Remember RealPlayer? The media player that was once, quite some time ago, one of the go-to media players for online media disappeared into relative obscurity, shouldered out of the limelight by the likes of Silverlight and HTML5 video. For desktop platforms, RealPlayer has all but vanished, but it is trying to make headway into the mobile market. RealPlayer for Android is out of beta and officially released.
Rather than just audio and video, RealPlayer for Android can also be used to play slideshows of photos, but movies and music are really where it’s all at. There is support for playlists so you can create mood music for every occasion and access it with ease. Aside from RealVideo and RealAudio, support for which can be added through and in-app purchase, the app can playback any file that is supported by your phone or tablet.
The interface is neatly set out and a handy widget is available so you can control media playback from the home screen; you can also control playback when your device is locked. RealNetworks’ online focus means that a variety of sharing options should come as no surprise; in addition to sharing through your favorite social network, there is also support for lastFM scrobbling so you can let others know what you are listening to.
The app does suffer a little from trying to be a jack of all trades -- it does a reasonably good job of acting as a music player, a video player and a photo viewer, but it does not excel in any of these areas and there are better apps available for each of these tasks. That said, if you are someone who abandoned RealPlayer some time ago, this might be the time to give the name a second chance as this mobile app is a different beast to the desktop tool of days gone by.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the RealPlayer for Android review page.