JavaTunes

Offline playback of audio files require a dedicated application, which nowadays mostly reduces to look and feel. An abundance of applications managed to make a name for themselves throughout the years, but alternatives like JavaTunes don’t need to be overlooked. It comes with a decent set of tools, configurable interface, and option to grab lyrics online.

Saving you the effort needed to go through a setup process, the application is good to go right after download. Flexibility stretches beyond portability, especially because it’s meant to run on Java, which means it is compatible with almost any device which has Java Runtime Environment installed.

Needless to say that the playlist is empty by default. Adding files is a walk in the park, with a simple option to simply drag an audio folder to have it, and all subfolders scanned, and supported files imported. With decent support, you’re able to enjoy songs under formats like OGG, FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC, and ALAC.

Several tabs make it easy to access different areas of interest, such as songs, albums, radio, and statistics. The first is where all imported files are found, with a different list which is used for playback. A slim set of controls lets you initiate, and stop playback, adjust volume, and skip songs, but with no progress slider for content manipulation.

The list of functions is decent, but some require active Internet connection. For instance, radio connects to Last.fm, with dedicated fields in the options menu for your credentials, while lyrics are also looked up online. Music charts can be downloaded so you keep up with musical trends.

All things considered, we come to the conclusion that JavaTunes is a lightweight, yet powerful audio player which also goes online to provide radio streams, lyrics, and trending top charts. However, it’s a little light on features when it comes to playback, and playlist management, but it’s surely worth a try overall.