A listening party is still fun especially whenever a favorite artist releases a new album. Hosting one can be difficult, though. Sometimes, you need additional software. Now, Spotify is making listening parties easier with a native feature coming to the app.

Starting today, Spotify is rolling out Jam. The feature will allow up to 32 users into a single listening session. It’s more than just listening, too. Users in the session can queue up their songs to the playlist. They can also decide which device they want the music to play from.

Though both free and Premium subscribers can use the feature, only paying users can host a Jam. Hosts can also manage the members participating in a session and the songs queued up. Likewise, they can give the same privileges to others participating in the session.

Users can start a Jam session through the three-dot menu on a playlist or the speaker icon when playing a song. After creating a sessions, users have different options to invite others into the session: by connecting to the same device or Wi-Fi connection, or by generating a link or QR code.

The feature is slowly rolling out to users starting today. Spotify is adding more features. While the additions round out the difference between free and Premium subscriptions, it also prepares for the coming of a Hi-Fi tier coming to the platform soon.

SEE ALSO: Spotify is increasing its prices all over the world

Everyone gets those periods when we can’t listen to anything else except a single artist or album.  If Olivia Rodrigo is your particular craze right now, Sony has a custom set of earbuds for you. Sony and Olivia Rodrigo has just teamed up for a customized edition of the LinkBuds S.

Compared to the WF-1000XM5, the LinkBuds S offers a more midrange pair for earbud users. With the price, it’s a more affordable way to enjoy Sony’s audio technology. Now, the company has another option for those who want to elevate their experience a tiny bit more.

In collaboration with the pop star herself, the Olivia Rodrigo Edition of the LinkBuds S boasts more than just a fresh coat of paint. The pair will have two new equalizer settings. The two modes, tuned by Rodrigo, will maximize the device’s capabilities when playing her two albums, Sour and Guts. Users can change the earbuds’ settings through Sony’s Headphones Connect app.

The custom edition’s design is also unique, though. According to Sony, no pair is the same. Each unit was made with a marbled pattern unique to the pair. The earbuds and the charging case are elegantly purple. Even without the special equalizer setting, the custom design looks amazing.

Preorders for the Olivia Rodrigo Edition of the LinkBuds S are available now through Sony or Rodrigo’s website. The units will start shipping on November 21. Like the regular edition of the device, it will sell for US$ 199.99.

SEE ALSO: Sony launches new compact wireless speaker SRS-XB100

The Xiaomi and Leica partnership is going strong and it persists on the Xiaomi 13T Series. The series consists of two phones: a base Xiaomi 13T model and then the Xiaomi 13T Pro.

As you may have assumed, both phones are equipped with Leica-powered lenses. Like the Xiaomi 13 series launched earlier this year, you get to choose whether you shoot with Leica Authentic or Leica Vibrant. The camera app is also equipped with filters (Leica custom photographic styles) that accentuate the camera’s capabilities.

Other camera features are as follows: Master-lens system: 35mm Documentary lens, 50mm Swirly
bokeh lens, 90mm Soft focus lens, Xiaomi ProFocus, and Night mode.

Other than the camera lenses, the Xiaomi 13T series share the same colorways: Meadow Green, Black, and Alpine Blue. The Alpine Blue colorway is slightly smaller and lighter because it’s made with softly textured Xiaomi BioComfort vegan leather. The other two colors, meanwhile, have a glossy finish. But all colors are IP68 rated making it resistant to some splashes and dust.

To get a better idea of how these two stack up. Here’s a quick look at the specs.

Xiaomi 13T

Display — 6.67″ FHD CrystalRes AMOLED display. Up to 144Hz refresh rate, Pro HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 8200-Ultra
RAM+ Storage — 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB
Battery and Charging — 5,000mAh, 67W turbo charging
OS — MIUI 14 based on Android 13
Connectivity — Dual SIM, Wi-Fi6, NFC8, Bluetooth 5.4, 5G
Cameras:

LEICA VARIO-SUMMICRON 1:1.9-2.2/15-50mm ASPH.

24mm Leica main camera

• 50MP wide angle camera
• 1/1.28” sensor size
• 1.22μm pixel size, 2.44μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel
• f/1.9, 7P aspherical lens, OIS
• Supports HDR10+ video recording for up to 4K at 30fps
• Supports 8K video recording at 24fps
• 10-bit LOG video recording, supports LUT import

50mm Leica telephoto camera

• 50MP
• f/1.9, 5P aspherical lens

15mm Leica ultra-wide camera

• 12MP
• f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens

20MP front camera

• f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens
• Night mode
• Portrait mode
• HDR

Xiaomi 13T Pro

Display — 6.67″ FHD CrystalRes AMOLED display. Up to 144Hz refresh rate, Pro HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 9200+
RAM+ Storage — 12GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB, 16GB+1TB
Battery and Charging — 5,000mAh, Xiaomi 120W HyperCharge
OS — MIUI 14 based on Android 13
Connectivity — Dual SIM, Wi-Fi7, NFC9, Bluetooth 5.4, 5G
Cameras:

LEICA VARIO-SUMMICRON 1:1.9-2.2/15-50mm ASPH.

24mm Leica main camera

• 50MP wide angle camera
• 1/1.28” sensor size
• 1.22μm pixel size, 2.44μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel
• f/1.9, 7P aspherical lens, OIS
• Supports HDR10+ video recording for up to 4K at 30fps
• Supports 8K video recording at 24fps
• 10-bit LOG video recording, supports LUT import

50mm Leica telephoto camera

• 50MP
• f/1.9, 5P aspherical lens

15mm Leica ultra-wide camera

• 12MP
• f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens

20MP front camera

• f/2.2, 5P aspherical lens
• Night mode
• Portrait mode
• HDR

Price and availability

The Xiaomi 13T retails for PhP 26,999. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 13T Pro retails for PhP 37,999 for the 12GB+512GB variant and PhP 39,999 for the 16GB+1TB variant.