Description: Deluge is a full-featured open source bittorrent client that runs on multiple platforms. It is designed to be low on system resources utilization while providing powerful features and a user friendly experience.

I am not sure why, but I’ve been always looking for a good alternative to Azureus or µTorrent, admittedly the two most powerful Torrent clients. I have been using the Azureus-based BitTyrant (more on that one here), but have also had my eye out for some time on the open-source Deluge. And although I have previously tried multiple releases of the Windows version, they have always been somewhat unreliable and buggy; until this one: from the purely subjective experience of a single user I can report that this release (v.0.5.8.9) seems to be a very good, solid torrent client.

It is worth mentioning that as of the 0.5 release, Deluge was completely re-written from the earlier code and supports more features and better stability. Here are more notes on this program:

• The user experience: the interesting thing about this program is that it is very simple and “clean” looking, perfect for regular users who do not want to deal with a lot of complexity.
• Features: as of the 0.5 release Deluge supports encryption, peer exchange, binary prefix and UPnP, and a web UI that works on Firefox (didn’t try it - sorry). Other features include global as well as individual torrent upload/download limits, moving incomplete torrents on the local drive, enabling safe “blocklists” (Safepeer, Peerguadian, Emule), peer exchange, local peer discovery, private torrents, password protection, RSS, minimizing to tray, and other features which I either do not care to mention or do not understand.
• Technical comparison: for a technical features comparison with Azureus and µTorrent, click the thumbnail to the right (table adapted from Wikipedia’s torrent comparison article).
• Plugin architecture: makes this program (a) adaptable and easy to work with, and (b) quite powerful. Note that many of the features mentioned above might require activating the relevant plugins. At the time of this writing, all Deluge plugins were included in the installation package.
• Memory consumption: a mere 15 megs in memory. This is important given that Torrent clients typically reside in the background doing their thing while you work on other applications.
  Read more »

Description: Tunestor is an extension for IE and Firefox that allows for downloading MP3s and adding them to your Itunes library in one fell swoop from the browser context menu.

This browser extension aims to condense what would typically involve 4 different steps into a single, simple right-click command. While normally you would need to (1) click to download an audio file, (2) select the location to save the file, (3) start ITunes, and (4) manually add the file to the Itunes Library, with Tunestor you would simply right-click on the mp3 download link in the browser and select “download directly to Itunes”.

What I like about this is the convenience of knowing that I can download something then find it in the music library when I open Itunes, ready to be synched with my Iphone.

Here are some notes on this program:

• Tunestor downloads files to the “My Music” directory by default. While this is probably a good choice, it would be better if it enabled you to change the default download directory in case the user prefers another location. Come to think of it, having the ability to optionally introduce a “save as” dialog to choose the save folder would also be good (albeit it would add a step).
  Read more »

Rating: 4

Version tested: 0.19

Description: Shup is a small memory resident app that can upload files to Stashbox. It can also instantly upload images (or other types of files) to several online storage services straight from Windows’ right-click context menu (Flickr, Imageshack, Photobucket, Stashbox, Waffle Images , or even a custom file hosting service). The tool also performs several other functions as well such as on-the-fly image encryption, screenshot capture and upload, and image editing.

Imagine being able to right click on an image and instantly send it to your online image storage account. Now imagine that you have several online accounts, and that this same right click context menu can access all of them, giving you the ability to select which online account to fire-away and upload to with the press of a button. That’s exactly what Shup can do and it is the reason that I was attracted to it (see screenshot). Here are some notes on this program:

• Stashbox.org: Shup is created by the people from Stashbox, a free file uploading service, which is why Stashbox figures so prominently in the program’s machinations. Note that you can upload any type of file to Stashbox.com using Shup’s context menu, but that files on Stashbox are not guaranteed to stick around forever. Not sure about max file size allowed either.
• The search box: Shup’s main interface consists of a searchable list of all the files which it uploaded. The searchbox is useful for finding the entry that you need, at which point you can either find (or open) either the URL of the uploaded image or the file path where it resides locally. Oddly, though, the main interface displays your uploaded images not by the image names but the serial number it gave each image on uploading.
• Supported online services: Flickr, Imageshack, Photobucket, Stashbox, and Waffle Images. If yours is not on the list, however, you can create and save a new profile that is added to the right click menu (this seems like a fairly easy process, but I have not done it myself).
  Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.10.0.2

Description: Moyea FLV Downloader is a free program that can download FLV videos from most file sharing sites. It will monitor your browser for any FLV videos and will automatically capture their URLs for downloading.

It seems like I’m posting a program to download FLV videos from video sharing sites every other day that. If I had a dollar for every time this happened, by now I would have myself a nice stash of … $5 or $6 :-).

In any case this one is rather cool. Once launched it will monitor your browser for any played FLV’s (which it terms “recording”) and, if found, will enter the video into a list and make it available for downloading. It will also place a download button that will appear on the FLV video itself that can be used for downloading (see second screenshot) - very much like the Grab++ module in Orbit Downloader.

Some notes on this program:

• Will automatically detect videos; no need to copy and paste URLs. Note that it detects URLS and downloads the videos rather than scanning the cache like Ycpod).
  Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: beta release 8

Description: Civil Netizen is a P2P file sharing platform that can be used to share large files up to 4 Gigabytes in size privately with friends. It does not host your file or upload it on your server, but allows you to share files straight from your hard drive using your and your friends’ bandwidth for upload and download.

Want to share large files with your friends? While there are dozens of free file sharing/hosting websites that have sprung up all over the place, very few of those allow for the uploading of really large files (e.g. 700 megs+). Civil Netizen, on the other hand, offers a very nice maximum file size of 4 gigs.

How it works: download the Civil Netizen local client from the website, then use it to upload your file. Upon completion you will be prompted to download a “receipt”, which is a file that contains a code that your friends/recipients that will need to be able to download. Any recipient(s) have to download the Civil Netizen client and use the receipt (or code) you provide them in order to download (you can email it to them, IM it, or use whatever means you like). You have to have Civil Netizen running on your internet-connected machine to have file transfer enabled.
Read more »

I’ve come across a number of free Torrent related resources recently that I wanted to mention: BitTyrant, Bitlet, ShareControl Classic, I2P, and Tribler.

BitTyrant: this one is a torrent client based on Azureus. Dubbed a “strategic BitTorrent Client that improves performance”, BitTyrant promises an average of 70% faster downloads based on testing on “more than 100 real BitTorrent swarms”, and in some instances has achieved a threefold increase in download speeds. It does this by being picky over which peers to interact with; it gives more of your finite uploading capacity to those users provide more bandwidth. Note that BitTyrant does not change how much data is uploaded, just which
users receive the data. I’ve been testing it for a while now and while I’m certainly happy with its performance, its far from clear whether/how much its performance is better than my previous client (Azureus).

You might have sensed a Darwinian “survival of the fittest” aspect to BitTyrant that threatens to leave users with low bandwidth in the dust, which is something to think about when using this program. The makers of BitTyrant content that it is merely fair (”if a user is downloading at 30 Kbps, they should upload at 30 Kbps”), and that by rewarding more efficient users the entire community achieves faster downloads.

BitTyrant was developed as a University research project. Its developers have written a research paper the subject of maximizing performance and conserving upload contribution, and its effects on the community of users that is downloadable here: pdf.

———–

BitLet: this is a web-based Torrent client that can download a Torrent file for you if you provide it with the Torrent URL. The obvious benefits of doing this are:

• If you are using a computer that doesn’t have a Torrent client installed
• You can point Torrent-challenged friends who can never figure out how to download torrents to this web service and it just may be the solution to their rare Torrent-downloading needs
• You can use it to download torrents in places (work, school) where p2p and/or Torrent clients are blocked.

Bitlet requires that your browsers has the JAVA VM plugin installed.
Read more »

Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 1.5.7, Grab++ beta 3

Description: Orbit Downloader is a download manager and accelerator that can download files from any remote server via HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, RTSP, MMS and Metalink protocols. It will detect and download flash files (including FLV video files) from any site, including YouTube. Used with its Grab++ module, it can download streaming media of any kind, including MP3s from sites such as Pandora, Myspace, Imeem, or Hypemachine, etc.

Here is a quick summary of what this program can do for you:

• Accelerate download speeds: Speed increases will vary, depending on the source(s) from which you are downloading, your internet registry settings, and the program settings.
• Pause and resume downloads: this feature can be a godsend when you are downloading a large file or downloading from an unreliable source (or both).
• Detects and downloads flash video: simply mousing over a flash video or flash file (FLV or SWF) will display a small download button for instant video downloads. Really cool, but the button can be a bit of a nuisance if you don’t want to use it (although you can dismiss it fairly easily)
• Detects and downloads streaming media: the Grab++ module will scan for anything that is being played in your browser, whether it is an audio, video, or flash, and autodetect the download link (only caveat: Grab++ has to be run before the media file is played). This is (a) unbelievably cool, and (b) reason enough for me to switch from Flashget, hitherto my favorite downloader, to Orbit Downloader. Will download WMV and RM streaming video.
  Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.05

Description: Ashampoo Clipfinder searches and downloads videos from multiple video portals including YouTube, Sevenload, MySpace, Metacafe, VideoU, MyVideo, and Clip Fish.

Another day, another YouTube downloader. Except this one can download videos from other video portals as well. It is built using a plugin architecture which makes it easy to add more video websites, and the makers promise to to support more video portals going forward. Here are some notes on this program:

• Search all portals simultaneously or choose a particular one that you’re interested in. Displays thumbnails for video search results; other info includes length, "assesment" (a small bar that rates the video for relevance), and name.
• Search results for each portal can be viewed individually in a separate page.
• View videos from within Clipfinder or using an external media player.
  Read more »

Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 2.17.01 beta

Description: URL Snooper can identify URLs that are hidden behind javascript or activex scripts. It can be used to identify the URLs for streaming video and audio files so they can be downloaded locally.

URL Snooper is a so-called packing sniffing program. You need to tell it to start ’sniffing’ the network before you launch the browser page that contains the multimedia files you want to download. Here’s what you need to know about it:

• URL Snooper filters by multimedia sniffed URLs by default . If you’re looking for non-media URLs you can set it to ’show all’.
• Can filter by keyword (or keywords). This is useful if you know something about the URL you’re trying to identify. For example, by filtering a specific domain name, you might increase your chances of honing in on the URL you want (assuming that the URL is from that domain name).
  Read more »

Rating: 4

Version tested: 1.0.0

Description: ExoSee is a decentralized, community-based filesharing program that allows for both public file sharing with the community and private file sharing with specific members only. It also supports its own XOC protocol that allows users to post links on the web for direct downloading.

This program will allow you to select up to four ExoSee “communities” to participate in at any one time. These communities typically have a theme, such as music, ebooks, or general filesharing.The ExoSee protocol allows you to both share a specific folder/folders with the members of your selected communities, as well as download any files that these users are sharing. I spent time inside some of these, browsing what people had on offer. It was mildly interesting but not much more; the value of these communities really depends on what the members are sharing, and whether or not ExoSee will ever achieve the “critical mass” that makes networks like Torrent or Gnutella successful remains to be seen.

If I had to I would guess that ExoSee communities will never take off in any significant way. If I am looking for a file I am a hundred times more likely to look for it (and find it) through Torrent or Gnutella P2P. Which is not to say that ExoSee isn’t potentially a great product; however, it is private sharing that I find way more exciting than the communities.
Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: 3.2.2.206

Description: BitSpirit is a powerful and easy to use BitTorrent client that offers advanced features and is highly customizable.

What is Bittorent, you ask?: BitTorrent is an open-source file distribution protocol designed to distribute large amounts of data using decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) resources that bypass the need for costly bandwidth and server resources. I recently read that torrent traffic-estimates on the internet as a whole range between 18% of all broadband traffic to 35% of all traffic on the internet. Simply put, there is massive number of files on the torrent network (both legal and illegal) that are available for download.

BitSpirit is a solid freeware BitTorrent client that manages to be simultaneously laden with features and very low on resource utilization. BitSpirit Features include multiple simultaneous downloads, disk caching, High-speed downloads (with speed control), scheduled downloading, IE integration, instant messaging support, and fast job resumes. Other features include HTTP/SOCKS4/5 proxy support and UPnP portmapping. Read more »

Rating: 5 

Description: Vixy is a website that provides 3 services; it can download YouTube and other embedded FLV videos straight into a number of different video formats, including Ipod MP4, and it can Generate video RSS feeds or video Podcasts using either a YouTube URL or keyword search.

I’ve been looking for a good solution for how to download YouTube videos into Ipod MP4 video for some time, and this is certainly it. I’ve found some software that does this, but the quality of the MP4 video was rather poor. I am happy to report that Vixy’s video conversions are simply excellent. Read more »

Rating: 5 

Version tested:  0.9.3.0

Description:  Pando is a file-sharing platform that enables users to easily share large files over the internet. It connects sender to recipient by sending a tiny file from the former to the latter over email or IM.

Let’s say you would like to send a 100 meg video file to a friend. Emailing such a file is out of the question, since its too big and will clog most email inboxes. With Pando, however, you can get the file sent as follows:

• Sender and recipient both download and install Pando
• Sender uploads file to the Pando servers, provides email address of recipient
• Recipient receives tiny (4k) attachement by email (or IM or even an RSS feed)
• Once downloaded, recipient can click the pando attachement, which will proceed to download the file through the Pando software at a high download speed (my test download was >120k). Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested:  0.2

Description: Vdownloader is a free program that will download videos from YouTube, Google Video and Grinvi and save them in either .avi or .mpg format.

I am continually amazed with the success of both YouTube and Google Video, if only because it seems you can find absolutely any video that you care to search for. Who is uploading these videos anyway?

There are a number of web services that have sprung up that provide downloading functionality from YouTube and Google Video, such as Video Downloader and Keepvid. The only problem with these, however, is that the downloaded videos are in .flv format, requiring you to install and use an .flv player to watch them. 

Read more »

Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 1.73

Description: Flashget is the an award winning download manager and in my view the best Windows download manager hands down. What’s more, it recently became FREEWARE!

I’ve been using this software for years and cannot recommend it enough. You can expect to:

• Speed up your downloads
• Have the ability to pause/resume downloads
• Manage your downloads, inlcuding control download speeds and define alternate download URLs
• The recent version also supports flash (swf) downloads.
• Upcoming versions (1.80 and above) will feature support for Bittorent downloads.

Read more »