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The latest VLC beta freshens up the audio player interface
Along with some usability tweaks and a couple of new bugs to discover
VLC is a favorite among fans of digital media, at least those that haven't transitioned to streaming full time. Its flexibility is unmatched, thanks in no small part to the fact that it's been under continuous open source development for over twenty years. The latest Android beta version is available now, and it shakes things up a bit.
Chromebooks get a step closer to Apple's AirDrop with Chrome OS 91
Nearby Share, revamped media viewing experience, and more
Following Chrome 91's release for mobile and desktop platforms, Chrome OS 91 is launching on eligible Chromebooks. The major update introduces a sprinkle of new features that'll sweeten the user experience — here are all the important bits Google announced today.
Google tests dynamic backgrounds and scrubbing for Chrome's new media controls
A little Android-like trickle-down
Last year, Google introduced new media playback controls for Chrome and Chrome OS, helping you control music or videos playing in the background without opening the respective window or tab. While the feature is already incredibly useful in its current form, Google is looking to make it even better by adding a scrubbing bar and a background matching the album cover or thumbnail.
While we're still waiting for Android 12's bigger redesign to land, Google is also working at countless other smaller visual changes, and that includes this latest tweak. In Developer Preview 2, the media player now picks up on accent color cues from the system rather than trying to match album artwork, as it did previously.
VLC 3.1 brings back Android Auto support, improves Chromebook compatibility, and more [APK Download]
VLC is one of the best media players out there — not only can it open just about every type of video and audio file in existence, but it works on just about every platform too. VLC 3.1 is now rolling out on the Play Store, and it has plenty of useful additions.
Roku's Google Assistant integration was promised a few weeks ago along with Logitech Harmony and NVIDIA SHIELD. And while those two have already been announced, the Roku integration is now following suit.
It has been about a month since Chrome 65 was released, so it's time for another update. Google's browser has now moved up to version 66 - cue the 'Order 66' jokes. This update has plenty of changes, including two major interface revamps hidden behind flags.
Chrome 65 came out last week, and included Google's new ad-blocker and a few other security features. Chrome 66 has now graduated to the beta channel, and has several major experimental features. There's a new 'Modern Design' interface, partially based on the ill-fated Chrome Home UI, as well as updates to the media player and a new Clipboard API.
VLC, the video player that can handle practically anything you throw at it with no config tweaking, has been updated to version 2.5, marking the first update to the stable channel of the popular media player in over a year. In addition to a lot of interface tweaks bringing it more in line with Material Design guidelines, visual changes have also come to Android TV and Auto.
What's worse than a security vulnerability in a widely-used program? A security vulnerability in several widely-used programs. Researchers from Check Point Software Technologies have uncovered a flaw in a handful of media players (including VLC, Kodi, Stremio, and PopcornTime) that allows hackers to run executable code through subtitle files.
VLC, the desktop favorite of local video enthusiasts for more than a decade, doesn’t have quite the same kind of universal acclaim on Android. But the developers are still hard at work making improvements. According to a blog post from Geoffrey Metais, the 2.1.0 update to the beta release adds a ton of new features, notably including compatibility with Android Auto (for audio, not video).
There are numerous video players available on the Play Store, each with its own strengths. MX Player, one of the more popular ones, has just received an update that adds a few great features, such as multi-window support for devices running Android 7.0 Nougat, a new decoder, and screen-off playback.
Kodi version 17 is bringing a new look to the app that turns your Android device into a media center. Some of you may still recall the open source project by its old name, XBMC. Either way, the upcoming release has reached beta status. That makes now a good time to dive in if you can't wait to get what's coming next.
Android's default video capabilities leave a lot to be desired, so the Play Store has a small but thriving industry of third-party video players. MX Player has been one of the most dependable among them, and the latest update fixes a few bugs on Android 5.0+ devices and adds a few new features. The most notable is probably the new ability to upload and download subtitle files from the web. That's a big deal if you often watch videos in a language you can't speak - anime fans, ahem, accessing unavailable shows come to mind.
Following the Android version of popular media app Video LAN Client, better known as VLC, is getting a little tricky. The Android build officially exited its beta status a couple of months ago, but now it's been split into two separate apps on the Play Store. The original app (the one installed on your phone or tablet if you've been using it for a while) is now the "beta" version again, and a new listing without the beta tag has been added.
Perhaps you're wondering what this Kodi thing is... well, it's XBMC. They just don't call it XBMC anymore. The latest version of this all-in-wonder media player and content organizer has been released, and you can get it on your Android device right now for zero dollars.
Among tech-savvy media fans, Video LAN Client (VLC for short) is easily one of the most popular video and audio players in the world. It's available for every major desktop platform, and for almost two years, it's been in beta for Android. Today the app has officially graduated to a 1.0 build, marking its formal exit from beta and a day of celebration for fans of flexible media playback on mobile devices. In other words: Good news, everyone!
Update: While both the US and Canada did not have access to VLC for Android on the Play Store at launch, some of our Canadian readers have pointed out that they have since been able to download it from there for quite some time now. As it turns out, the American release was indeed the last hold out.
Vizio's pulled the curtains off two new Portable Smart Audio speakers that are powered by Android 4.4. What makes them special are the touchscreens embedded into the front of each device. Instead of having to pair them with a phone using Bluetooth, users will be free to stream music directly from the likes of Spotify and Pandora or enjoy video from Netflix or YouTube. Think of each version as a bulky tablet that doesn't need to rest in your lap, one with speakers that you won't leave you reaching for earbuds.
Back in December, Media Monkey released a beta of the Android version of the media player app that received a level of success on the desktop. It still packs the same ability to tag and run scripts that the original possessed. Now it's arrived on the Play Store, which should make rolling out bug fixes much easier.