If you didn't hear, last week Pandora struck a deal with the recording industry that is a sort of win/win. The recording industry is going to be paid a royalty for songs played, and Pandora Internet Radio will stay alive. The catch is that a user's streaming will be cut off at 40 hours per month. If you go over 40 hours, you owe Pandora a dollar. At the end of the month, you get a new 40 hours; you never have to pay if you don't go over your allowance. Aluratek has released an USB Internet Radio Jukebox that is sure to compete with Pandora, especially since it may not be free.

I tracked how much Pandora I listen to, and it came out to be about 4 hours per day. At that rate, I will run out of my 40 hours in less than two weeks. My options are to pay my dollar, subscribe to Pandora One, or find a reasonable alternative like the Aluratek USB Internet Radio Jukebox. With this little USB dongle, you gain access to 13,000 radio stations in 300 countries. You can search the radio stations by genre, state, or country, and you can even create favorites lists. Granted, you cannot create or request your own stations, but with 13,000 choices to choose from, you are bound to find something you like.

The Internet Jukebox will retail for $39, and the device really is plug and play. It contains its own micro-browser and launcher so that it is good to go when it is plugged in. I love Pandora, and I am not advocating leaving it behind, but you might just be able to make your 40 hours stretch if you supplement with other radio. Plus, you never know what new music you might find and fall in love with.

Via Chip Chick