LimeWire 4.18

From its start as a post-Napster clone to its leading role as the quintessential Gnutella client, LimeWire has been one of the highest-profile P2P applications. The 4.0 series further ups the ante with a combination of new features, an updated interface, and better all-around performance.

On the surface, the refined and zippier Java interface houses some snazzy new icons and a few new features, including a connection-quality meter and a button matrix for zeroing in on specific file types. The search interface now sports a progress bar, and file information--such as artist and album--is more clearly displayed. The improved network performance gave us considerably more search results than previous versions and a more reliable downloading experience (for a P2P client, that is). This latest version includes torrent support, and also feels more nimble despite its inherently resource-heavy Java-based foundation. We like the What's New feature, which lists files recently added to the network. The check box to filter out adult content also is a nice touch.

The new features and overall functionality make this by far the most mature version of LimeWire to date. Despite the typical performance flaws found in all file-sharing clients, this latest version continues to offer solid performance and good looks across the board.

Download.com Video: LimeWire