OpenPandora

Support for the Logitech G15 keyboard

2009-08-06T14:25:00.005+03:00

A new beta version was released with support for the Logitech G15 keyboard.
Many thanks to Scott Workman for helping with this feature.
The current played track info is displayed, and you can select if you like it or hate it.

Some bugs related to the Last.fm submition were fixed too.

You can download version 0.7.0 beta6 from here.

Update:
Windows 7 users - if you have a problem please use the previous beta5 from here.

Version 0.7.0, the second beta

2009-06-03T15:57:00.002+03:00

This version has only small chnages. The main reason for this release is the fact that Google Pages is shutting down, or more precisely migrating to Google Sites.

The core functionality of OpenPandora is based on a file hosted in Google Pages, so a new hosting for that file was needed, and there for an update for OpenPandora too.

I'm glad to inform that there is a new website based Google App Engine and it is located at http://getopenpandora.appspot.com. The move made a temporary problem for users of old versions, but the problem is fixed.
Sorry if you had any troubles.

Please upgrade to the current release at http://getopenpandora.appspot.com/download.

Version 0.7.0 enters beta

2009-02-28T09:57:00.002+02:00

The development of the new version has began. First beta of version 0.7.0 is ready for download.
Current changes are bug fixes and small updates:

All fields of registration window are visible
MiniPlayer is removed
Lyrics menu moved up from Tools and uses Google search
Border was added to the window
Bigger window that is resized based on current Pandora status
Disabled opening of Pandora mini
Correctly write to Start/Programs for all languages

OpenPandora 0.6.9 is ready (Official Pandora layout fix)

2008-12-05T16:07:00.003+02:00

The official OpenPandora fix is ready.
Go get it from the download page.
Kudos to Kevin for his quick unofficial fix.

It's time make some changes to OpenPandora and make a complete rewrite.
More info will be posted later.

Update: The download is available again

Update2: The setup file hosting moved to Google Code

New Pandora Layout

2008-12-03T19:08:00.001+02:00

Pandora has changed their site's layout today.
This change broke OpenPandora.
Please wait for a fix.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Update: There is an unofficial fix created by Kevin: http://kevinmcr.home.comcast.net/OpenPandora%20fix.zip.
An official fix will be ready soon.

The complete guide for using OpenPandora outside US with Tor

2007-06-01T12:17:00.000+03:00

Since Pandora started blocking users outside US some solutions where proposed, but only one made to the top - Tor.

Tor can help you anonymize web browsing, by bouncing communication around a distributed network of servers called onion routers.
This is nice, but how this helps?
If the communication is bounced over network of servers and the last server that forwards communication located in US, Pandora will think that the user himself is located in US and will not block him.

So what we need is to force last server to be in US and use Tor only for communication with Pandora. This is done in four simple steps:

Install Tor.

Got to http://tor.eff.org/download-windows.html.en and download just Tor (marked for experts only), or use this link http://tor.eff.org/dist/win32/tor-0.1.2.14-win32.exe.
Update torrc file.

Open torrc file from Start->Programs->Tor and add paste at the bottom

StrictExitNodes 1
exitnodes desync,whistlersmother,lefkada,bettyboop,croeso,TorLuwakOrg,nixnix,inap1,redpineapple,cronic,sasquatch,slowturtle2

This will force the last server to be located in US.
Create tor.pac file. I have created it directly under c: drive (c:\tor.pac).
Start by creating new text file. Open it in Notepad and paste

function FindProxyForURL(url, host)
{
if (shExpMatch(host, "www.pandora.com")) return "SOCKS 127.0.0.1:9050";
return "DIRECT";
}

Rename it tor.pac.

Alternatively you can download my tor.pac from here: http://openpandora.googlepages.com/tor.pac.
Set tor.pac to be used for automatic configuration in Internet Explorer.

Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools->Internet Options.
Select Connections tab.
Open Lan Settings by pressing the button.
Check/Select 'Use automatic configuration script'.
Write in Address "file://" following the tor.pac file name with full path. I wrote "file://c:\tor.pac" (without the quotation marks).

Now you activate Tor from Start->Programs->Tor->Tor and run OpenPandora. It will take some time until Pandora will load, but when it loads the music never stops.

Patched version 0.6.8 - Support for Pandora new layout

2007-05-24T10:01:00.000+03:00

Patched version 0.6.8 is ready.

It fixes the layout problem after recent changes to Pandora layout.
This is only an initial fix and an official update will come later.

Remark: The OpenPandora update mechanizm will try to load this page http://openpandora.googlepages.com/download/, but due to a problem with GooglePages it will not be recognized. The correct URL is this one http://openpandora.googlepages.com/download, without the slash (/) at the end. This is a new issue with GooglePages and I hope they will fix it soon.

Enjoy your music.

New pants for Pandora

2007-05-23T10:45:00.000+03:00

Pandora just changed the look of their site and the player, slightly broking OpenPandora.

The new site does look much better, also adding more functionality to the player.
I'm working on a patched version. Stay tuned.

-Enjoy your music.

Some good news

2007-05-14T16:22:00.000+03:00

Stealing the title from Pandora blog, but adding some real good news:

You can use OpenPandora even outside US. Thanks for the blog commenters for finding the solution.
You have to install Hotspot Shield and that all ~~enter under proxy settings host 127.0.0.1 and port 895~~.

And back to Pandora with some new features:

Volume normalization (finally!)
Tune shared station for your taste using thumbs up and down
Now you can move station even from shared station and QuickMix
Backstage is available back for all users, even those outside US.
and more

Enjoy your music.

Try alpha beta 3 [ad]

What's next?

2007-05-08T16:40:00.000+03:00

Now that Pandora closed their gates and plugged out the cable for connections outside US, they simply made us search for an alternative.

Share the community with your alternatives. Just add a comment to this post.

Public Proxies

2007-05-06T17:43:00.000+03:00

You can use public CGI-PROXY located in US to surf the net as if you was surfing in US.

Some random proxies can be found here: http://tools.rosinstrument.com/cgi-proxy.htm. Just type the site you want to reach, like http://pandora.com.

Use this trick to play Pandora outside US.

Pandora is closing

2007-05-03T12:35:00.000+03:00

Pandora is closing the access for users outside U.S.

Form their letter:
"Today we have some extremely disappointing news to share with you. Due to international licensing constraints, we are deeply, deeply sorry to say that we must begin proactively preventing access to Pandora’s streaming service for most countries outside of the U.S."

and

"On May 3rd, we will begin blocking access to Pandora to listeners from your country."

Sad day, but I hope this is only temporary. They do save user accounts, and promise to provide the service outside U.S. in the future. Time will tell.

Thinking positively, this may also help to web radio. New companies outside U.S. will emerge and provide similar service. In the long run, we will only gain.

I don't know how this will effect OpenPandora development, since I'm living outside U.S.
I'll post more later.

Version 0.6.8 is out - Solving control problem

2007-03-25T00:02:00.000+02:00

Version 0.6.8 is available for download.

It fixes the problem with global shortcuts and playback control from menu that stopped working.

It is highly advised to upgrade to this version.

Release notes:

NEW: Ctrl+Win+Enter: Display again song notification window
NEW: Allow to disable new version popup
FIX: Support back non XP machines
FIX: Not reflecting pausing in title problem
FIX: Settings, About and Notification windows visible with Alt+Tab problem
FIX: Copy to clipboard without paused straing
FIX: Plaback control with global shortcuts and menu
UPD: Show settings window centered to main window
UPD: Copy to clipboard includes disc name

Enjoy your music! And check for more betas on alpha beta 3.

Copyright Ruling

2007-03-13T15:08:00.000+02:00

On Friday March 2nd, the U.S. government (specifically, the Copyright Royalty Board, or "CRB") announced its determination of the royalty rates Internet radio webcasters must pay the owners of sound recording copyrights to license the music they play for the years 2006-2010. The owners of these sound recording copyrights are, in the vast majority of cases, recording companies ("labels").

While successful webcasters which have built loyal audiences can usually cover most of their costs from their revenue (and sometimes even make a little profit), these new rates will almost certainly destroy the Internet radio industry, as they amount to well over 100% of even the most-successful webcasters' online radio revenues. In other words, these fees are grotesquely disproportionate to any other expense a webcaster would normally face, and certain to bankrupt him or her. [via savethestreams.org]

As the Pandora blog post suggest sign the petition and check more about the issue.

New beta version 0.6.8.4

2007-01-27T16:32:00.000+02:00

New beta version 0.6.8.4 is ready.

Change log:
- Ctrl+Win+Enter: Display again song notification window
- Fixed not loading on non XP machines
- Allow to disable new version popup
- Fixed not reflecting pausing in title and tray icon tooltip
- Fixed Setting, About and Notification windows visible with Alt+Tab
- Settings window centered to main window

Version 0.6.7 - Stealing focus problem solved

2007-01-20T13:19:00.000+02:00

The new notification window was stealing focus for some of the users.
The problem is solved. Simply download and install again OpenPandora.

After adding additional small fixes a new version will be released.

OpenPandora with Wii(mote)

2007-01-17T16:36:00.000+02:00

I never thought I would say Wii and OpenPandora in the same sentence, but one OpenPandora user made this happen.

brandon_r87 created GlovePIE script for controlling OpenPandora with Wiimote.
Besides Wiimote, you will also need Bluetooth enabled computer.

read

Version 0.6.7 is out

2007-01-12T17:24:00.000+02:00

New official release of OpenPandora version 0.6.7 is out.

The last addition to the release notes was fixing of 120DPI bug. The fix doesn't solve all the problems with high DPI (e.g. notification window), but I can assure that the work continues. The fix was actually more of a hack to avoid some problematic behavior with .NET Forms (one can even say a bug).

This version took more than two months, but it has the longest list of release notes. I hope that next releases will take less time.

Heading to version 0.7 I can tell about some of the planned changes and additions:
- Plugin API
- Compliance with Pandora license
- Full support of high DPI
- Complete rewrite of MiniPlayer and introduction of MicroPlayer
- Many other enhancements and bug fixes

The project is now licensed under GNU General Public License 2.0 and hosted by Google Code, so you can track development with Issues List.

If you want to help in development or just curios, grab the source.

Open your music and enjoy it.

UPDATE: Fixed downloading previous version from new version available message
UPDATE 2: Fixed bug with the new notificatin window on non Windows XP computers. Version updated to 0.6.7.6 .
UPDATE 3: Added setting to show notification window as classic balloon. Allow user to disable new version message box. Title will continue to show new version message on startup. New download, same version.

Pandora audio ads

2007-01-10T16:36:00.000+02:00

Recently Pandora added audio ads. The first "angry" comment about this was on January 04, 2007.

More about this and a chat with Pandora CTO here.

Version 0.6.7 beta 3

2006-12-26T16:46:00.000+02:00

New beta 3 (0.6.7.2) is ready.

Changes in this beta:
- Fixed title not refreshing bug
- Refresh from menu fixes the title (if the above problem continues)
- About opens in new window
- Title scrolling when too long
- DoubleClick on title in MiniPlayer mode restores to normal window
- Customize title with radio station name - %r
- Removed setting to submit skipped traks. Always submit if played more than 2 minutes

More about the new notification window

2006-12-12T09:48:00.000+02:00

New notification window was introduced in beta 2 of version 0.6.7 .

It is based on the single track view in Pandora, and looks and feels almost identical.
You can click track name, artist name and disc name. The affect will be the same as if you pressed the same links within Pandora.
You can move the notification window by pressing outside the text/links, but within the window.
The text is not scrolling and clicking on the album has no affect, yet.

Version 0.6.7 - beta 2

2006-12-10T23:52:00.000+02:00

New version 0.6.7 beta is available.
You can download it here.

Some bugs were fixed.
Added Skype integration.
Added new notification window, that looks like single track view in Pandora.

Enjoy your music.

Version 0.6.7 beta 1

2006-11-29T00:05:00.000+02:00

As promised, new beta is here

Change list:
- Fixed stuck on loading bug
- Small(er) memory footprint
- Fixed starting Xfire on exit bug
- Fixed Pandora radio misplaced bug with IE7
- Fixed some other minor bugs
- Open settings in new window
- Remember Mini Player location
- Shadow under the player window and animated minimize

Update:
Added "Small(er) memory footprint".

New beta is coming

2006-11-28T15:06:00.000+02:00

New beta will be shipped soon, with bugfixes and minor changes.
Major changes and new features will be available in later beta.

New developer joined the team: Dirk Rettschlag.

The beta is released under GNU General Public License 2.
The source is hosted in Google Code: http://code.google.com/p/openpandora

Known problem: Stuck on loading

2006-11-23T13:44:00.000+02:00

There is a known that happens once in while, that OpenPandora stuck on loading.

Not all the times that it seems to stuck it is really stuck. It just takes longer than usual to load. But there are those times that it is really stuck. Current solution is to restart the application.

The problem is not neglected and the solution is in the progress.

UPDATE: The poblem is fixed starting first beta of version 0.6.7

Firefox2

2006-10-24T23:47:00.000+02:00

Firefox2 is officialy out.

I put a nice button on the left, and another one in this post.

Featured on Download Squad

2006-10-24T01:03:00.000+02:00

Download Squad also posted story about OpenPandora.

read

Version 0.6.6 is out

2006-10-23T18:53:00.000+02:00

Version 0.6.6 is out of beta.

There are no changes from the last beta.

- Ctrl+Win+PgUp/PgDn: Change stations
- Ctrl+Win+Home: Show/Hide the window
- Ctrl+Win+Q: Switch station to QuickMix
- Mini Player
- Remember location for next run
- Show Last.fm avatar
- New version and new beta version announcer
- Send song information to Xfire

More info about this version can be found in the posts about the 0.6.6 betas.

Enjoy your music.

Featured on gHacks

2006-10-23T14:47:00.000+02:00

gHacks just posted a story about OpenPandora.

read

Beta4 Welcomes Gamers With Xfire Support

2006-10-20T21:02:00.000+02:00

Download the new beta from the same location.

Besides some minor fixes, this beta adds support for Xfire.
Just as with Microsoft Messenger, OpenPandora will update your message in Xfire with the current track information.

This beta will also tests new beta announcer.
Please report about any problems.

Beta Announcer Update

2006-10-19T08:27:00.000+02:00

There is a bug in beta announcer. When new beta will be ready it will start downloading the latest stable version instead of the beta.

If you have downloaded beta3 and the file name was OpenPandora_0.6.6.zip you should downlaod the beta again, so the file name will be OpenPandoraBeta.zip and install it.
If you downloaded beta as OpenPandoraBeta.zip, everything is fine.

Beta3 of version 0.6.6

2006-10-18T19:28:00.000+02:00

Download the new beta from the same location.

Some new features in this beta:
- Pressing Alt+F4 or Close key in multimedia keyboard will act as pressing on the X button. So if Close button in OpenPandora minimizes to tray pressing Alt+F4 will do the same. Same when Close button in OpenPandora is not visible
- Smaller executable
- New global keyboard shortcut. Pressing Ctrl+Win+Q will change station to QuickMix
- Title will show tooltip if the text is too long
- New announcer on new version and new beta version. If new version is available a message box will be shown that will start the download if you hit Ok. Same if you are using a beta version and there is a newer beta.

Beta2 for 0.6.6

2006-10-17T17:22:00.000+02:00

Download beta2 from the same location.

Some updates and fixes:
- Better response for global shortcuts
- New Mini Player look
- Always on top in Mini Player
- Showing settings stops Mini Player

New features:
- Remember location for next run
- Show your Last.fm avatar in settings. After changing Last.fm user you should apply or save in order to refresh the avatar
- Show in title what station is going to be played next. Usefull when changing station with global shortcuts

Previous features:
- New global shortcuts
Ctrl+Win+PgUp/PgDn: Change station
Ctrl+Win+Home: Show/Hide the window
- Support for QuickMix

New Beta Version

2006-10-16T10:11:00.000+02:00

New beta is ready.

- New global shortcuts:
Ctrl+Win+PgUp/PgDn: Change station
Ctrl+Win+Home: Show/Hide the window
- Support for QuickMix.
- MiniPlayer

Version 0.6.5 - Moving to new API

2006-10-14T19:46:00.000+02:00

New veresion 0.6.5 works with the new Pandora API.

Some changes in global shortcuts:
Ctrl+Win+Plus : I like it (instead of Up)
Ctrl+Win+Minus : I Don't like it (instead of Down)
Ctrl+Win+Up : Volume up
Ctrl+Win+Down : Volume down

QuickMix is not reflected yet.

Please wait for the next release for some real updates.

New Pandora version - new API

2006-10-14T17:54:00.000+02:00

Many have noticed that the new API disabled many of the OpenPandora functions.
I'm working to fix this. New version will come soon.

New Pandora features

2006-10-13T11:21:00.000+02:00

Pandora just announced a bunch of new features.

QuickMix will allow you to select stations you want to mix together. While playing QuickMix the station that contributed current track will be marked with orange border and the stations list will scroll to make it visible. It is even possible to send the mix via email.

"Move this song" feature will allow you to move the song you like, but you think that it should be in another station, to that station. This option is not visible while you are in QuickMix. Bug? After all you do know its station.

Finally you can sort stations alphabetically in addition to order you created them. Next step is to be able to group station, like OpenPandora does with shared and your own stations.

Version 0.6.4

2006-10-10T15:35:00.000+02:00

Version 0.6.4 is out of beta.

Better performance and new proxy settings.
Global shortcuts and popup tray notification balloon.

More details about this version in the previous posts.

Enjoy your music.

Beta2 for 0.6.4

2006-10-05T17:41:00.000+02:00

New beta of version 0.6.4 is ready:

Some problems that where found by the beta testers are fixed.
Thanks guys.

Also there is a new feature - Global Shortcuts:
Ctrl+Win+Space: Toggle Play / Pause
Ctrl+Win+Right: Skip to the Next Song
Ctrl+Win+Up : I Like this Song
Ctrl+Win+Down : I Don't Like this Song
Go to settings to enable the global shortcuts.

The site was updated too. New Help page was added. It is actually a F.A.Q. and already contains some beta questions.

Beta 0.6.4

2006-10-03T18:04:00.000+02:00

This beta presents almost no new features, but mostly better performance.

Better (don't confuse with beta) performance required to change how the proxy is treated. Beta testers that have a proxy may need to set it manually. You will know that you have to set the proxy, when the station menu is empty. However, most proxies will be auto detected from Internet Explorer.

The start up is quicker, less memory is used, and in general you should feel that OpenPandora is "lighter".

The only new feature (for now) is a popup tray notification with balloon.

Please report if you have any issues to openpandora@gmail.com.

Version 0.6.3

2006-09-28T19:20:00.000+03:00

Just released version 0.6.3.

Many new features:
Stations can be changed from tray icon.
Lyrics can be displayed in external browser window. This feature is located in the tools menu.
OpenPandora can be set to stay on top of other windows.

There are also some usability updates:
Proxy support as set in Internet Explorer.
Some users (basically some of the programmers) were receiving debugger messages, but not with this version.
And a more reliable song submition to Last.fm.

Update: On the first run it will say that this is a beta version

Update2: Fixed the installer, so no "beta" on the first run

Beta

2006-09-26T11:05:00.000+03:00

I'm starting to release betas of next versions, starting with version 0.6.2 beta.

This beta contains some fixes like proxy support and no more debugger messages. And also some new features: lyrics and keep on top of other windows.

This version lyrics feature is based on Leo's Lyrics and lyrics are shown in a browser window as a search result. Future releases will have the lyrics embedded in the OpenPandora.

If you have Last.fm installed ...

2006-09-20T16:09:00.000+03:00

If you have Last.fm installed, you might have a problem to scrobble with OpenPandora.

If you do have a problem, check this post.
You will have to allow scrobbling from the directory where OpenPandora was installed. By default the directory is "c:\Program Files\OpenPandora\".

Thanks to Joel about letting me know about this.

Two days and a new version 0.6.1

2006-09-20T14:13:00.000+03:00

Just released version 0.6.1 .

This version adds supports for Pandora paying users, option in installer to launch at startup and tools menu.

The first tool is "Copy info to clipboard". This tool will copy current played song information as displayed in the title to the clipboard.

Quick fix to 0.6.0.1

2006-09-19T11:00:00.000+03:00

If you have Microsoft Windows version prior WinXP, the original release wouldn't run for you.
The problem was fixed after several hours, but if there is someone that had the problem, please download and install latest version again.

Version 0.6.0 is ready

2006-09-18T11:21:00.000+03:00

It's here. Go and get it.

As promised: full control from tray icon and support for keyboard media keys.
Some bugs were fixed too.

Enjoy the music.

New great features are coming

2006-09-13T17:01:00.000+03:00

There is one particular feature that many asked me to add: "Play/Pause", "Skip", "I like it" and "I don't like it" in the context menu.

Guess what is the main feature of the next release?
But wait, there is more. Support for multimedia keyboard will hit the next version too.

That not all. Later versions will have global shortcuts and a mini-player.

If you think of other great features please leave a comment.

Versoin 0.5.0 - Last.fm support

2006-09-03T17:35:00.000+03:00

Finally OpenPandora has Last.fmsupport.

This is the main feature added to version 0.5.0. Song submitting can be done automatically or manually. By default in automatic mode, skipped songs are not submitted, but this could be changed in settings.

Settings control was changed and has tabs to reflect additional options.

All links now are opened in default browser and you can't change this behavior from settings.

Some bugs where fixed. If you encounter a bug, please report it via Contact link.

Next version Last.fm support

2006-08-31T11:15:00.000+03:00

Last.fm is a cool internet service that builds your musical profile. As you listen to music the tracks are submitted to Last.fm and automatically appear in your profile - this called this "scrobbling".

The next version of OpenPandora will support "scrobbling". All or some of the tracks your are listening to will be submitted to Last.fm . The feature is currently tested and the new version will be released very soon.

New version 0.4.3

2006-08-13T17:30:00.000+03:00

It has been a while since last update.
The new version 0.4.3 brings some visual changes, but also some that you might not notice.

Visual changes include new settings window that contains all the previous settings that were in the menu area and a new option to create title template. This will not affect the tray icon tooltip that will always show song name and artist name in a new line. And of course the options menu is gone.

Other changes include accurate informing about new version and better support for future changes in Pandora web site.

Download and enjoy the music!

Quick fix for the problem

2006-07-09T09:30:00.000+03:00

After latest changes from Pandora and the remote fix, there is new installer version 0.4.2 . I suspect there might be some other problems and I will address them later.

Pandora changes mini player location

2006-07-07T19:33:00.000+03:00

Pandora made a change with the name of the link of the mini player, and this affected Open Pandora. I'm trying to solve the problem remotly, but only a new build will solve the problem completly. I hope to make it done in the next 48 hours.

Pandora and Internet Explorer 7 (continued)

2006-07-06T15:29:00.000+03:00

During Martch Microsoft released another build of IE7 (build 5335). After installing this build Pandora stopped to play music. Read my post.

Today I have installed beta 3 of IE7 (build 5450) and the music returned. I don't know whether Pandora developers fixed the problem earlier or I should "blame" Microsoft for this.

But now I can proudly inform that Open Pandora is compatible with Microsoft IE7 beta 3.

Installer silent update

2006-07-03T11:18:00.000+03:00

Some antivirus programs reported the installer as a trojan.
If you have this problem you can download the updated version of the installer.

Version 0.4.1

2006-06-29T16:58:00.000+03:00

This is minor update with huge size reduction.

The new installer was significantly improved. The size was cut in half and many must features were added.

The application was only sligty updated. New menu 'About' was added. It shows the version for 5 seconds in the title bar.

New installer

2006-06-20T19:47:00.000+03:00

In version 0.4, I have changed the installer. The older installers required Open Pandora to be uninstalled first so the new version could be correctly installed.

Please inform about any problems with the installation.

Integration with Microsoft Messenger

2006-06-20T10:43:00.000+03:00

New version 4.0 of Open Pandora is ready, and it has integration with Microsoft Messenger.

You can enable sending played song information to Microsoft Messenger. Song information will be displayed in the Messenger just as it displayed in the title bar.

Another feature is that now links can be opened not only in Internet Explorer but if you choose they can be opened in the default browser, like Firefox.

Both features can be enabled and disabled from the Options in the context menu. You can open context menu from the title bar or tray icon.

Updated version 0.3.6b

2006-06-11T11:51:00.000+03:00

Pandora changed the look of their menus and that affected Open Pandora. Download updated version 0.3.6b to take full adventage of the changes in Pandora.

Update: You might need to manually uninstall previous version.

New version 0.3.6: Song name and artist are back in Open Pandora

2006-05-23T14:40:00.000+03:00

After a short research, I found out how to display back the song name and artist, after they where removed from the title by Pandora (see previous post).

Just install the new version 0.3.6a .

Pandora hides song name and artist

2006-05-21T18:12:00.000+03:00

The guys in Pandora are making harder to find what song is played.
Current version of their flash player is 6.9.0.3 .

The title remains always the same: "Pandora - Find New Music, Listen to Custom Internet Radio Stations".
Even the java script used to notify on next played song, now contains only the song id.

My guess is that they did this after some guys created application to automatically save played songs to mp3 files called 3Tunes. Actually I just checked and their site is down, sort of.

Update: Not everything is that bad. PandoraFM allows to submit played song in Pandora to Last.FM, and it is still working.

Play time progress bar

2006-04-11T18:53:00.000+03:00

You might noticed or not, but Pandora added play time progress bar below the current track's album art. Just look at the screen shot from the previous post. It's tiny, only 2 pixels width and I like it.

Options and Minimize button

2006-04-11T18:42:00.000+03:00

Display options and minimize button were added in the last release.

Now you can choose to show or hide the Close button and whether it minimizes to tray or exits Open Pandora. When Close button exits, the Minimize button is visible.

Close Button

2006-04-06T16:43:00.000+03:00

After some complaints about missing Close button it was added. The new version 0.3.4 is available for download.

The reason I didn't include the Close button in the first place, is that I always pause the player and almost never close it.

Main Site

2006-04-05T10:47:00.000+03:00

I just received my invitation to Google Pages. Now there is a main site for Open Pandora.

A new link was added above the Download called Home that points there.

New Version

2006-04-05T10:43:00.000+03:00

Previous version was installed without Microsoft.Mshtml.dll, so it could crash for some users.
I fixed the installer and everyone are welcome to try it.

Pandora and Internet Explorer 7

2006-03-30T16:55:00.000+02:00

About a week ago I have installed IE7 build 5335 that was released on March 20. Instead of playing music, Pandora showed a message about that it's taking longer than expected to find next song to play. Firefox solved the "problem". Also the previous build of IE7 was able to play Pandora.

I have mailed Pandora support about the issue and they told me that they are working on IE7 support.

All this means that OpenPandora will not work if you install IE7 build 5335.
For me the solution was to uninstall IE7 and to return to "good" old IE6.

Download

2006-03-28T15:35:00.000+02:00

The installer is ready. Download and run it.

Launch Open Pandora from a shortcut on the desktop.

Double click on the title bar to minimize the window. Restore the window by double clicking on the system tray icon.
Right click on the title bar or the system tray icon for more options.

Enjoy.

Preview

2006-03-26T22:14:00.000+02:00

For those who can’t wait, a sneak preview of Open Pandora :

How to open Pandora?

2006-03-26T10:13:00.000+02:00

If you don't know, there is an amazing service from Music Genome Project called Pandora. It plays music based on your personal taste. Just pick some songs or artists and enjoy new music similar to your selection.

I’m using Pandora daily and I like it so much, that I created a small application for playing Pandora in a more convenient way. Some of my friends are already using it, others asked me to send it to them. But instead of sending the application I decided to share it with everyone.

I called the application Open Pandora, and in a matter of days I'll post a link to it.

For now you can check the music I'm listening to: http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh10079569.