Gadgetory

if you've been using Spotify on Android or iOS for the past few months almost nothing about the company's new update for Microsoft's platform will surprise you but for Windows Phone owners there's lots to celebrate I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and this is a quick look at the new Spotify for Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone apps are so often behind their iOS and Android counterparts that whenever a major one gets a refresh it's pretty exciting and this Spotify overhaul is indeed a major refresh check out the old version seen here running on my lumia 1020 the front page is very simple with nothing but a search bar up top and the collection of so-called popular playlists beneath with the currently playing track at the bottom personally I don't think I've ever clicked any of the popular playlist options so this layout which I believe was introduced in August of last year was never my favorite everything worthwhile was contained in the side panel to the left which was quite nice and clean but still tucked away out of sight in the new version the default open page is the browse option which is laid out exactly as it is on Android with new and timely suggested playlists on top followed by top lists new releases and discover options below in the general genres and moods titles filling up the space beneath the new UI is darker which Spotify says helps the content pop more and that's certainly true on the AMOLED panel of our Lumia 930 here hitting the overflow to open the side panel also reveals another big addition to the new version my music is here this allows you to save albums artists or tracks directly to your own personal archive for quick access now this is something I've been doing for years by making individual playlists but if you find that practice cumbersome or outdated which I guess is the case then you'll be happy to see my music included here other changes are mainly cosmetic alterations to the typeface and icon design and reformatting of the various sub pages to bring the experience more in line with Android and iOS and this being Windows Phone and pretty powerful hardware on this 930 responsiveness is excellent only time will tell how well this revision holds up but on a platform where months and even years sometimes go by between major updates any substantial revision is worth celebrating and that goes double for an app as big as Spotify the new Spotify is available today in the Windows Store for more on Windows Phone check out our recent after the buzz review on the Nokia Lumia 930 and our Nokia denim camera update tour both here on YouTube toss us a thumbs up and subscribe if you enjoyed this quick look till next time this has been michael fisher with PocketNow captain to phones on twitter saluting those about to rock on Windows Phone we'll see you next time