14 DAY TRIAL // It's one of the best, iTunes-like media players for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows systems, and it's now at version 2.0, available for download right here. After more than two hard years of development, the new release of Amarok, because that's the main subject of this article, brings a revamped and more intuitive graphical user interface, new features, integration with popular online music services, and... we bet that you'll rediscover your favorite music with it!
The new user interface is simply amazing, and according to the Amarok developers, it will make things like lyrics or albums more accessible, and will give you the "power" to decide what kind of information you want Amarok to display, with the help of some nice applets that can be added right in the heart (read: Context View) of the player. Besides the completely redesigned interface, with Amarok 2.0, users will fully benefit from popular online music services, such as Last.fm, Shoutcast, Jamendo, Magnatune, Ampache or MP3tunes.
Amarok 2.0 is now even easier to use and maintain than ever before, because it relies on amazing KDE4 technologies, such as Plasma, Solid and Phonon. "Amarok's journey has just begun and we are excited to have you join us for this event. Change and improvement would not have been possible without the help of everyone who contributed to this ambitious project in the form of code, promotion, documentation, donations, and a lot more. To all of you all we say: Thank You!" - said the Amarok developers in the official release announcement.
Main features of Amarok 2.0:
· Scripts · Dynamic Playlists · Context View · PopUp Dropper · Multiple Language Translations · Cross Platform · Collection Management · Database Importing · Scriptable Services
Yes, some of your Amarok 1.x favorite features may not be present in the 2.0 release but, hey, look on the bright side, because the Amarok team promised that they would add more new features, such as queuing and filtering in the playlist, in future versions, and that the new release was only the beginning (a new one) of the Amarok media player.
Amarok 2.0 is now available for all Kubuntu 8.10 users. Detailed installation instructions can be found here. For other Linux distributions, the source code can be downloaded right now from Softpedia. We also provide an Amarok 2.0 scripts section, updated daily. Give them a try right now!