not alone here.
Pandora goes dark on Apple iPhone and iPad
I've never been much of a fan of dark mode -- especially on a desktop operating system. White text on a black background tends to annoy me. With Windows 10, for instance, I didn't really enjoy using the operating system until the light theme was introduced in the May 2019 update. Believe it or not, I use Apple Music instead of Spotify because I hate the latter's always-on dark interface. And yet, on iOS 13, I actually like Apple's implementation of dark mode -- in the evening, I have my iPhone and iPad switch to it.
Now that I am using dark mode on my Apple mobile devices, I am trying to use apps that auto-switch to dark when the operating system does. It is very satisfying to have a consistent interface where apps respect the user's dark desires. Today, the very popular music app, Pandora, finally introduces dark mode support for iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. In addition, the Pandora mobile app is getting enhanced Siri compatibility.
There's a new Pandora desktop app for Windows 10 in the Microsoft Store
Pandora is a popular music streaming service that aims to function as sort of a personalized radio station for the listener. There are different tiers of service, including a free option -- a big reason for its popularity. There are also paid tiers, starting at just $4.99.
Today, Pandora releases a new desktop app for Windows 10. This follows the release of the app for Apple macOS, which has been available since May of 2019. This new app for Windows is being offered exclusively from the Microsoft Store, so Windows 7 users, for example, cannot experience it fully. Pandora specifically says it is a Windows 10-only affair. Of course, all platforms can access Pandora thanks to the web player -- something Apple Music is currently beta testing.
Pandora Premium now available on Samsung Smart TVs
Pandora Premium may not be the most popular streaming music service, but apparently, it does have its fans. You can listen to the service on many devices, such as your computer, smartphone, and tablet.
Starting today, Pandora Premium users get yet another way to enjoy the service -- Samsung Smart televisions. You see, Pandora is delivering an application for these TVs. If you think enjoying music using a TV is crazy, think again -- you don't have to listen to Pandora using the television's internal speakers. For better audio, you can connect a receiver or sound bar to the TV.
Pandora launches unlimited Premium Family plan for $15 per month -- with a 60-day free trial
With so much choice in the field of streaming music, any package on the market has to offer something special to stand out from the competition. Looking to better compete with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, Pandora has launched a new Premium Family package.
The new package offers unlimited access to all of Pandora's premium features for up to six people. The price is just $15 per month, but there's a 60-day free trial available so you can try it out for size first.
Pandora for Sonos gets a major boost to blast your favorite music
You are almost certainly familiar with Pandora, the popular music app that allows you to build stations based upon your favorite artists or songs. It's available in both free and paid versions, and you can choose which one to go for based on your tolerance for commercials.
You may, however, be less familiar with Sonos. For those who don't know, it is a whole house music system that allows you to connect multiple speakers, each of which can be individually controlled -- you can have them all synced to play the same thing, or different songs in different rooms.
Tesla working on music streaming service: report
Tesla, Inc. is reportedly in talks with music labels to come out with its own music streaming service that would supposedly compete with an already saturated market, and presumably focused only on the experience of listening to music in your car.
This comes from a report from Recode, which has quoted a Tesla spokesperson on record as saying, "We believe it’s important to have an exceptional in-car experience so our customers can listen to the music they want from whatever source they choose."
Ira Glass arrives on Pandora as This American Life is released on the streaming platform
You may well have heard the popular radio show This American Life. It's broadcast out of Chicago, but syndicated around the US, and perhaps has an even greater footprint thanks to its podcast. Host Ira Glass has taken his idea for a little show and turned it into a force in media.
Despite the name, the shows are very much international, though they usually involve Americans, even in foreign locations. Glass also covers all sorts of incidents from the financial crisis to crimes. Now the long-running show is coming to Pandora, a platform known for its music streaming system.
Pandora generates more than $2 billion in royalties
Back in the 90's, buying CDs was a passion of mine. Not only would I be knowledgeable about all of the release dates for my favorite artists, but I would go to midnight store-openings to buy them. Then, alone in my bedroom, I would listen to all of the discs and drift away.
Nowadays? Not so much. While I still adore music -- especially hip-hop tunes -- physical media is not part of the equation. Streaming media services are my gateway to music, and it is largely very satisfying. Apparently, I am far from alone in my love for streaming. Today, Pandora -- a very popular streaming service -- announces it has generated more than $2 billion in royalties for artists and songwriters. Yes folks, streaming is legit.
Listen up! Pandora arrives on the new Apple TV
The brand new Apple TV is now on the market, and it is receiving some attention. Capability is in the eye of the beholder, but of course, being Apple, it has its fans. This time around the platform has opened up a bit more and slipping in now is music darling Pandora.
The streaming service is announcing that it is now launching on the the new Apple TV. The service already supported many different devices, but this adds one more to the arsenal.
Pandora plans to make Rdio part of its music empire
Pandora and Rdio are two of the major forces in the streaming music industry. It's a growing market now that CDs have become part of the past. Yes, sales of them still exist, just not what they once were.
Now Pandora is planning to acquire Rdio and consolidate the two services. It's an interesting proposition and will certainly have implications. Pandora and Rdio are different in certain ways. Pandora simply lets you create stations based on taste and does an excellent job of it. Rdio allows for streaming individual songs.
Pandora makes music discovery even easier
Music services are an ever increasing market, with new ones popping up all the time. There are a few that have distanced themselves from the pack, though. One of those is Pandora which takes a song and analyzes it in an effort to create a station with similar music. You can argue if this works, but it does in most cases, at least based in my experience,
Now Tim Westergren's little hobby is launch an enhanced discover service in an effort to make it even easier to find music.
Serial, from the makers of This American Life, coming to Pandora
This American Life has become a bit of an icon on US radio. Few people haven't at least heard of the show or its host Ira Glass. While episodes vary from humorous to hard-hitting news and rather harrowing true stories, the show has been a success.
Now the producers have added another show, titled Serial, and it takes the approach a step further. This show carries on one story throughout the season, continued from one episode to the next. Season one covered a murder investigation in Baltimore.
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