Windows Media Player 10

Windows Media Player 10 is now available for download. If you were holding off on downloading Player 9; skip it. WMP10's feature set, reliability and appearance all make Player 9 seem like a dinosaur. Even if you are holding off on downloading XP SP2 (which automatically upgrades you to WMP9), get Windows Media Player 10; it's more stable than any previous version and it doesn't offer the frustrating error messages running rampant in Player 9 (which are usually the result of a bad codec, not the player itself). Navigation is dramatically improved, with consistent access features via a unified top navigational layout. The Media Library is expanded to include auto playlists for photos and tv content. Access to premium content is finally a player priority, offering easy navigation between MSN, Napster, MusicMatch, MusicNow, and Wal-Mart Music stores, as well as CinemaNow for video content. If you ever tried synchronizing your portable player to Windows Media Player 9, you're going to love the improved device support in Player 10; instead of dealing with driver issues, it just works. Some portable players will require a firmware upgrade before this is a reality, but virtually all new portable media devices are going to have the same kind of automation we currently experience with digital cameras. MP3 and WMA CD ripping are now both a native Windows Media Player experience; from what I can tell, the annoying Copy protect music setting is now off by default, so you won't be stuck with files that only play on the PC used to rip them. All-in-all, WMP10 is a dramatic improvement over previous issues and is high on my list of recommended ways to improve your PC multimedia experience.

As an aside, launching Napster from WMP10 resulted in an offer for a new service which lets you transfer any Napster content to a portable device for $14.95/month (you can still play it on a PC too). Sure, that's renting audio after a fashion, but so is subscribing to XM radio and at least with Napster I have access to any song in their library on my schedule, not the programming director's. In my opinion, this one Napster feature is putting us one step closer to where we need to be to make digital downloads work. Access to the songs only remains available as long as you subscribe to the service; for most music, that's as long as I'd want to listen to it.