YouTube for iOS gets multitasking, Radical.FM takes on Pandora with pay-what-you-can model

Google's iOS YouTube app has received an update that brings multitasking capabilities, and a new music service is taking on established brands like Pandora and Spotify with a "pay what you can" business model.

YouTube for iOS updated

The newest version of YouTube for iOS brings the popular video app to version 2.0. In updating the app, Google has added the ability to watch a video even as the user searches for another video, in a manner akin to picture-in-picture.

The new feature is activated by swiping down while a video is playing. This functionality works in both landscape and portrait orientations.

The update also brings a card-like interaction similar to the one seen in Google's Google Now apps. Users can swipe videos to the left or right in order to close them. Version 2.0 also adds the ability to search for playlists and use the "play all" button to continuously stream a playlist without having to queue them.

Version 2.0 of the YouTube app for iOS is available as a free download in the App Store. The 15.5-megabyte download requires an iPhone, iPod, or iPad running iOS 6.0 or later.

Radical.FM brings pay-what-you-will model to digital streaming radio

Services like iTunes Radio, Pandora, and Spotify just got a new competitor in the form of Radical.FM. The new app gives users the ability to create their own customized radio listening experiences or to mix professionally curated genres, assigning a value to each so that the app knows what you're most likely to want to listen to.

One novel aspect of the new app is that it doesn't ask users for a set rate for access to its streaming services. Instead, Radical.FM tells users to pay what they can in order to support the app.

Like other radio apps, Radical.FM allows users to block any of the 22 million tracks that they don't like, as well as to block artists. Users can also delete genres or adjust their values so that they are more or less likely to be played.

Radical is a 5.7-megabyte download available for free in the App Store. The app is compatible with iPhones, iPods, and iPads running iOS 5.0 or later.