Samsung launched a new free music app for users of its smart phones Friday that aims to take on Pandora(s P) with a free and ad-free radio streaming experience and a unique interface that takes some design cues from terrestrial radio. It’s the company’s second major foray into music services, and it could signal a shift in direction.

Milk, as the new app is called, offers access to some 200 genre-based stations, as well as the ability to launch custom stations based on artists or songs, just like Pandora. The app’s user interface is however very different from Pandora’s fairly straightforward music player. At the center of the Milk experience is a virtual dial that can be used to quickly scan through stations that are arranged by genre.

At the center of the Milk app is a dial that lets users skip through and browse for stations.

As the users…