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.

Adobe just added new video content to its AIR-based Media Player, but it all pretty much sucks in one form or another. The Adobe Media Player is a slick media browser that can play and subscribe to videos from the web, and it also provides somewhat high-resolution content from Adobe's media partners such as MTVN and Comedy Central.

Despite the fact that the player is very visually appealing and easy to navigate, it's just not that useful. It's possible to use any regular, free browser such as Firefox to watch online video content, allowing web-travelers to avoid the installation of an extra app. As a result, the main reason for installing the app (unless you really, really like the subscription feature) is to watch the 25,000+ videos provided by Adobe.

And that's exactly what's wrong here. Adobe's video library is still weak, and most good of the good TV shows aren't full episodes but rather short clips. Furthermore, the full videos Adobe is adding aren't current TV hits like Lost or Battlestar Galactica. Instead, Adobe partnered with CBS and Sony to add tons of clips and a few movies/episodes from old stuff like Men in Black, Jerry Maguire, The Love Boat, Beverly Hilly 90210, Family Ties, and even The Price is Right. They might as well call the app something to the tune of Adobe Senior TV On Demand.

Sure, Adobe has the money to keep it up and running, but why bother if the company isn't bringing its best to the table? Why not partner with Hulu and create an official, fully functional Hulu AIR app instead?

The newest version of the VLC media player isn't ready for the streets yet, but if you're they type who doesn't mind risking your precious computer for the sake of satisfying a primal curiosity for experimental software, the pre-release of VLC 0.9.0 is now available for both Windows and Mac. Unfortunately, anybody with a Windows 98/ME or OS X 10.3.9 machine is out luck since such technology is no longer socially acceptable as those operating systems are no longer supported.

It now supports Last.fm (AKA Audioscrobbler) straight out of the box disk image, so it'll update your Last.fm account as you play music through VLC. To enable Last.fm support in the 0.9.0 release, enter your username in the preferences pane under Audioscrobber, but don't forget to visit Control interfaces to check the box labeled "Submission of played songs to Last.fm."

Other changes also include better tag support, more subtitle support, improved mouse gestures, album art support, Shoutcast TV listings, and a lot more that we don't want to bore you with, but you're more than welcome to check out the whole list on the VLC forums.

[via CyberNet]

We've always been fond of Amarok. It has some good features, nice add-ons, and felt just a little friendlier than some other Linux media players. We recently discovered a contender to the title of most loved Linux media player, the ominously named Banshee. Fortunately, Banshee doesn't involve listening to shrieking demons, unless that's your genre of choice.

It's an application that has been increasingly packaged with distributions that include GNOME as the default desktop. For those distributions that don't include it on a standard install, it's almost always available from a repository. Many of those repositories include, at present, Banshee's 0.13.3 version. This is the stable version of Banshee and shows loads of promise, but it isn't quite Amarok.

We recommend, if possible, hunting down packages for your distro of choice of the latest version of Banshee (0.99.2). If there are no packages available, try installing the newer version via Subversion. It takes a bit more time, but it is well worth the effort.

Why? Because Banshee 0.99.2 (or alternately, Banshee 1.0 Beta 2) is an almost completely different screamin' demon. It may be a beta version, and not without its bugs, but it works much more smoothly than the 0.13.3 install we were using previously on Hardy Heron.

DivShare, which we have covered before, is not just another online storage site. It lets users upload and download unlimited files, and also well as offers a Facebook application and a power uploading tool. They have now released a no download web document viewer.

Even though we love downloads at Download Squad, keeping things online sure does have its remotely accessible benefits, and that's just what DivShare is doing with their flash based web document viewer. The new tool allows for viewing all types of documents from videos, photos and audio material anywhere. These documents can either be kept private, or embedded in websites, blogs or social networks.

Also released into the DivShare stables is a new iPhone app that allows for searching, downloading and emailing DivShare files straight from Apple's device. There will also be a few other specialty items getting released this week, including a Facebook collaboration tool, developer API and private label video players. If you haven't checked out what DivShare can offer your unlimited file storage needs, now could be the time.

There are untold fortunes to me made in this world, as long as you live by one cardinal rule: never underestimate the laziness of consumers. This is the guiding logic behind a new "intuitive" mp3 player launched by the Slacker Company. Slacker and their new gadget called... The Slacker (creative, no?) are set to be available in June and cost around $150 for a 2 Gig model, and $400 for 12 Gigs. The real innovation is that the player chooses music automatically, and allows you to decide if you like it or not. If you say you don't, it'll never play the song again. Many internet radio users will be familiar with this format. Mainly because it's taken directly from internet radio. Slacker's internet radio has been operating since March, and has 100 stations which will is where the songs for the mp3 player will be downloaded from.

In a wonderful testament to just how lazy we've become as a society, one of the founders of Slacker was quoted as saying "Most MP3 players are too much work for the average user." Valid point. Many of us lay tired and sore in our beds at night after a long day of handling our Mp3 players. Medical experts have recently reported a high rate of chronic fatigue among young Americans and feel that portable music players are to blame, even going so far as to dub the trend "Ipod Drain". Poor attempts at humor aside, the Slacker does seem like a useful tool. A portable radio with just enough control over the playlist that you can be sure to get something you like, while trimming out that which you don't. And more importantly, now that we don't have to spend so much time and effort slaving away on our old fashioned MP3 players, we as a society can finally get around to getting some work done.

It looks like Adobe is looking at getting a slice of the desktop media player pie, but they insist that they are playing on neutral ground. Adobe has just entered into the market with a flash based media player that is plainly not aimed at competing.

The Adobe Media Player (formerly Philo) will work both online and on the desktop without a web browser using the Flash platform. The player has a flash based video playback and includes a number of social features like tagging, rating, and sharing videos with contacts. It can be branded, tracked and monetized as well as protection for the content that is embedded.

The Media Player, of course, runs off of Adobes new Apollo rich internet application development platform that Adobe has been trying to push on users recently, and works with both Mac and PC operating systems

The launch date is scheduled for a late spring beta release, and it is rumored that 90% of major media companies are testing the Adobe Media Player.

[via InformationWeek]

Apple has been warning Windows users of iTunes to wait until the next upgrade before installing Microsoft's new Vista Operating System. Apple has come across a number of compatibility issues that may cause issues between the iTunes player, iPod, and Vista. Problems that might occur include not being able to play music or videos purchased from the iTunes store, issues with syncing content and calendars, and sluggish runtimes.

Geesh! This makes me want to run out and grab Vista. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited that Microsoft launched Vista after all these years, but we all knew there would be issues. This little tidbit from Apple just makes me want to wait a little while longer before running the install since I don't think I would be able to live without a properly functioning iTunes player.

Apple has said that it might not affect all Windows users, but there are some serious concerns that it is not going to recommend the install. Look out for a new iTunes update though. Apple is planning to release a version that will correct any compatibility issues.

Below is Apple's iTunes, version 7.0.2 and earlier, on Vista compatibility issue list:

• iTunes Store purchases may not play when upgrading to Windows Vista from Windows 2000 or XP.
• iPod models with the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off may be unable to update or restore iPod software, and make changes to iPod settings.
• iPod models configured to Auto Sync and have the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off may require being ejected and reconnected to resync.
• Ejecting an iPod from the Windows System Tray using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature may corrupt your iPod. To always safely eject an iPod, choose Eject iPod from the Controls menu within iTunes.
• Cover Flow animation may be slower than expected.
• Contacts and calendars will not sync with iPod.

Apple has come up with a list or steps for Windows iTunes users to do that are still planning on upgrading to Vista, accessible here.

Look out for some BBC shows like Doctor Who to be available for download through BBC on demand. This new program will also users to watch or download popular television shows on their computers through a special application. The shows will be available up to a week after their initial airing. After this initial launch, the BBC will be releasing a desktop application called iPlayer which allows users to download and watch programs from seven days prior. When downloaded through the iPlayer, a program will be available for 30 days for viewing on computers. There is also talk about keeping episodes stacked, whereby users will be able to watch them up to a week after they originally air. Parental controls are also being researched and are to be worked into the plan.

So many media players out there, so little time. I feel like I am on the technological playground, stuck on the merry-go-round, and no one will let me off this ride. There are so many media players, so many with different features, heck there are so many iPods, not to mention other brands. I want to know once and for all, what is the best media player ever? Which one is your all-time favorite and why? Video support, better screen resolution? Software interface? What about design, style, button configuration, sharing and syncing, ease of use...you tell me. I will follow up with the results of this sound-off after I read all the comments. On this swirling tech playground I'm on, which media player stomps the ground and takes names over all the other kids? Also, keep in mind how you buy music from online stores, how you get your own music on the player, and even video playing and downloading. I'm listening...

Yahoo!'s corporate blog, Yodel Anecdotal, announced the availability of a new Yahoo! Music video player. This is a beta release and they have put up a slick user feedback mechanism for you to use in telling them how to make it better and what features rock (pardon the pun).

From the well-prepared tutorial the new features are:

• Video Lineup: control the videos you want to watch! Create a customized video lineup, arrange and reorganize videos, monitor upcoming selections, and create your own session playlist.
• Easy video search: from within the video player, instantly find videos by searching for your favorite artists or video titles.
• Browse by category: get customized recommendations based on your video ratings, or choose from recommendations by category-Top 100, exclusive Nissan Live Sets, videos you've recently watched, and more!
• All new design: everything at your fingertips! Enhanced video player controls, simplified video search, and easier ways to browse content-all in one place, within one interface.
• Mac Compatible: now available for Macintosh OS X.

First off, let me state for the official record, that I am neither a Zune fan or Zune hater. I can't decide. I don't own one, and I don't know if I will in the future. I like a few of the ideas and features in the Zune, but it has its drawbacks as well. One thing I find funny is how the blogosphere has largely bashed the Zune, yet according to Gizmodo, Zune is 2nd in sales behind the iPod. Of course, second isn't where anyone wants be, but for goodness sake, Zune just launched in November, and the iPod has been king for a while, so for a product competing with the almighty iPod, it is pretty impressive that the sales could trump all the other players right out the door. Is Microsoft as least doing something right with the Zune, or is this a beginner's luck thing? Will Microsoft remain a contender or is this simply a holiday-infused debut flurry that will fizzle?

via Gizmodo

Do you listen to a few different podcasts, but hate plugging them into your player? Wouldn't it be nice if you knew about Noisely before today? Noisely has coined the term "intelligent podcast player". What does this mean? Enter words that describe what you want to listen to and Noisely will automatically generate hours of continuous podcasts. Noisely works soley online in your browser and searches through their database, spitting out results based on matching keywords, and the date the actual podcast took place. If you feel like listening to some chatting on your areas of interest throughout the day, this is a tool you might want to check out.

[Via EmilyChang]

Adobe will be generously donating some code that will allow JavaScript programs to run within Firefox. This new donation will form the Tamarin Project, a new initiative with developers from both Adobe, and Mozilla. The code in question is called the ActionScript Virtual Machine, and is used to run scripts inside the Adobe Flash Player 9. The new code integration is expected to be fully integrated into future Firefox versions, first released in the first half of 2008.

This new donation is the largest donation to date for the open-source Mozilla Foundation. The new addition will drastically help the development of the Firefox browser, especially since HTML and Flash developer communities will both be on the team collaborating on a common language. The addition of the script engine is said to be extremely important to open source projects including both Firefox and the Thunderbird email application.

Beloved Linux media player Amarok made news today to become the first open source player to include an online digital music store. Amarok has struck a deal with Magnatune to offer music store purchases within the player starting with version 1.4.4, just released. The music store features DRM-free downloads and full-length MP3 previews. The new version of Amarok also features over 100 bugfixes and expanded support for portable devices. The Amarok site is getting pounded right now, but you can see a mirror of the announcement here. A working download link might be harder to come by.

[Via Boing Boing]