Winamp 5.5
I usually don’t run beta versions of applications that I run continuously on my computer, hours on end. One program that I run like this is Winamp, which I use for listening to my MP3’s. If you haven’t heard or used Winamp, then I suggest you check it out, especially since their latest preview version of 5.5 is simply put, amazing.
New features that I’m impressed with include very accurate metadata lookup and cover art lookup. The new skin of Winamp 5.5 has also been changed to Bento, which features multiple UI windows under one skin. From the few hours I’ve been playing around with it, I’m very impressed.
I’ve only been able to crash the application once, which was when I was loading 2500+ MP3’s into Winamp’s library. Hopefully that, along with the Vista preview/Flip 3D image support will be fixed in the final build of 5.5. For one, I can tell you that this version is something worth talking about. Winamp has not only skipped their version numbering system from 5.35 to 5.5, but has also included a publicized beta link on their homepage - something that has not happened in a long time.
Update 10/10/07: Winamp 5.5 Final has been released. Updated post to reflect change.