VUDU seems to always be growing and expanding its Internet content and Pandora is the latest app on the device. It joins services such as Youtube, Picasa, Flickr but is the first Internet Radio app on VUDU and it seem to be a great implementation of the popular service.
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A recent update to the net-connected Chumby device adds Pandora Radio as an option under the Music menu. Check out the above video for a quick demonstration of everything. It’s pretty straightforward – you’ll need to reboot your Chumby to get it to show up initially but once that’s done, you’ll find the Pandora option amongst the other available music sources.

Then, simply enter your Pandora username and password and you’ll have access to your stations. You can create new stations straight from your Chumby device and they’ll show up on Pandora.com as well.

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I love these little open handhelds. The GP2X has been the standard for a while, but the Pandora looks to be the new king of the hill. You can order one now for $329, and various accessories as well (not in America? click here). There are only 3000 available in the first batch, and no more will be ready until ‘09, so be quick about it and get yourself an early Christmas present.

You remember the Pandora, right? The awesome open source handheld that’s going to play everything from Defender to Quake III? Well, its time is drawing near!

Pocketgamer has an interview with Craig Rothwell, one of the guys in charge of the Pandora project, and it’s an interesting story (if a short interview). The great thing about this project is that it was essentially open source hardware (they got a huge response when they asked for suggestions) but it has a clear design goal so it’s not compromised. I can’t wait to try one out, maybe I’ll play some of those ROM hacks I was talking about the other day.

Oh man, I really wish that was me testing the sucker out. In case you missed it when they first put out renders, the Pandora is a powerhouse open-source handheld in the spirit of the GP32 and GP2X (which I have). It’s got dual analog sticks, an 800×480 screen, full QWERTY, wi-fi, and a bunch of other stuff. It basically looks like the definitive homebrew and emulation device, and it looks to be about the size of a DS. As soon as I know I’m not intruding (I picture it as a very personal operation), I’m going to see if we can get one to test out, although I think I can say with conviction that this thing is going kick ass.

You can get higher-res, downloadable videos here at the forum post.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have all your emulators and homebrew indie games in one place? And how about on a beautiful piece of hardware designed just for that purpose? The idea is similar to the GP2X, but the feature set is a bit more next-generation: 800×480 touchscreen, dual analog sticks and an SNES-style D-pad and buttons, plus a QWERTY keyboard. It’s got nice guts, too: its processor is about Gamecube speed, and it has a separate GPU as well as Wi-Fi and SD slots for expandability. It’s supposed to be about as big as a DS.

As with the GP2X, the problem is that the software is not as easy as pie to install (I had trouble with mine) and early adopters will also find themselves out in the cold. If nobody buys, no one will develop. But if no one develops, no one will buy. It’s an ugly cycle usually broken by brand name, but in this case I think the gadget itself is cool enough to warrant a purchase. At ~$330 it’s a bit expensive, but since it basically works as a UMPC too, that’s not bad. Looks like an excellent venue for playing a little Super Metroid (or Final Fantasy 8 - yeah, you heard me). More info here.

Moving to NYC revived my faith in music as I often frequented popular venues like the Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, Pianos and other hotbeds for new music. I haven’t been to a show in quite some time, which has resulted in me listening to the same albums I’ve been listening to for the last four months. It really sucks because music helps me get through an otherwise monotonous and boring day. I’ve tried last.fm and Pandora, but I just don’t get it. I hate Pandora’s layout and I think the music genome project is a joke. All of its suggestions have sucketh. Last.fm lacks the social networking qualities I’ve grown accustomed to from Facebook and MySpace and the ‘similar artists’ algorithm sucks as much as Pandora. So what should I do?

Too lazy to read the rest? You really don’t need to (but you should because I made a funny), just try it out. We love Jango and Jango loves us, so click here for private Beta hotness.

Beta Invites For Social Music Site Jango [TechCrunch]

At a Congressional hearing yesterday, SoundExchange announced that it would not enforce the new $500 per stream royalty rates originally scheduled to take effect on Monday, July 16th.

This decision may have been in part due to pressure from listeners. Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora, said that “this is a direct result of lobbying pressure, so if anyone thinks their call didn’t matter, it did.”

It also may have something to do with the fact that, if these new royalties were to be enforced, many of the online radio sites would have been forced to shut down completely. Guess how much money SoundExchange can squeeze out of online radio stations if all of them drop off the face of the earth?

Despite yesterday’s decision, this still doesn’t mean that rates aren’t going to go up. SoundExchange and the internet radio companies will need to settle on a new rate structure that’s fair to everyone involved.

For now, though, let’s all take a tip from one of the most prolific artists in the history of modern music, Lionel Ritchie, and “let the music play on, play on, play on…”

Online Radio Is Saved [Wired Blogs]

Sonos today announced the availability of the $999 Bundle 130 (BU130). The bundle includes one Sonos ZonePlayer 80 (ZP80), one ZonePlayer 100 (ZP100) and one Controller 100 (CR100). The package will allow users to wirelessly stream music to two rooms and control it remotely using the awesome controller.

Users can also opt to include a Loudspeaker 100, bringing the package total to $1,149. Previous bundles will be discontinued. Sonos’ complete new pricing scheme follows the drop.

Sonos also announced today that a 30-day trial of Pandora would be included with all new devices. How much effect this will have on either company is uncertain, but it is, at least, good for users.

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Looks like Sansa’s Connect is essentially an OEM product out of Taiwan because Pandora is showing off a rebadged device to showcase its wireless streaming products. No real information on this thing, but TechCrunch got some screenshots and pictures. I wouldn’t expect Pandora to actually launch this device — it’s a proof of concept, kind of like the Music Gremlin eventually became. Pandora is quite popular and I suspect a device with wireless service would be just peachy… but this ain’t it.

Read the rest at TechCrunch…

Pandora, the U.S.’s favorite streaming music service, just launched two new products, Pandora for Sprint and Pandora for Sonos.
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Thanks to the Copyright Royalty Board, beginning in mid-July, all Internet radio stations will see substantially higher royalty fees. Fees so high, that it isn’t difficult to imagine vast swaths of the musical Internet becoming dead air overnight.

Most frightening of all is the prospect of losing Pandora — one of the truly great things to come from the entire Interweb. I had the opportunity to interview Pandora founder Tim Westergren about a year ago, and the way he put it, the service is purely a labor of love born from his affection for expanding his own musical palette.

Right now. Pandora is under siege. In order to survive, it will likely have to evolve. And it will have to go mobile.
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For those of you unfamiliar with Pandora, it’s pretty much the best Internet radio service out there next to iTunes. It helps you find artists similar to those you currently listen to and it does a pretty darn-good job of doing it. But there is bad news for those of you who use Pandora and don’t live in the United States. As of today, you’re now banned from listening to Pandora.

Upset? Don’t blame Pandora. It’s a small company and they only have limited resources for the absurd licensing fees they must pay for each track. Pandora will continue to try to push for its service to be available in other countries, but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen for quite awhile. I feel a bit saddened — wait no I don’t. I live in the US. I’m going to go rock out to some Van Halen.

Pandora to block international listeners from May 3rd [Photos & Ponderings]

Wired recently sat down with Broadband Instruments to talk about its new Slacker music service. In a nutshell, it sounds like a music-lover’s dream. Slacker is comprised of both a service and hardware device. The service will use either WiFi or satellite bandwidth to serve up music channels to owners of the Slacker player. Tons of music, lots to choose from, all that great stuff - think Pandora, except a bit more corporate.

Now here’s the kicker: the service is free. Yup, totally free, but you can only skip six tracks per hour on the service. That means if you keep on shuffling and get stuck with Kenny Rogers, you’ll have to wait it out. There’s also ads on the Slacker player itself, which features USB, touch sensitive scrolling, and a massive 4-inch screen. Expect to shell out $150 to $350 for a player depending on the size of the memory inside it.

So how does a company like Broadband Instruments make money out of all this? Well next month or so, they’ll be rolling out a $7.50 monthly fee which will allow you to skip tracks to your heart’s content and gets rid of banner ads on the player. This service sounds extremely promising and I’m curious as to how they’re going to market this. Either way, keep an eye out for Slacker if music is your thing and you like free service.

Broadband Instruments Slacker Offers Satellite, Wi-Fi Connectivity [Wired]
Is Slacker the Long-speculated iPod-Killer? [Laptop]
New Music Service Slacker Has (very) Broad Ambitions [TechCrunch]