RealNetworks has launched a new version of its multimedia player, which raises several questions. Will it be buggy, slow and crash a lot? Will it set itself as the default even when you don't want it to? If you download it, will you get deluged with pop-up ads and junk mail, sorry, important special offers? Will it work as spyware, or has Real really recanted on that? Will it be used to deliver low-quality streams that you can't save or replay from your hard drive? Will it be worth the $19.95 charge? (See that pulsing FREE button? You have to enter a credit card number to get that FREE download.) And if Real goes bust, will Microsoft get the blame? I have absolutely no plans to find out the hard way..... What is interesting is that RealNetworks is presenting it as a "universal" player since it plays Microsoft's Windows Media format (among others). The Mercury News reckons this is great for Real, but I wonder if it simply forgot to ask Microsoft what happened to its earlier support for Real's format. The Merc also seems to miss a rather important point made by Paul Thurrott in Wininfo, which is that you have to install Windows Media Player and Apple's QuickTime player to enable Real's player to "support" their files: "So whatever benefits the universal player offers users are unclear."