Pandora Radio 2.0 for iPhone Released

[MacRumors]

Pandora has released Pandora Radio 2.0 [App Store] for iPhone and iPod touch, bringing a number of new features to the free personalized Internet radio service. Pandora's music service automatically generates playlists based on a user's stated artist, song, or composer preferences, and user feedback on Pandora's selections continuously refines its future recommendations. New features include:

- Cover Flow-like browsing of song histories
- Song progress bar
- Ability to share a user's personalized radio stations with friends via e-mail
- Artist biographies
- 30-second previews of bookmarked songs
- Ability to create new stations directly from songs and artists appearing in an existing station

Pandora has been a fixture on the App Store since it launched in July 2008, and saw considerable early success. Despite some uncertainty due to potential increases in royalty fees paid by Internet radio broadcasters to record companies, Pandora Radio has remained among the most popular free App Store applications.

Article Link: Pandora 2.0 for iPhone Released

 

[mattfr]

US Only?

Thanks for the news...

... but that app's still unavailable in France App Store! (is it a US-Only App?)

 

[Oskee2001]

The really cool thing would be if they included a built-in browser! sometimes when i'm commuting i'd like to be able to check email and the papers.

 

[JW008]

Upgraded this morning, so I had it on the drive to work! It's a big step up--it's the only app I downloaded on Day 1 and still use to this day!

 

[alexbates]

It sounds like it has a lot better features and has a similar UI of the iPod part of the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is something I will be getting! I bet it will bump back up to the #1 spot in the App Store's "top free" section.

 

[lazyrighteye]

A very nice upgrade of an app I use daily.
I've really enjoyed discovering new-to-me music... on the go.

A feature I'd really like to see Pandora devs add to this app is the ability for it to run in the 'background,' or whilst I'm using other apps (much like the built-in iPod). Currently, if I want to check Mail or Safari or Calendar, I have to quit out of Pandora first. Not a deal breaker, but would be nice to have this fixed/added.

 

[rickdollar]

Nice improvement.

Now, if it would just give us a link to the iTunes store for the previous or current song playing since it's okay to buy from iTunes now. Well, 80% of it anyway.

 

[riversky]

A very nice upgrade of an app I use daily.
I've really enjoyed discovering new-to-me music... on the go.

A feature I'd really like to see Pandora devs add to this app is the ability for it to run in the 'background,' or whilst I'm using other apps (much like the built-in iPod). Currently, if I want to check Mail or Safari or Calendar, I have to quit out of Pandora first. Not a deal breaker, but would be nice to have this fixed/added.

I might be wrong but I believe running an app in the "background" is prohibited by Apple in the developers agreement and technically. This has something to do with the battery life issues and API conflicts.

 

[bmms8]

even if you were able to run it in the background, i dont think you would be able to use safari at the same time. i use backgrounder since i have a JB phone. once i open up safari and browse, pandora will stop playing since its streaming i assume. ipod app on the other hand is playing from memory.

 

[diamond3]

No, but a program like sportacular lets you go to the news, click on a feed, and then it opens up the web page inside the app. It doesn't allow back or forward buttons, but you can still browse the internet. I would think this feature wouldn't be hard to implement in pandora.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I might be wrong but I believe running an app in the "background" is prohibited by Apple in the developers agreement and technically. This has something to do with the battery life issues and API conflicts.

Ahh, could be - not read that agreement.
And I might have been thinking about how the iPod can play in the background of other apps (Touchgrind comes to mind) and not the other way around.
Regardless, thanks.

 

[Habakuk]

... but that app's still unavailable in France App Store! (is it a US-Only App?)

In German-language stores it's not available too. I do not really understand what it does without being able to use it but I guess it affects just mainstream "popular" music and nothing special... Or am I wrong?

 

[nagromme]

Great app. And don't forget:

* Buy music (on Amazon or iTunes) via Pandora if you can--the commission pays their bills

* Pandora.com has a nice interface for managing the same bookmarks and channels as your iPhone

 

[ChrisN]

Looks great, but iTunes never shows this as an update...

ChrisN

 

[Darkroom]

not available in Canada... music industry is such trash...

 

[natebookpro]

Now, if it would just give us a link to the iTunes store for the previous or current song playing since it's okay to buy from iTunes now. Well, 80% of it anyway.

Click the up arrow between the thumbs up and thumbs down then click buy from iTunes.

 

[Stig McNasty]

UK out of the loop as well

UK iTunes store is a no-no for Pandora too. Gosh darnnit!

 

[ltcol266845]

Is it just me or does this new version crash a ton? I've been listening at work for maybe an hour tops and it has crashed 4 or 5 times. Lame.

Love the new Genres though! Listening to the Contemporary Folk station, though ironically aside from Jack Johnson, all the rest of the music is from about 40 years ago. Go figure!

EDIT:: Crashed two more times since posting... this is pretty bad. Same story over WiFi and 3G...

 

[Tones2]

It sounds to me like the new version 2.0 is now transmitting in STEREO over 3G - the previous version did NOT transmit stereo over 3G, just over WIFI. For some reason, this is not listed as a new feature in 2.0, however. Can anyone confirm that Pandora is now transmitting in stereo over 3G?

Tony

 

[rickdollar]

Click the up arrow between the thumbs up and thumbs down then click buy from iTunes.

That's great. Thank you.

 

[chatster18]

pandora licensing

In German-language stores it's not available too. I do not really understand what it does without being able to use it but I guess it affects just mainstream "popular" music and nothing special... Or am I wrong?

not available in Canada... music industry is such trash...

UK iTunes store is a no-no for Pandora too. Gosh darnnit!

Thanks for the news...

... but that app's still unavailable in France App Store! (is it a US-Only App?)

This is from Pandora's FAQ section:

Q: Why do you require a United States Zip Code when registering?

Our music licenses require our listeners to be United States residents, which is why we require your US zip code during registration.

We fervently hope one day we can legally make Pandora available internationally. For more information about international licensing issues, please see:
http://blog.pandora.com/faq/#79

 

[robdam1001]

I'm having issues with 2.0 as well; there is ~ a 30- 60 second gap between EVERY song now. The older version, (1.0?), had no noticeable gap.

 

[Ruckus12]

Pandora has not been what it used to be for me, when it FIRST came out the quality was GREAT, now when i play music from pandora in my car it sounds like the quality is LOWer than when it first came out, even with the high quality music option ON...

don't know if it's just me though.. since i dont see anyone else complaining about it

 

[WPeterson]

cover-flow is super cool! i love that mac style updates.

as the best-ever free music channel for ourselves, pandora deserves those awards from the media.

 

[happydude]

one of the best apps out there and def one of my most used!