Microsoft has just released a new version of their Media Player application which has given the company a fair share of lawsuits in the past few years.

Besides the incorporation with the Mtv’s URGE online music store, here are the other changes:

• A visually driven experience using thumbnail and album art, an elegant and simple design, and customization capabilities for more personalized interaction
  
• Improved device experience with new shuffle sync and reverse sync options, device exploration using the library view, and intuitive help icons that ensure seamless and intuitive syncing and burning of rights-managed content
  
• Highly simplified navigation capabilities, enhanced shortcut options, and dedicated category views for all media types, including music, photos and video
  
• Better access to content with deep integration of services that blurs the line between online service and media player experiences
  
• Industry-first audio fingerprinting capabilities that recognize and import track information for unidentified or misnamed audio files
  
• New formats for ripping and music playback, including Windows Media Audio Professional and WAV Lossless

I haven’t tried out the final version yet, but from one of the latest builds (before this one) I have to say that I found the application a bit unstable.

In terms of navigation, in my opinion, I think that it is still worse than iTunes. However, in other functionalities, like the automatic album covers download, for example, I think that it is much better than iTunes.