player

QQ Player 1.0.187 Review

Android's built-in video player is fine, but it doesn't support all of the formats you probably use. QQ Player supports more formats and has a few standout features, as well, but the video and audio quality aren't stellar and the app's menus can be tough to navigate, too.

The app's language is a mix of Chinese characters and broken English, which makes it difficult to understand at times. It gives you an annoying message every time you try to exit, too. When you first use the app, it can take a while for it to … Read more

Seven questions about Amazon's mystery streaming box

Is there a Kindle TV box on the horizon?

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the answer is yes. Amazon is said to be readying its own streaming-TV box to take on the likes of the Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation -- and every TV manufacturer that now builds smart-TV apps like Netflix and Vudu directly into televisions.

The Seattle-based e-tailer already has an ambitious home video strategy. Amazon Prime customers get thousands of free movies and TV shows (in addition to free shipping of real-world goods) with the $79-per-year membership, and the company is ramping up production of original series as … Read more

MidiGlassPlayer 1.0 Review

While MIDI files can't compare to the MP3 for sound quality, they have tons of uses and can be tons of fun, too. MidiGlassPlayer is a free player that doesn't look like much but handles any type of MIDI files.

We never judge a book by its cover or a program by its skin, but not much about MidiGlassPlayer's user interface, from the purple fade to the scattered player buttons, appeals to our visual senses. Dragging resizes the window but not the control area (it stays the same size) and shading makes the toolbar difficult to see. … Read more

Get a Samsung Blu-ray player with Wi-Fi, apps for $45

Still renting, buying, and/or owning movies on shiny silver discs? Believe it or not, I suspect most people are doing at least one of those.

And shiny silver discs require a shiny-silver-disc player, hence today's deal. Until the clock strikes midnight (ET), and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the refurbished Samsung BD-E5400 Blu-ray player for $45 shipped. It sells new for $99.99.

Update: Looks like it's sold out.

Like any good Blu-ray player, this one features built-in Wi-Fi, and can stream from a handful of services: CinemaNow (is that still a thing?), Netflix, Pandora, and … Read more

MoboPlayer 1.3.264 Review

How many times have you tried to watch a video in Android's default player only to see the dreaded "File not supported" message? This third-party player says it can play "any" video on your smartphone. MoboPlayer adds support for some obscure formats, but doesn't nearly live up to that claim. It does rival other third-party apps for video support, though.

When you first load the app, it offers to scan your entire phone for video files. You can direct scanning toward specific folders to speed the process up. But when the app says it … Read more

It's about time: RuneScape dumps Java for HTML5

RuneScape, a popular massive online swords-and-sorcery game, is at last dumping Java and becoming a Web app.

Jagex Games Studio released the first RuneScape 3 beta yesterday, embracing HTML5 and related Web standards that offer programmers a more modern option for writing software that runs on a variety of operating systems.

About time, I say. Java had some potential years ago, and it still has its place elsewhere in the computing world. But as a way to extend a browser's abilities, it's history. If the plague of Java security vulnerabilities weren't enough to convince you otherwise, the … Read more

Leave a smaller PC footprint

Meson Player (32bit, 64bit, Mac)

Meson Player is a tiny music player without a conventional graphical user interface (GUI). The lack of a GUI puts the bulk of the application control in hot keys rather than the usual mouse and click. Using your keyboard's number pad, you can quickly skip tracks, turn volume up or down, and save and open playlists. Meson Player can handle a variety of audio file formats as well as Internet Radio playlists. Meson Player also supports the multimedia keys on some keyboards for advanced functionality.

Barely consuming any system resources, the software leaves a … Read more

The Week on Download.com, April 10-16, 2013

Every week, we compile the best new reviews, products, and features from the Download.com software catalog and blog, package them up in a tidy little newsletter, and e-mail it out to all of our lovely subscribers.

If you are a registered CNET member, you can sign up for the newsletter yourself (it's listed as "CNET Download.com Software Dispatch" under "Software News and Reviews"), or check back every Tuesday to read our latest roundup.

Notable New Products

BitTorrent Surf brings the power of BitTorrent to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox Mok Force is a … Read more

GOM Media Player 2.1.50 Review

GOM Media Player for Windows handles most of the more common video formats, including MP4, AVI, MKV, and more. It comes with a sleeker, more media center-focused design and packs plenty of codecs under the hood to play just about any media format you throw at it.

The initial installation is standard, like any other Windows product: accept a couple terms, set a destination folder, and choose to opt in or out of an offer from AVG. After installation completes, GOM will guide you through an optional setup process to optimize initial use based on sound and monitor setup.

You'… Read more

Android Equalizer Player 1.0.2 Review

If you're an audiophile, the built-in media players in Android are never going to wow you. Even Google Music lacks advanced audio control. Android Equalizer Player, however, gives you a quality audio equalizer to enjoy your music more. Your mileage will vary based on how good your speakers are, but the extra control this player gives is welcome.

The app's blank, black layout is a minimalist's dream. It's just white text on a black background with no frills. That gives you all the room you need for music, but tapping the right buttons requires plenty of … Read more