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Morpheus 2.0 Adds Web, E-Commerce

Updated peer-to-peer site improves file-trading functions, adds shopping tool.

Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service

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StreamCast Networks has rolled out the long-awaited 2.0 version of its Morpheus peer-to-peer (P-to-P) software, offering not only a new engine but also an improved interface that integrates file-sharing capabilities with the Web and an e-commerce platform.

The latest release was made available as a free download on Tuesday. It comes more than two months after the company introduced the Morpheus 1.9 incremental software upgrade. Upon that release in June, company representatives said that developers needed extra time to fine-tune version 2.0.

That update also introduced a new Morpheus feature, an instant messaging service called Morpheus Messenger. The technology is provided by Paltalk.com.

Ready to Sell

Given the dramatic changes in the software, it's no surprise Morpheus took its time. The update provides improvements to file-trading functions, adding new capabilities such as targeted searching by file type and a Media Manager that automatically organizes downloads into category folders. Morpheus 2.0 also provides an integrated e-commerce platform with a wallet feature powered by the iBill payment system.

The e-commerce platform features wares from Morpheus partner companies. Users can pay for them using the Morpheus Wallet, which allows consumers to make payments. Consumers have to put $5 in the wallet to get started, StreamCast said.

Morpheus had said it would begin pushing pay-for-play services. Site owner StreamCast Networks said it would distribute music protected by its own digital rights management, and permit content providers to charge fees for the work.

Searches Enhanced

Despite Morpheus's new portal-like attributes, the company is trying to bolster its P-to-P features. New are a search power meter that shows the strength of a user's connection to the network, and a file reliability meter that, when a user performs a search, indicates which file will connect and download fastest.

The latest version of Morpheus has been rebuilt from the ground up, StreamCast said, but is still based on the Gnutella open-source platform. Morpheus switched to the Gnutella system in March, after sustaining what the site's managers said was a denial-of-service attack.

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