After spending some time as a beta version, the world’s favorite multiplatform music app has reached version 1.0 on Android. We’ve been using the application since it first came out and the latest version offers tighter integration with Android and some well-deserved UI redesign.
Specifically the now playing screen has been streamlined and now there are also info and extras buttons giving access to bios, discographies, photos and the like. You also get additional overlaid track information at song changes and you can now swipe to change tracks.
The home screen just got two new buttons, the very important search and also now you can discover new artists through free music. On free music you can stream available tracks and download them for free if you like them.
Our favorite new feature is the lock-screen player, which you have to enable in Winamp’s settings. Once enabled, your lock-screen is replaced with album art of the now-playing track and you can change and pause tracks without having to unlock the screen.
Finally you can now use Android’s build-in voice activation to control Winamp. As before you have access to SHOUTcast Radio (though not all devices are supported yet) and wireless sync with Winamp’s desktop application.
Overall, however we think that the interface still needs some more work and we would like to be able to select specific directories for music, Winamp automatically loads all mp3s you have on your device, which might be undesirable.
If you’d like to try out an alternative music player on your Android device, we do recommend Winamp as its definitely more feature-rich than the stock music app.
[Android Market, Winamp Blog]
