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Filed under: Audio, Windows, Commercial, Freeware

Winamp revs up discovery features in new release

Years ago when I was first using Napster on a then blazing-fast dual-channel ISDN connection, WinAmp was my media player of choice. It's come a long way since the early days, and gone from being used by those in the know to the go-to player of more than 84 million people worldwide.

When I finally updated from my trusty old RCA Lyra to an iPod Touch, I quickly downloaded WinAmp again and let it go to work on my library. Autotagging, organizing, and syncing was a breeze.

Tonight, version 5.5.6 arrives and brings with it beefed up discovery and social features thanks to the Orgler plugin. Orgler has been available separately since May, but it's now included as part of the main WinAmp download.

Similar to Last.fm scrobbling, the plugin keeps tabs on your listening and allows WinAmp to provide discovery features. Tracks you play are automatically added to your AOL Music profile page (here's mine - keep in mind I only activated the Orgler this morning). Streaming tracks aren't currently supported, though that will likely appear in future releases. Don't feel like sharing? It's not required, so just change your options in the Orgler preferences.


As you'd expect, the listener data WinAmp collects from its massive user base will be used to power Charts, which you can see in the screenshot. They provide a quick look at what's popular worldwide and regionally, and you'll be able to look back at previous charts as well.

The WinAmp team is also working on incorporating new login methods so you don't have to create an AOL/AIM or Winamp.com account if you don't want to.

I'm really enjoying the new version, though sadly iPhone OS3.0 has temporarily hindered my ability to sync (thanks, Apple). Hopefully the PMP support crew will sort that out in short order.

For a full list of changes in 5.5.6, check the release notes later (still at 5.5.5 as of right now). Once the download is live, you can grab it over at WinAmp.com, of course!
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