BitTorrent

Pros

• The spartan interface favors everyday users
• Runs in the background without consuming resources
• The expert tab is loaded with settings

Cons

• It's still a beta version

If BitTorrent is defined as a way of sharing files between distant computers, then BitTorrent Beta can be thought of as the client app that manages the sharing process. The data protocol sends bits of media files down the internet tubes, the client app assembles those bits, and a large file is stored on a computer drive, ready to be played. Now that the basics have been neatly laid out, a review of the app's features can follow. Let's begin with its interface.

The layout is relatively basic, which is fine, as some users just want to grab a media file, not fiddle with a dozen different settings. A plain purple and white window hosts all torrents and a very small options button. The options icon is shaped as a gear, and it's found on the top right of the window. At first, there doesn't seem to be much to see when this button is moused over and clicked. There's a general settings link, plus links for the expert and advanced tabs. Users can set a download location for their files and make sure a torrent begins its transfer automatically from the general tab. The advanced panel randomizes the incoming port and allows media junkies to set the program so that it continually checks for updates. However, it's the expert tab that really provides full tinkering control. In here, everything from a transfer speed cap to a download scheduler is made available.

Some of the settings on that last tab can bewilder non-techy types, which is probably why they've been isolated. Happily, there's no real need to go beyond the general or expert panels, not for everyday downloading purposes. As long as the torrents start transferring immediately and they appear in a set drive location, no other controls need be adjusted. In most cases, the media files will no doubt end up in the standard Download folder, as initially determined when Windows was first installed. Expert users can, of course, descend into that last tab and relocate the downloads location if that's their wish. Once all of that's out of the way, it's a simple matter of closing the app. It won't completely terminate, but it will minimize to the system tray, where it can then be maximized by a quick click on the purple icon. It's hard to miss, with its wave shaped graphic adding more identity to that circular purple graphic.

A VPN should probably be employed when using this handy program. Better yet, users should make sure they have the right to play the media they grab via the BitTorrent downloader. Other than that disclaimer, there's little to add. The software is lightweight, it doesn't hog system resources, nor does the program interfere with user bandwidth.

Pros

• The spartan interface favors everyday users
• Runs in the background without consuming resources
• The expert tab is loaded with settings

Cons

• It's still a beta version