In sticking with Things Geeks Should Know, you outta know that you can get Pandora on your iPhone. Sure the iPhone 2.0 software apps have gotten a bad rap, but Pandora just released 1.1 of their app and I’ve gotta say … ! Wow. Early adopters were probably pissed that Pandora froze the phone, squeeled speakers and wouldn’t return you to your setting if you left the application. All, mostly fixed – speakers still squeel when a call comes in because that’s the nature of the iPhone 1 beast.
.h1 Get Pandora on Your iPhone
If you held out like I did, it’s time to accept the iPhone 2.0 software updates that updating iTunes automatically will bring. I put this off for ages. Same interface, nothing horrible, the phone tosses lots of warning about backing up and what will stay and what will go should you have moved Photos, Podcasts, Videos or songs… Normal behavior. Once your phone is up to speed, you’ll have a new button on the Home Screen. The App Store. It’s shaped a bit like a picnic bench on a blue field. (Also, the childish calculator was replaced with a “normal” calculator complete with Memory functions. And Good Lord, man! Turn the calculator sideways!)
Search Pandora while in the App Store screen. It should default to Featured. The Search in on the bottom. Pandora is free. Click “Free” until it says “Install.” On some fussy iPhones, we had to press “Install” several times. You’re successful when the “P” in a blue field indicates that Pandora now lives on your phone. A progress bar clues you in to its rather rapid installation process. Push it and find a search field open to you.
.h1 Pandora Version 1.1
Long story short: I screwed up and moved all my music to another computer to make space for programming. When upgrading to the 2.0 software in iTunes and synching my iPhone, the files didn’t match and every last song was stripped from my phone. A smiley face didn’t follow.
After a ten-count to cool off, I thought about Pandora. You sign up with an e-mail and password and type in the name of a genre or band that you like, hell, even the name of a song works. Due to copyright limitations, Pandora can’t always play the exact song if you entered a song title. The Music Genome Project brain-child, Pandora, attempts to connect you to songs that are similar to your search. The library would dwarf a 16GB iPhone.
Like Mississippi Delta slide guitar and blues like I do? Search North Mississippi Allstars Sometimes in the mood for experimental orchestral stuff? Penguin Cafe Orchestra Want kick-ass, a little folksie, a little Top 40, little swanky SoCal cowboy Mexicale Latin that’s uber-catchy even if you don’t know the words? Jarabe de Palo. (La Flaca makes me cry.)
Anyhow, Version 1.1 now pumps out the millions of songs in stereo. Returning to the app from a call doesn’t destroy your spot. There’s more, but here’s the point: With Pandora on the iPhone, I’ve got more songs on my 8GB 1st gen iPhone than you do and while I can’t call up a pre-programmed playlist that was, no doubt, fun to spend hours tweaking, I’m not compelled to drag all my days worth of music off the server and back on to the phone.
