New Android Music Player Adds Better Controls, Cloud Streaming

Android: A new version of the Android Market leaked out onto the web today containing a new music player stable enough to use. The new stock player sports an improved interface, recent listening history, and some neat touch controls. The updated player even adds feature for cloud-based streaming — they’re just not available yet.

The new music player is quite similar to the one found on Honeycomb tablets, but optimised for smaller phones. It appears to be very stable; I was able to listen to my music through it just like I would with my normal music player (though it doesn’t seem to work with the music widgets quite yet, if you use those). It’s got some pretty cool new goodies, like a “recent history” view in landscape mode that lets you see your most recently played tracks. It also has a very pretty UI, which not only gives it a new look but also adds some cool navigation views in landscape mode, which in some cases can make it easier to scroll through your music.

The player also comes with some nice little touch conveniences. For example, tapping on a song’s name on the now playing window will let you add it to a playlist, while tapping the album art toggles the shuffle and repeat buttons on the side of the screen. You can also now swipe between the Artist, Album, Songs and Playlists tabs on the main screen.

Lastly, the player has options in the settings for Google’s rumoured upcoming cloud music service, but you can’t use it yet. It’s certainly something to look forward too, though.

Of course, this is a leaked package, so your mileage may vary depending on the phone you have, but it worked perfectly on my Motorola Droid (running CyanogenMod, for what it’s worth). Hit the link below to check it out, and let us know what you think in the comments. There’s also a new Camera, Gallery and Clock app available, but they don’t seem to be working on a lot of phones.

Download: New Android Music Player 3.0.336 [Droid Life]