3GP Player is a free media player that focuses on 3GP file playback, but it’s also compatible with other video formats such as 3G2 and MPEG-4. 3GP Player is not a media player bloated with features, but it certainly keeps its promises as it provides an easy way to playback all the videos that you made with your mobile phone.
3GP Player MainInstallation & Requirements
The installation of 3GP Player begins with a prompt for an optional toolbar and a default homepage. Although most users are tired of seeing such adware options, considering it’s a free product this behavior is understandable as the program’s developers deserve to earn some money. Except for this minor issue, the rest of the installation process poses no problems.
As for the system requirements, unfortunately 3GP Player supports only the Windows XP/Vista/Win7 OS.
Interface
The interface of 3GP Player is not visually stylish, but it’s functional and as long as you are willing to compromise on the look, this media player will quickly become your best friend. The main window is very basic, displaying an “open” button in the middle of the screen and a download link for the 3GP converter. The strongest asset of 3GP Player is that it has drag-and-drop support, which we consider to be a must have option within all modern media players.
Once a video file is loaded you will then be able to access what you would normally call a media player. You have a window that looks almost identical to the one found on the Windows Media Player Classic and from here you can finally navigate to the file, help or preferences tabs and use the player functions as you would normally do.
The interesting part is that once the player has started, the main window can be closed without affecting the player whatsoever, so the inevitable question pops up in your mind: “Why does that window even exists in the first place?”. In any case, it’s a good thing that you are able to utilize the actual player without the need of keeping the respective window opened.
A problem that some users might find annoying is that Windows Aero will be disabled every time the player is running. On the other side, it’s hard to watch a video and simultaneously feast your eyes with your OS stylish transparent interface so it might be a good thing if you don’t overstate this flaw.
Pros
– Light-weight player
– Free
Cons
– Features a rather basic and plain interface
– Installation process riddled with adware
– Disables Windows Aero while running
3GP Player Alternatives
In case you haven’t found what you were looking for in 3GP Player, you’ll be glad to learn that there are some alternatives out there, some that are really good and also free. One of these alternatives is the VLC Media Player which is able to playback 3GP files, amongst a ton of other file formats without any problems. It’s free, it’s powerful and it supports not only Windows platform, but also Linux, Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Another alternative is QuickTime Player which also supports the 3GP file format, providing a nice looking interface, and is compatible with both Mac and Windows platforms.
Conclusion
3GP Player is a light-weight media player with no bells and whistles, that supplies all the means to play mobile phone video formats so if your main interest is functionality and playback for the above mentioned video formats than it’s a suitable choice at no cost whatsoever.
