Winamp has rolled out three major updates to its music player for Android. First, the free app has been upgraded to version 1.2. Second, there’s a new Pro version with additional features. And third, there’s now a utility that lets Mac users sync their music Winamp and iTunes on their computers.

Winamp 1.2

In order to use the new Mac synchronization features you’ll need to upgrade to version 1.2. The update also brings more free music, better audio quality, and optimizations for use with headsets.

There’s also an option to purchase and unlock the premium features available in Winamp Pro for $4.99.

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When AOL introduced Winamp 1.0 for Android a few months ago one of the main selling points for the music player was the fact that you could stream or download free songs from Spinner using the app. This week Winamp 1.1 hit the Android Market, and it brings even more free music. You can listen to full length CDs from AOL’s Full CD Listening Party site.

Unfortunately the Party is online only. You can stream music but you won’t be able to download tracks.

There are currently 25 full length albums including music from Sam Phillips, Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Dean Martin, and Simply Red. Every week the list of albums will change.

Other changes in Winamp 1.1 for Android include support for additional languages and SHOUTcast support for Android 2.1. Previously the internet radio streaming service only supported Android 2.2 and up.

Winamp also has a number of features which help set it apart from the default Android Music player including the ability to synchronize your music with the desktop version of Winamp over a wireless network and support for Last.fm scrobbling.

Winamp 1.1 is available as a free download from the Android Market.

Yesterday Winamp was one of the best music players available for Google Android devices. Today it’s one of the best music apps and it offers free music downloads.

AOL released Winamp 1.0 for Android today, and includes integration with Spinner, which lets you stream more than 30 top tracks for free. You can also download those songs as DRM-free MP3 files.

There’s also a new lock screen view which lets you control audio playback on your phone as soon as you hit the power button — no more swiping to unlock and then fumbling to get to the Winamp app.

The user interface has also been tweaked a bit, and Download Squad reports that wireless sync between your phone and a PC running the desktop version of Winamp is much more stable than in the latest version.

Other features that make Winamp special include:

• Integration with Google Voice Search, allowing you to search for songs or artists by talking into your phone’s mic
• List or cover art views for playlists
• Shoutcast integration, allowing you to stream talk or radio content from thousands of internet radio stations
• Optional auto-mounting of your SD card to make it easy to transfer files from a PC when your phone is plugged in
• Support for headset control
• Support for Last.fm scrobbling

Winamp 1.0 for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market.

It’s only been a few months since Winamp was released for Android, but the app has apparently been downloaded about 250,000 times and the first major update brought support for Shoutcast radio streams. Now the folks at Download Squad have the skinny on the next major update, which will bring a refined user interface and integration with Google Voice Search.

The Voice Search feature will let you change tracks by talking to your phone by speaking the name of a song or artist. You still have to fire up the Voice Search app and then choose Winamp from a pop-up list, which might not be the most convenient way to go if you’re using voice search while driving or while your phone is in your pocket, but it’s better than nothing.

Download Squad reports that the Winamp home screen features larger buttons and improved graphics. You can also move through a playlist or album by swiping to the left or right in the now playing list.

The app also provides localization for more countries and the app will apparently include some form of free music downloads.

Right now the latest version of Winamp for Android is still in the alpha testing phases, but it should be available from the Android Market in March.

A few weeks ago we heard that the next version of Winamp for Google Android would be able to stream Shoutcast internet radio stations. Now the updated version of Winamp is available as a free download from the Android Market.

Scan to download

The Shoutcast integration works beautifully. Just hit the Shoutcast tab from the main screen and you get a new Shoutcast page which you can use to browse by genre or top stations, view recent or favorite stations, or use the search bar.

Audio quality sounds at least as good as other streaming music apps, and I’m seriously considering replacing TuneIn with Winamp as my go-to music streaming app. On the other hand, I’ve noticed a little bit of lag when switching stations, or even when switching from a Shoutcast stream to local music files stored on my SD card.

Winamp for Android also supports WiFi synchronization with the desktop version of Winamp, letting you quickly and easily send songs from your PC to your Android device. There’s also now support for importing your iTunes library. Winamp is owned by AOL, and the company also added integration with AOL Music recently, allowing you to view artist information including photos and a discography when you tap on their name.

Winamp 0.9.2 for Android requires Android 2.2 or above.

AOL launched a version of Winamp for Google Android devices recently, and it’s already one of the best third party music apps available for the platform thanks to its attractive and useful interface and integration with the desktop version of Winamp which lets you sync your music files between a PC and Android device. Now the developers are getting ready to roll out another feature, and it’s one that’s kind of a no-brainer: Shoutcast support.

Shoutcast is a directory of internet radio streams. The desktop version of Winamp has long featured Shoutcast integration, making it easy to search through tens of thousands of radio streams. Now Download Squad reports that the same feature is coming to Winamp for Android.

Download Squad took an early alpha build of Winamp with Shoutcast support for a spin. Apparently you can browse by top stations or by genre, or search for stations. A single click starts streaming music from that station, while a tap-and-hold action will let you add a station to your favorites. There’s also a list of stations you’ve listened to recently available, to make it easy to flip back to that one station you were on that you really enjoying without remember what it was called.

You can find more screenshots at Download Squad.

The developers behind the classic Winamp media player for Windows have launched a beta version of the app for Google Android. Sure, it doesn’t support video, have an equalizer, visualizations, or many of the other features that make the desktop version stand out, but Winamp for Android is a light weight mobile app which provides a nice interface for playing music on your mobile device — plus it supports scrobbling from Last.fm, has an very nice home screen widget.

Scan to download

Oh yeah, it also has one killer feature: you can manage your music collection using the desktop version of Winamp and also transfer songs from your desktop player to your phone using a WiFi connection.

In order to synchronize your music, you’ll need to have Winamp 5.59 beta installed on your PC.

Even if you don’t want to sync your music collection, Winamp is worth checking out as an alternative to the default Android music app simply for the attractive user interface and home screen widget. I particularly like how there’s a bar at the bottom of the screen which always shows you the name of the song that’s currently playing, no matter which screen you’re on.

You can swipe this bar up to go to the Now Playing window, much as you would swipe the Android notification bar down to see status messages. I’m a sucker for developers who take time to understand the user interface of the mobile OS they’re developing for.

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There are plenty of media players for Google Android phones. Lazik isn’t exactly one of them. This app doesn’t control playback of media on your Android device. Instead, it lets you control media playback on your desktop PC.

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Here’s how it works. You install Winamp and the Lazik plugin on your desktop PC. Then you install the Lazik Android app and click the “Search server” button to locate your PC. Give the server a name and you’re good to go.

Now you can browse through files in your Winamp media library, create playlists, skip tracks, pause, or put your playlist in repeat mode — all without touching your PC.

Lzik is available as a free download from the Android market, but the free version includes ads. There’s also an ad-free paid version which goes for $1.69 euros, or about $2.15.

via Reddit

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