With a super simple installation process for Windows, Apple OS X and Linux, Songbird comes full of fantastic features and possibilities. Read on.....

Like most people, I love music, which in this digital age means I have many gigabytes of music files on my computer. I also love my iPod which I take almost everywhere, so I'm always on a look out for something better than iTunes to satisfy my music play back and iPod support needs.

I have been keeping an eye on Songbird since version 0.1. Based on the magic of Mozilla Firefox, Songbird has now hit the big time with version 1.0, and what hit it is.

With a super simple installation process for Windows, Apple OS X and Linux, Songbird comes full of fantastic features and possibilities.

Out of the box

Out of the box, the player comes with a plethora of features:

• Plays most audio formats such as MP3, FLAC, and OGG across all platforms, even getting into bed with WMA on Windows and AAC on Windows and Mac OS X.
• Library management with iTunes Library support
• Firefox' Gecko rendering Engine which allows you to browse sites via the application
• Integration with popular online services
• Shoutcast Online Radio Browser and Streamer
• Plug-in framework based on Firefox (expandability and customisability)

Community

Songbird takes the community aspect of a music application to new heights. It integrates with quite a few popular web services, such as Last.fm

You can even find tickets for any shows by the current artist you are listening to in your area. Before you ask, it does work for Aotearoa, I tried.

Songbirds of a "Feather"

Songbird shares one of the best features of Firefox, expandability. Developers can create add-ons that a user can download and use to customise their Songbird experience. Starting from iPod support to Music Recommendations to skins and themes.

Verdict

If you're tired of iTunes and its restrictions and want to see what a new generation of a music player has to offer then give Songbird a spin, you won't regret it.