Pandora, the personalized radio player, has provided an update for the Windows Phone platform that brings some unique features I think will excite most users.

A couple minor feature enhancements are available, such as Lock Screen integration (should've been there already), better sharing abilities, and a Recommended Stations component (based on your listening habits), but the nifty features come in Cortana integration and a sleep timer. Since these last two represent the best of the new features, I'll highlight those.

Cortana Integration

Pandora for Windows Phone finally gets Cortana integration in this latest update to help make listening to your favorite music a hands-free operation. Now you can say things like "Pandora play Motley Crue Kickstart my Heart" or "Pandora find Justin Beiber."  Just use the available commands and insert the artist of title of the song. Additional commands include "like," "dislike," "skip," "pause," "resume," and "shuffle" are available.

Sleep Timer

Now, this is a feature I can get behind. To make Pandora even more of a hands-free operation, you can set a special sleep timer. Configurable for five to 50 minutes, you can set the timer and Pandora will shut down the stream at the selected time.

Accessing the sleep timer is easy. Just tap to open the settings bar at the bottom of the app, choose Sleep Timer, and use the familiar number dial.

Pandora is available for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1. If you don't have it already, you can grab it from the Windows Phone store by searching for 'Pandora' or using this direct link: Pandora for Windows Phone