Fans of the popular VLC media player can now check out a new Android beta version of the app, if they have the right hardware. The beta version is supposed to work on Android 2.1 and above but according to the beta's own release notes, "This version is ONLY for devices with a CPU ARMv7 that will support NEON."
If your Android device has what it takes, you can download the public beta of VLC right now on Google Play. VideoLAN says that the Android version can play "most local video and audio files, as well as network streams" just like the PC version of VLC. It contains a media library, along with a multi-track audio and subtitle feature and more.
Again, this is a beta version, so even if your Android device is compatible, it may not work as advertised. It is also lacking a number of features that VideoLAN will add in future versions. VideoLAN does have a sense of humor about this admittedly incomplete Android port, saying, "It might kill your kitten, destroy your house and start the mayan apocalypse. Use it at your own risk. Have Fun! :)."
In early May, VideoLAN reported that the previous versions of VLC have been downloaded over 1 billion times since it launched in 2005.
Update: Neowin member Brando212 reached out to VideoLan to ask why it can't be installed on American devices and got a response:
Hello,
We do not have access to American devices, and they are often not the same as the international ones, especially with different CPU/GPU.
As we will have a LOT of crashes already with the European phones, USA will wait a bit, but not long :)
Best,
JB Kempf
So there you have it.
Source: Google Play | Image via VideoLAN
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