Windows/Mac/Linux: Free, open-source application Mielphone is a Frankenstein-y tool for searching, listening to and downloading music publicly available on the internet (read: pretty much anything).
Android: If you’re fond of listening to podcasts or audiobooks at faster than normal speed to get through them quicker, XSpeedPlayer can help. The app will play back audio files on your phone at a speed you set.
Never let it be said that we don’t correct our mistakes: you guys were overwhelmingly in support of other programs besides SMPlayer for the title of best video player on Windows, and we heard you.
Android has more than a few good video players on the Market, but the best we found — in terms of interface, browsing, and playback quality — was undoubtedly MoboPlayer.
There is no perfect video player for iOS, as Apple’s restrictions prevent these apps from fulling utilising the hardware. That said, GoodPlayer manages to do quite a bit with the limitations it has, playing back and streaming just about anything you can throw at it.
Windows users have a lot of good video players to choose from, and the title of “best” is hotly contested. For its great performance, high number of features, and ability to play just about anything, we recommend KMPlayer for all your video playing needs.
The Mac offers a few options for video players, and all of them are pretty great, but VLC still gets the gold medal for video playback because it just works better than the competition.
Android: Sleep Timer will automatically pause the media player on your Android phone after a set period of time so you can go to sleep listening to music or a podcast without fear you’ll wake up to a dead battery and an empty playlist.
Android has no shortage of great music apps, but if you’re looking for something that’ll play nearly any local file, has a powerful equaliser, a handy tag editor and tons of customisation options, look no further than PowerAMP.
Surprise, surprise! The built-in iPhone music player app, simply named iPod, is our pick for the best on the platform. This is in part because there’s virtually no competition, but also because its feature set really is the best.
