At N.Y. Fashion Week, Badgley Mischka let audience vote on designs with an app

New York Fashion Week still thrives off exclusivity when it comes to the guest lists, but social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter can provide a front-row seat to the action. While some designers have gone so far as to ban smartphones at their shows, American fashion label Badgley Mischka is embracing it with the launch of the Badgley Mischka Runway App — its first-ever iOS app made specifically for the runway. The app allows on-site and virtual attendees to vote on designs in real time.

We had the opportunity to test out the app at the designer’s Fall 2018 show in New York City. Yes, you end up watching the show through your smartphone, but the app helped us feel more immersed and connected with the the brand’s designs. Voting in real time enabled the sense that we’re not just there to watch the show, but to share our opinions as well.

The fashion industry has always been the leader in deciding what’s on trend for the season, but the Badgley Mischka app gives a little power to consumers, allowing the fashion brand to cater to its audience.

“Why would we not put the top 10 dresses that were everyone’s favorite into production first instead of the lowest 10 dresses, when there’s maybe more of a demand for the ones that were everyone’s favorite?” Mark Badgley told Digital Trends. “All of that information is helpful to a company.”

The development behind the app was spearheaded by global software provider SAP, and it worked closely with Apple.

“[Badgley Mischka] are forward thinkers, they’ve been around in the fashion industry for quite a while,” Peter Akbar, SAP’s global vice president and chief customer officer, fashion, told Digital Trends. “They wanted something that would help showcase their clothing to a wider audience, that’s one. Second, [to] understand what the audience is feeling about their clothing, about their style, and about their fashions. That’s why this app came into existence.”

“They wanted something to showcase their clothing to a wider audience.”

Once the show started, opening the app brought us two different options — “Enter the Runway Camera” and “See the Collection.” We started out with the latter, and watched the app update with each look the moment it was coming down the runway. You can tap on the thumbs up or heart icon to distinguish between whether we “liked” it or “loved” it. Being able to see outfits up close on our phones when they’re actively on the runway was refreshing, because we could take our time to analyze and appreciate the whole design. Each outfit also included details such as the exact name of the look, along with the name of the model wearing it.

With the runway models moving quickly, it can sometimes be difficult to be in the moment while simultaneously taking snapshots on your phone to post to social media. That’s where the “Enter the Runway Camera” mode comes in. It used the built-in camera on our iPhone to take videos and photos, while voting on the designs at the same time. As soon as an outfit appeared on the runway, we received a notification — just like any other — and were able to vote without ever having to leave the camera. We loved this experience, because it meant we didn’t have to sacrifice using the app just to take pictures.

Real-time results showed up on a leaderboard backstage for the designers to see. While Mark Badgley and James Mischka couldn’t see in-depth metrics backstage, they could see which looks were getting more “likes” than “loves.” The leaderboard is based on a points system — looks the audience “loved” (the heart icon) weighed more heavily than ones that were simply liked (a thumbs-up icon). The team can also see the data based on where people were sitting, and the results were also available for everyone at the show to see.

With virtual attendees voting on designs as well, it gives Badgley Mischka even more data to analyze since they’re able to see which styles different cities favor.

Even if the show is over, you can still go into the app and swipe through the collection in case you missed it.

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Big-screen Nokia 7 Plus leaked with Android One software and Zeiss camera

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Everyone is happy Nokia uses Android on its smartphones now HMD Global is in control, and the software with Nokia’s few tweaks is generally very good. A phone leaked as the Nokia 7 Plus, however, may go a step beyond and offer Google’s unmolested version of the operating system: Android One. Here’s everything we think we know about the Nokia 7 Plus.

Design

Nokia’s most recent phones have been minimalist, good-looking, and well-built. How will the Nokia 7 Plus compare? It’s going to stand out a little, if leaked images are accurate. Two versions of the Nokia 7 Plus were posted on Twitter by mobile leaker Evan Blass, showing two phones, one in black and the other in white, each with bright flashes of color highlighting the camera lenses, the buttons on the side, and fingerprint sensor.

@evleaks/Twitter

We like the look already, and it’s matched with an uncluttered style and on the front, an attractive screen that appears to have an 18:9 aspect ratio, and curved corners. On the back are two vertically stacked camera lenses with Zeiss branding, and a large flash unit alongside them. Underneath is a fingerprint sensor. Look closely and you’ll spot a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the phone.

Software

The Nokia 7 Plus, or at least one version of it, will likely use Android One. This is Google’s stripped down version of Android generally used on low-cost, low-power smartphones. We’ve seen various midrange phones with Android One recently, including the HTC U11 Life, the Motorola Moto X4, and the Xiaomi Mi A1. All are very good, and we expect great things from the Nokia 7 Plus.

What Android One’s presence means is frequent and timely software updates, very limited bloatware, a smooth user experience, and an uncluttered user interface. It’s good news. Whether the Nokia 7 Plus will solely be available as an Android One phone, or spun off into a version with Nokia’s software for alternate markets, isn’t known.

Specification

If the Nokia 7 Plus runs Android One, does this mean it’s a basic phone? No, but it’s not a flagship device either. A leak showing the Nokia 7 Plus’s specification came from China in early February, and claimed the phone will have a Snapdragon 660 processor and 4GB of RAM, with 64GB storage space and a MicroSD card slot. It also listed the software as simply Android 8.0 Oreo.

The dual-lens rear cameras apparently have 12 megapixels and 13 megapixels, while the front camera may have 16 megapixels. The screen is set to be large at 6 inches, and have an 18:9 aspect ratio with small bezels. The battery capacity isn’t mentioned, but the leak does say it’ll be charged with a USB Type-C cable and quick-charge technology.

Release and availability

When will the Nokia 7 Plus launch? It’s possible the phone is one of Nokia’s announcements for Mobile World Congress, which takes place at the end of February. A long list of phones are rumored from Nokia already, and the Nokia 7 Plus is another to add to it.

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What is Android? All your questions about the operating system answered

It’s hard to imagine a world without Android. It’s been almost a decade since the first official release, and the operating system has risen from humble beginnings to become the most popular smartphone operating system in the world, with more than 2 billion users.

But despite its overwhelming presence, “what is Android?” isn’t a question with a simple answer. Far from being as straightforward as Apple’s range of iPhones, where an iPhone is an iPhone, Android seems to exist as a veritable galaxy, with smartphones from all over the world and from many different manufacturers all powered by the same operating system. And yet, they often look so different. What gives?

Developed by Google, Android can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve rounded up the most common questions that you might have about the now-ubiquitous operating system, and we’ve got the answers you’re looking for. If you’re confused by Nougat, don’t understand what an Android Go is, and are wondering why so many people want to know when an Oreo is due to hit their phone, read on.

What is Android?

Android is an open source operating system (OS) — “open source” because the basic code is free to use, and can be used by anyone who wants to adapt it for their use. Because of its open source nature and its familiar and solid base, Android has seen use in a vast number of personal devices outside of smartphones — you can find Android running in TV streaming boxes, video game consoles, in your car, and elsewhere.

What’s the difference between an Android phone and an iPhone? Outside of any personal preference, you’re likely to find little difference between the two in terms of day-to-day tasks, since both handle all the usual smartphones tasks in a similar way. But if you’re interested in taking your control a little further, then you’ll find Android isn’t limited by the demands of Google in the same way that iOS can be limited by Apple.

Android’s open nature doesn’t just mean that manufacturers can customize Android for their devices (more on that later) — it also puts that customization into your hands. Most standard Android devices also have the ability to run a “custom launcher” — that’s an app that runs instead of your usual home screen and allows you to change the look and feel of your device, from something as simple as the look of your app icons, all the way to deciding how your app drawer scrolls and how many icons fit onto one screen.

What is stock Android?

You might have previously heard of “stock Android” either as the OS a device is running or as a comparison point. But what is “stock” Android? It’s not a soup you make by boiling down old Android handsets — that would be an Android stock, and please don’t do that. Instead, stock Android refers to the version of the OS used by Android’s owner and primary developer, Google, in its Pixel and Nexus smartphones. It’s usually thought of as the most basic version of Android available, and it represents the base layer of Android, coupled with Google’s standard apps, like YouTube, Maps, and Google Drive. But don’t take that to mean it’s lacking in functionality — stock Android is widely considered one of the best operating systems around.

While personal preference is obviously key in choosing which version of Android you prefer, stock Android has the advantage of being considered the fastest and least demanding version of Android. This is simply because it has less going on behind-the-scenes, and so is able to commit more resources to whatever actions you’re undertaking. While the Pixel 2‘s smooth and snappy performance isn’t just owed the use of stock Android, the slim OS goes a long way toward helping the user experience. Stock Android is Android as Google intended.

What is Oreo?

Maybe you’re wondering: What’s the difference between “Nougat” and “Oreo”? Each Android update that’s major enough to require its own number is also granted its own sweet-based name (Android 7.0 Nougat or Android 8.0 Oreo). Each new version brings some changes, a few refinements, and usually adds new features. Because there’s no system of universal updates for all Android devices, there’s a wide range of different versions of Android on different phones, which is known as Android fragmentation.

Android 8.0 Oreo is the latest major Android release, but we’re expecting an Android 9.0 announcement at the upcoming Google I/O event in May 2018. Since Android releases proceed alphabetically, and the last release was “Oreo,” Android 9.0 looks set to be something beginning with “P”. Various clues in Google’s I/O announcement hint at “Pineapple,” maybe even “Pineapple Upside-Down Cake,” but based on the snacks our own Julian Chokkattu was offered at CES, we’re expecting “Peppermint.”

What is “Android Go” or “Android One”?

If you’ve been in the budget market at all, you’ve probably also come across “Android Go,” or “Android One.” Android Go is a version of stock Android specially tuned for lower-powered devices that might not be able to run the latest version of Android. Android Go was launched fairly recently, with an eye toward low-end devices in the Indian and Brazilian markets. Android One, on the other hand, was the precursor to Android Go, and is an even more bare version of stock Android. However, it’s not fully redundant after the release of Android Go, and you can still find it on some budget smartphones, like the HTC U11 Life, and the Moto X4.

Manufacturer skins and UIs

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Google isn’t the only company in town changing Android’s looks. Each manufacturer has the option of creating their own look for Android on their devices, and it’s an option a lot of companies utilize. Each manufacturer’s take on “reskinning” Android is different, as is the extent to which they depart from the look of stock Android. These reskins, or UIs (user interfaces), can go from as simple as HTC’s Sense UI, which adds a few additional elements to stock Android, all the way to Huawei’s Emotion UI (EMUI), which looks and feels significantly different from most other versions of Android.

But don’t worry; it generally doesn’t matter which version of Android you’re running — since they all run on the same underlying Android framework, you’ll still be able to access the same apps as everyone else. However, if you’re a fan of being up to date with the latest security and software patches, then you might want to stick with a stock Android device like a Google Pixel, or a phone with Android One, since those devices benefit from updates straight from Google. Phones with customized manufacturer skins generally take longer to receive updates and upgrades since each manufacturer has to update their software to run the new OS, as well as run their own tests. That’s why the Samsung Galaxy S8 received the Android 8.0 Oreo update in February 2018, despite that update officially releasing in August 2017.

That’s bad news from a security point of view, but manufacturer skins aren’t completely pointless. Each custom UI comes with advantages and features that you won’t find in stock Android. For example, EMUI’s power-management software is superior to many other phones, Galaxy phones can get apps specially tweaked to work with Samsung hardware, and Motorola has equipped its budget line with some fun extras. Much of this is personal preference, so always make sure you research a phone thoroughly before you buy.

What is “Forked” Android?

This isn’t an element of Android you’re likely to ever need to think about, but if all the talk of stock Android and manufacturer reskins has left you hungry for more, you might want to hear about Android “forks” as well.

As we’ve discussed, since Android is open source, the basic code that underpins most of its functions can be used and adapted by pretty much anyone. That’s the reason we see such variety in the Android ecosystem, and so many manufacturers making their own Android versions. However, though Android is free and open, Google’s services aren’t, and to access the vast repository of apps on the Google Play Store, you have to play by its rules — a price that many manufacturers are willing to pay.

A few manufacturers don’t want to play by Google’s rules. That’s where “forks” come in. A fork — so named because its development “forks” away from the original development — is an independently developed piece of software that uses Android as its base, but doesn’t have to be connected back to the Google ecosystem. You’ve probably used a forked version of Android and not realized it — Amazon’s Fire tablet OS was developed from a build of Android, but doesn’t have any of Google’s apps or services built into it.  You’ll also find Android forks on some Chinese-built devices, with interfaces that look surprisingly like Android but don’t have access to the Google Play Store.

While forks could be seen as a bad thing, it’s not that simple. Forks are just another piece of life the open source software picture, and since Google has a handle on its own software, Android as we know it is well-protected.

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Tinder follows Bumble’s lead with upcoming women-talk-first feature

Tinder, the crown jewel in Match Group’s dating empire, is following the lead of Bumble, one of its biggest competitors. This week Match Group CEO Many Ginsburg announced that the company would introduce a women-talk-first feature in a future Tinder update during an interview on MarketWatch. While Ginsburg said the feature would be released in a future update, she did not specify when we may expect to see it.

Ginsburg announced the Tinder update as part of a company-wide effort to “curtail bad behavior, any negative behavior or advances, and inappropriate communication.” While the update will allow women to initiate conversation with other users, it’s unclear exactly how the change will curtail inappropriate behavior since it does nothing to actually address those behaviors.

While Bumble requires women to initiate every conversation on its app, Tinder will take a different approach. Tinder will create an opt-in for the women-talk-first feature. Ginsburg states the company decided to make the feature optional after receiving feedback “that women don’t always want to be forced to make a move, so we want to give people the ability to choose.”

In addition to announcing a women-talk-first feature on Tinder, Ginsburg told MarketWatch that Match intends to roll out other female-focused features on its properties in the future both in the U.S. and globally.

One example of this female-focused ethos can been seen on Meetic, a European dating site owned by Match. The site uses women’s feedback to award a “gentleman’s badge” to highly respected users.

Ginsburg insists Tinder’s women-talk-first feature has been in the works for years and it’s “not a reaction to any competitor.” When Bumble was asked for a response about Tinder’s upcoming feature, its founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, who also happens to be the co-founder of Tinder, said, “We applaud any company making business decisions that empower women.”

As the world’s largest provider of dating products, Match Group owns some of the most popular apps in the industry including Tinder, Match, and Plenty of Fish. Tinder is, by far, the company’s biggest money maker, pulling in 30 percent of overall revenue for the company from its premium Tinder Gold subscription service. Last year the company made a failed bid to acquire Bumble, one of Tinder’s biggest competitors with an estimated 20 million users.

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HTC’s smartphone president resigns, citing personal career plan

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

HTC’s President of Smartphone and Connected Devices Business, Chialin Chang, has resigned from his post, according to an announcement on HTC’s investor portal.

The Taiwanese company issued a statement to Engadget, thanking Chang for his service and wishing him the best in his future endeavors.

“We can confirm Chialin Chang has resigned from his position as President of the Smartphone and Connected Devices Business at HTC,” the statement read. “We thank him for his dedication to the company for the last six years and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

According to reports from Apple Daily and UDN, Chang chose to leave the company in order to further his personal career plan, and plans to set up an AI-based company in the near-future. While no mention was made of HTC’s recently poor performance in the mobile marketplace, this change at the top follows Google‘s completed sale acquiring a hefty section of HTC’s smartphone division for the princely sum of $1.1 billion. While HTC CEO Cher Wang assured the media the sale would not affect HTC’s ability to make its flagship U-series smartphones, Chang’s departure also comes after recent a earnings report highlighting significant losses for the company in the third quarter of 2017.

Google has relied on HTC to manufacture the original Pixel and Pixel XL, as well as the more recent Pixel 2. While the company’s flagship HTC U11 received rave reviews, Taiwanese analysis firm TrendForce reported HTC’s smartphone production dropped to under 10 million units in 2017.

With the future uncertain for HTC’s mobile division, this may only be the first of many changes for the Taiwanese company. We recently saw LG drop out of the heavily competitive Chinese market, and it could be that HTC may too have to pick its battlegrounds very carefully in order to survive.

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Google expands Project Fi roaming features to 170 countries

Google’s Project Fi just keeps getting better and better. Only a few weeks ago, the company announced that it would cap how much you’ll pay for data — so if you use more than 6GB of data, you won’t have to pay for it. Now, Google is expanding the countries in which you’ll be able to use your Project Fi plan to a hefty 170.

Project Fi is known for being relatively inexpensive for those who travel a lot. While travelers will have to pay a per-minute fee for phone calls, they will still get data for the same $10 per 1GB rate, and in most countries text messages remain free. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Notable new countries you can travel to with Project Fi include Belize and Myanmar, though a full list of countries can be found here.

Even more interesting is the fact that the Project Fi will be more forthcoming about letting you know when you’ll be covered. The app will pull information from your Gmail account — just like Google Assistant does — and it will show up with a notice telling you that you’ll be covered wherever you plan on going. The notifications will be enabled by default, but if you don’t want them to show up you can switch them off in your account settings.

In general, Project Fi is becoming a better and better choice for those who have or don’t mind buying a Project Fi-enabled phone. The company uses both the Sprint and T-Mobile networks, and hence offers pretty good coverage around the U.S. The real draw, however, is how Project Fi handles pricing. You’ll start by paying for the amount of data you think you will use. So, if you think you’ll use 2GB, you’ll pay a total of $40 — $20 for the base fee, then $10 per 1GB. If, however, you don’t use that data — say you only use 1.5GB — you’ll get reimbursed the extra $5, which can be used to pay for your next bill.

The catch is that there are only a few compatible phones. Apart from a few exceptions, you’re largely limited to phones built by Google — like Pixel or Nexus phones — though the Lenovo Moto X4 is also now included on the list.

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Millions of Android users are at risk from ‘drive-by’ cryptomining

Millions of Android users could be at risk of having their mobile devices hijacked by “drive-by” cryptominers, according to research by MalwareBytes Lead Malware Intelligence Analyst Jerome Segura.

“Drive-by” cryptomining on a mobile device is functionally identical to that received previous warnings from Malwarebytes involving desktop PCs. By redirecting web traffic to a specific address, a device’s capabilities are hijacked by a bit of JavaScript code and harnessed to mine the cryptocurrency Monero. While this may seem like a relatively harmless — if ethically questionable — way of utilizing otherwise unused resources to generate wealth, the process that hijacks your device ratchets the CPU’s functions up to 100 percent and keeps them there. If kept up for long enough, this sort of constant usage can heavily damage a smartphone’s internal components, leading to potentially expensive repairs — or worse, a whole new device. Additionally, this process takes place without consent, raising concerns over user privacy.

As with desktop drive-by cryptomining, victims can fall prey when visiting websites. According to Malwarebyte’s blog, the site usually flashes up a warning message, and asks the user to prove they’re human by entering a certain code, adding that until the code is entered the website will use the device to mine for cryptocurrency. The page claims that the warning is a countermeasure against bots, but since the code doesn’t seem to be randomized and is hard-wired into the website, it would be unlikely to be a good deterrent. In addition, once the code has been entered, the website redirects the user to Google’s homepage — not usual behavior following a captcha test.

Malwarebytes

While this issue is tied to specific webpages (a few of which Malwarebytes has identified, but the list is nowhere near complete), it’s also possible for the drive-by to affect users by way of infected ads. This is especially common, according to the blog post, in the case of certain free apps within the Android ecosystem, where a displayed ad will connect the user to the chain needed to eventually connect the device to the cryptomining page. So it’s easily possible to be infected without realizing it.

If all this sounds scary, there’s a simple way to stay safe. Malwarebytes’ blog obviously recommends that you download the Malwarebytes app to gain some security, and while that may be a good idea, there are also loads of other useful anti-virus and anti-malware apps out there that should help you keep safe in cyberspace — here’s a list of our favorites.

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Here’s a peek at some of the Nokia phones set to launch at MWC 2018

With Mobile World Congress just weeks away, we’re learning more about all of the new phones that may be announced. This year it looks like Nokia plans to make a huge splash at MWC by announcing as many as six new smartphones for 2018. While there’s still lots of surprises to come, we do have some clues about the devices we expect to see at MWC. Here’s a preview of what’s in store.

Nokia 1

Evan Blass

Other than some images of the chassis originally leaked on Baidu, there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the upcoming Nokia 1.

With an anticipated price of $100, the Nokia 1 will be firmly planted in budget phone territory.  If reports from Tech Advisor are to be believed, the Nokia 1 will feature a 1GB of RAM and just 8GB of storage. It’s also rumored to run a stripped down version of Android Oreo, called Android Go.

Due to the price and limited features of the Nokia 1, we’re not sure if it will ever make it to the U.S.  We do, however, anticipate an initial release in emerging markets such as China and India.

Nokia 6

Although the Nokia 6 was officially launched in China in January, we’re expecting a wide-release for the phone at MWC.  The 2018 Nokia 6 refresh is pretty minor, however, there are a few nice surprises in store.

While this year’s Nokia 6 still sports a 5.5-inch display, the overall body is slightly smaller. It sports a Snapdragon 630 chip and 4GB of RAM,  so you’ll also see a slight performance bump in this year’s Nokia 6. If you’re thirsting for more, check out our coverage of the Nokia 6 for all the details.

Nokia 7 Plus

Evan Blass

A few leaked photos, courtesy of Nokia Mob, tells us a lot about the soon to be announced Nokia 7 Plus. The leaked images tell us the upcoming Nokia 7 Plus will feature a 6-inch HD+ screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. While the specs would seem to suggest a bezel-less phone, the leaked images, unfortunately, tell a different story.

The specs on the forthcoming Nokia 7 Plus are pretty impressive for a mid-range device. It will feature a Snapdragon 660 processor with 4 GB of RAM and a middling 64GB of on-board storage. The phone should also ship with Android One.  It will also feature a 12MP + 13MP dual-camera array on the back of the phone, and a 16MP selfie camera. To learn all the details about this exciting midrange phone, check out our Nokia 7 Plus coverage.

Unfortunately, we may never see the Nokia 7 Plus in the U.S.. Alberto Matrone, vice president for HMD Eastern Europe, told Nokia Mob there would not be a global release for the Nokia 7. Since HMD has stated it’s focused on emerging markets in India, China, and Africa, we would likely expect the phone limited to China simply due to its price point.

Nokia 8 Sirocco/Nokia 9

My Drivers

Right now, there’s still some confusion over whether the upcoming Nokia 8 Sirocco and Nokia 9 are actually the same device. Rumors for the devices show very similar specs and other outlets have reported the two phones are in fact the same.

Either way, the upcoming Nokia premium handset is sure to be a stunner. Like many of the other Nokia phones expected to be announced at MWC, the Nokia 8 Sirocco/Nokia 9 will be more of a refresh as opposed to a complete overhaul.

The phone is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch OLED display, 128GB of storage and, unfortunately, last year’s Snapdragon 835 processor. We’re also expecting both a rear and front-facing dual camera-array on the upcoming Nokia 8 Sirocco/Nokia 9. You can check out our Nokia 9 coverage for all the rumors and information about the upcoming Nokia flagship.

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No longer mobile-only, Pandora Premium features come to the web

Last year, Pandora rolled out Pandora Premium, a $10 per month on-demand subscription meant to provide a more direct alternative to services like Spotify and Apple Music. The radio-like nature of the service is still there, but if you feel like paying extra, you can get a lot more control over exactly what you’re listening to at any given time. Unfortunately for computer-bound users, the service was only available on the Pandora mobile app. Now that has changed as Pandora has rolled out Premium on the web, complete with all the features offered in the mobile apps.

Pandora says that Premium on the web has been the number one feature requested by its users, who can start using the new features on the service’s website immediately. Now Premium features like Search and Play, which offers customized search based on your listening history, and My Music, which lets you easily collect and catalog your favorite albums and artists, are available in a larger format that the streaming service refers to as “beautifully immersive.”

Given Pandora’s roots as a personalized internet radio service, it’s no surprise that it’s smart playlist features are pretty, well, smart. You can start a new playlist with one or two songs, tap the “Add Similar Songs” button, and pretty soon, you’ll have a playlist full of either familiar music, or new songs that could end up becoming your favorites.

When Pandora Premium debuted in March 2017, only users who requested an invite were able to sign up for the service and its 40 million-song catalog. In April, the service rolled out to everyone, so if you haven’t tried the service yet, you can simply go to Pandora Premium site and sign up with your credit card or PayPal account as your payment method. For mobile devices, you can access the upgrade option on Pandora Premium by going to the settings section of the Pandora app.

If you sign up for Premium through the Pandora website you will get 60 days of Pandora Premium for free. Upgrading or signing up via the mobile app will only get you 30 days of Pandora Premium for free.

As of last year, Pandora had 81 million active listeners but has fewer than 5 million people paying monthly for Pandora Plus. Expanding Premium’s availability by letting users listen on the web could potentially help it catch up to the subscription streaming competition of Spotify and the rapidly growing Apple Music.

Updated on February 15: Added details of Pandora Premium for the web.

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Whoa! Reaction.cam is designed to capture those epic response videos

Reaction.cam

Reaction videos watching anything from new music artists to cooking tutorials have been on the rise, with some even achieving viral status — and now a new app is aiming to make those videos easier to record. Reaction.cam is an iOS app that allows music artists to easily request and record reactions from fans, officially launching on Thursday, February 15.

Designed by former Spotify employees under developer 47 Center Inc., Reaction.cam allows users to request a reaction video — a video of a viewer reacting to another video — and then view the resulting shots. Users paste a video link inside Reaction.cam. The software then generates a new unique URL to share with fans. Using that link inside the iOS app, fans can use their smartphone camera to record the reaction to the video and share the results. The original user requesting the reaction video can see the shared reactions. And in some cases, the developers say, those reaction videos can even wind up in a new music video.

“Up until now, it hasn’t been easy for new or unsigned artists to request reactions from their fans, or for the fans to create and share these reaction videos online with their friends,” Reaction.cam co-founder and CEO Ricardo Vice Santos said in a press release. “We see ourselves as a launchpad for new artists to take off and for fans to become music influencers themselves through reaction videos.”

Along with simplifying the process of creating the reaction videos, the developers are working to integrate a social element into the type of video. “We wanted to create a social layer for fans to discuss and share music as they do in person, and it turns out that reaction videos are the perfect medium for it,” Vice Santos said.

During the app’s beta testing, Reaction.cam recorded over 80,000 hours of reaction videos while getting a 5-star average from early reviewers, according to developers. During testing, the most popular reaction video was for 98KB’s Lit NDA music video, which generated 200 reactions over two days.

Reaction.cam is now available from the App Store for iPhone and iPad as a free download.

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