Apps

5 steps to making the perfect Spotify playlist

Published

August 13, 2017

Alven Villavicencio

I’m a believer that one thing we all have in common is love for music. We may not all listen to the same songs, but I think we can all agree that music is a big part of our lives.

For me, I loved music so much that I wanted to make a career out of it. Because of that, I became a Radio DJ so I could share my playlists with the world.

If you’re like me, you listen to music that matches whatever mood you’re in. And while there are a million great playlists out there, sometimes you can’t help but think that you can make a better one yourself.

So, let’s do this: Let’s make a playlist!

There are several steps to consider when it comes to putting together a fire playlist, and the key to making sure that it’s worth the listen is that you ask yourself who this playlist is for every step of the way.

Step 1: Decide on a theme

What kind of playlist are you putting together? Is it based on a mood? Is it for a specific occasion? Did you look out the window, see it was raining and think, I’m going to make a rainy day playlist! Whatever inspiration brought you to take out your phone and open up your Spotify app, deciding on the theme of your playlist is always step one.

Step 2: Choose the first two songs

The first two songs can make or break a playlist; this is where people decide if they’ll stay and listen, or if they’ll look for something better. It’s also important to consider who you’re making this playlist for. If it’s for yourself, then it really doesn’t matter what you choose — you’ll listen anyway. But if you’re making this for other people to listen to, it’s important to pick some crowd-pleasers, so they’ll want to stick around.

Step 3: Keep it consistent

You are essentially telling a story through your song choices, and the people listening to your playlist are on it because they relate to its theme or mood. If your playlist is titled “Good Vibes” and out of nowhere Adele’s “Someone Like You” starts playing, that’s an automatic buzzkill. If it were me listening to your playlist, I’d switch to another one immediately.

Step 4: Sandwich the “unknown” songs between two popular songs

One of the best feelings ever is introducing new music to someone and seeing them love it, especially when it’s a song that no one’s heard of and you just want to gift it to them. The thing is, if you play too many songs that people don’t know, they’ll lose interest in the playlist and want to listen to something else. It’s always good to put an “unknown” song that everyone knows and loves in between two hit songs so that they don’t lose interest.

Step 5: Enjoy yourself and share it with friends

Listening to music is meant to be fun, so don’t stress yourself out too much when it comes to making your playlist. Share it with your friends and ask them what they think. Don’t be afraid to check out their playlists as well to get some ideas of songs you might want to add to yours. Remember, this is meant to be a fun experience to share with other people. No matter how good you might think your playlist might be, you won’t be able to please everyone.

And, that’s it: My tips on putting together a good Spotify playlist. What do you think? If you think you have a great playlist, leave a link in the comments and I’ll give it a listen!

[irp posts=”2332″ name=”You can now ‘Netflix and chill’ and have control over your data usage”]

Apps

Honor, Xiaomi are working on their own Privacy Displays

Samsung’s Privacy Display is apparently very popular.

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Normally, a smartphone brand’s blatant copying of another brand’s feature is not a good practice. Today, however, there is a new feature that we wish other brands would copy: Samsung’s Privacy Display. Thankfully, some brands, like Honor, have finally gotten the message and are working on version of the feature.

As reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Honor is reportedly working on a privacy screen for its smartphones. Likewise, Xiaomi is working on the same thing, potentially launching the feature for the Xiaomi 18 Pro.

For the uninitiated, the Samsung Privacy Display is a built-in feature that blocks visibility of the screen at certain angles. If you’re not looking at the screen from the front, all you’ll see is a black void. It’s a built-in version of those protective screens that you can buy separately. Besides adding a nice layer of protection against scratches, it’s also meant to prevent snooping from your shoulder.

Samsung’s take was widely acclaimed for being insanely useful. When it arrives, this feature will be a godsend to more brands. Even better, users will no longer need to rely on third-party screen just to enjoy the privacy.

That said, there’s still no indication as to when these features will arrive on either Honor or Xiaomi.

Apps

Meta is reportedly experimenting on a gambling app

Users can spend virtual points on Arena.

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Meta does not have the most stellar of reputations. Despite offering the world’s most popular social media platforms, the company, through its various experiments throughout the years, continuously proves that it has other priorities than just providing the best for its users. Today, another reported experiment wants to take Meta to a new market that its users might fall into: the prediction market.

If you haven’t heard of the prediction market, consider yourself lucky. These apps, such as Kalshi, are basically just gambling platforms without the glitz of playing cards or the rigor of the stock market. Users gamble on mundane circumstances like the weather and more serious ones like war.

Today, as reported by The New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly asking Meta to develop a prediction app of its own. Interestingly, the experimental app, supposedly called Arena, will use virtual points, rather than real money. However, Meta has not ruled out real money — and hence, real gambling — in the future.

Meta is entering the industry at an extremely volatile time. The world is starting to crack down on prediction markets. Some users, for example, have been accused of using insider information to get easy wins on these platforms. Some markets have also accused these platforms of subverting anti-gambling laws.

Apps

foodpanda relaunches cult-favorite roast chicken brand after 8 years of persistent search queries

Heritage chain Andok’s returns to the platform, driven entirely by long-term user analytics.

Published

June 19, 2026

MJ Jucutan

In the world of e-commerce and food delivery, platform algorithms usually dictate what consumers see. But occasionally, consumer behavior is so relentless that it shapes the platform’s strategy.

In a move driven entirely by long-term user analytics, foodpanda has officially relaunched Andok’s, one of the Philippines’ most iconic heritage rotisserie chains, back onto its platform after an eight-year absence.

The search bar as a digital wishlist

The decision to ink the partnership wasn’t just a marketing play. It was a response to an ongoing data anomaly. Despite being offline from the foodpanda platform for eight years, Andok’s consistently ranked as one of the most-searched merchants on the app.

Year after year, users treated the empty search results page as an unofficial wishlist. This persistent search intent gave foodpanda a clear, data-backed signal of pent-up demand.

Prior to the official digital rollout, teaser campaigns on social media validated this demand, generating thousands of organic interactions from users anticipating the return.

Bridging heritage flavor with digital infrastructure

For foodpanda, onboarding a merchant with this level of built-in demand fits its broader strategy of marketplace optimization and hyper-local network expansion, turning a heritage brand into another data point for how legacy retail plugs into delivery infrastructure.

For Andok’s, the integration works as a fast track to digital scale. A legacy quick-service chain skips years of independent app development and reaches customers already using foodpanda’s existing logistics network, on a platform they already check daily.

Andok’s built its following on charcoal spit-roasted chicken, a slow-cooked technique that’s stayed largely unchanged since the brand’s early days, alongside seasoned grilled pork belly.

More recently, the Dokito line extended that following into crispy fried chicken and chicken burgers, broadening the brand’s appeal beyond its original rotisserie format and giving foodpanda a menu with both heritage pull and everyday fast-food convenience.