Howler

Howler is a small Adobe Air-based application whose purpose is to help you play MP3 files using a set of basic audio tools.

Simple looks

You are welcomed by a clean and plain design that offers support for only a few options. A help manual is not included in the package but you can decode the program’s features on your own, as they are very easy to work with.

Audio playing options

Howler gives you the possibility to import files in the working environment using the built-in browse button or drag-and-drop support. In addition, the tool is able to add the content of a user-defined folder that stores MP3 files.
Several buttons integrated in the main window help you play or stop the current audio selection, as well as jump to the next or previous file in the list.
What’s more, you are allowed to seek for a position in the audio streams with the aid of the built-in slider, adjust the volume, as well as check out the filename of the current song directly in the main window.
The application lets you create a playlist with MP3 files, delete the selected item or all of them with a single click, and view information about each file, such as title, album and duration. You may hide the playlist from your view if you prefer a minimalistic layout.
There’s no support for advanced features that could help you import and export playlists from/to M3U file format, use hotkeys for faster actions, rename files, create a queue list, access online radio stations, repeat and shuffle songs, and work with different audio formats (e.g. WAV, OGG, AAC), just to name a few suggestions.

Bottom line

All in all, Howler delivers a simplistic approach for helping you listen to MP3 files. On the downside, it hasn’t been updated for a while, so it may cause compatibility issues on newer operating systems.