Coming out in early 2017, the Saver feature will be seamlessly applied to most of the service’s popular data plans for free. It’s meant to save customers on data by providing DVD quality streaming on wireless devices — such as phones or tablets — so users can still do all the things they love without paying for it dearly and without having to upgrade.
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Also, for those who prefer not to have features parentally imposed on them, the Saver still leaves choice in the hands of the consumer. For instance, while standard definition streaming economizes data, maybe you really want to see Lord of The Rings in high definition. Let’s be real, the legendary paradise of Lothlorien is just not the same without it. In such a dire scenario of necessity, the Stream Saver has a control setting that allows the user to turn it off at any time. So while leaving the feature on will guarantee you get the most bang for your buck — as the Saver is designed to help data-thrifty users — it also isn’t something the consumer is forced into for their “best interest.”
That said, how about users with unlimited data plans? Sadly, and less reasonably, the Stream Saver will automatically apply to them too. The last thing unlimited data subscribers want is to have their HD throttled. The fact that the move casts such a wide, illogical net (because if you have an unlimited plan, then obviously you want high definition all the time) implies that AT&T is trying to conserve data as well. Buyer beware: this is something you can certainly choose to opt out of, as mentioned previously, but it is also something you have to be aware of.
For their part, AT&T should be alerting their users about the Stream Saver roll out, preferably with an informative description. Additionally, users incur no penalty for switching the feature off. So for users with data-conservative plans: this will be a boon to using your devices on the go with less concern. Conversely, those with data-liberal or unlimited plans should keep an eye out for the update and plan accordingly. Happy streaming!
]]>Variety is the Spice of Life
Stations can become awfully monotonous if you only have one genre of music rotating. This repetitiveness is going to make you get bored of the station very quickly. Thus, adding different genres will allow the Pandora station to diversify the style of your music. If you do not want Pandora to mix up your music genres, then you can uncheck the “add variety” button in settings.
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Be Selective with the Songs You Like
When you upvote every single song you like, then Pandora will play songs that are related to those genres. This can get out of hand, as the range of genres will become so broad that your station won’t be unique anymore. While it is important to diversify your playlist, making it too heterogeneous is just as bad. Finding a happy medium is imperative to having a solid station.
Skip Responsibly
You are only allowed six skips per hour. Don’t abuse this privilege, or you will be stuck listening to awful songs. Allocate these skips throughout the hour so you can skip the songs you absolutely can’t stand. Only allowing yourself one skip per ten minutes will allow you to efficiently use your skips.
I’m Tired of This Track
There’s always that one song that radio stations play over and over again, all day. Pandora has a feature called “I’m Tired of This Track” that allows you to temporarily remove a song from the station. To access this feature, hold your mouse over the album cover presented on the station. There should be an up arrow that appears. Next, there should be an option called “I’m Tired of This Track.” Clicking this will tell Pandora to hold off on playing the song for a while.