Slacker Radio redesigns its Android app, adds activity-based stations

Slacker Radio has brought its latest mobile design from iOS to Android today, and along for the ride are a few new features that make it easier to create playlists based on mood or activity.

The company redesigned its iPhone app when iOS 7 was released last week, emphasizing high-res photos and slim, crisp text. The Android version gets the same treatment, with on-screen back buttons and a much faster navigation experience that suits a music service more than its last iteration.

Slacker, which competes with Rdio and Deezer in Canada, has been around the longest but has had arguably the hardest time attracting customers. The service offers three tiers: a free, ad-supported radio format, a $3.99/month ad-free radio format, and a $9.99 on-demand format, all of which are supported across its mobile ecosystem. Most recently, the company introduced My Vibes, a take on Songza’s popular mood- or activity-based playlist building. Like Pandora, you can search for a band or individual artist and have the service create a playlist of similar content; and, like Rdio, you can create playlists with individual songs of your own choosing.

Many of these services appear to be filling in the gaps between themselves, so they all end up resembling one another. For example, Rdio just introduced Recommendations for web-based users, which will soon come to Android and iOS. Powered by The Echo Nest, Recommendations help to ensure there’s never a silent moment wondering what to listen to next.

Simiarly, My Vibes promises to give you the optimal playlist for whatever you’re doing or feeling. There’s also a New & Trending section in the Android app for those who don’t want to miss any of the new releases. Slacker Radio recently partnered with Google to implement Google+ Login, so users can quickly sign up using Facebook or Google+.

[source]Google Play[/source]
(Thanks Luqman!)