The music app scene on Android is far better than it once was. Whereas Android used to be a ghost land in comparison to iOS, it now has many excellent apps and services competing for your listening time, such as Spotify, Google Play Music, Songza, and others.
RealPlayer, which dates back to the early days of the PC, has now entered the game with its own app. It is a good option for those who like to have music on their device, instead of relying on the increasingly popular streaming services. Even the default option, Google Play Music, streams your content instead of caching it to your device. You must go in and individually select albums or songs which you want on the internal storage.
When it comes to the interface, the RealPlayer Android app reminded me of the original iPod click wheel. You have the option of viewing video, photo, or of course listening to music. The overall look is clean, but a little dated for those who may be fortunate enough to be on Jelly Bean.
It only plays song which you have already saved, which will be a problem for those who have heavily embraced the era of streaming. Yet RealPlayer, recognizing there are many on Android who prefer to manage their own internal data, hopes to become the music player of choice. It functions rather well as a media player, allowing one to manage the music collection and get rapid playback.
I also found the Photos section was slow to load thumbnail previews. It is nice to be able to check out photos without leaving the app, but it is probably not a feature that will get an overwhelming amount of use.
While the download is free, it will cost you $4.99 to get rid of the advertisements. Also, there are plenty of free music-playing options that offer are more powerful and extendable than what RealPlayer offers.
If you are seeking to an experience more comparative to the iOS model, RealPlayer is an option worth considering. You can get it free and then decide if it is good enough to fork over the full cost.
Download RealPlayer from Google Play (Free, $4.99 for Pro version)
On Target:
- Good interface
Off the Mark:
- Only works with music stored on device
