Downloads

StreamCast Networks' Morpheus 5 peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network has the potential to provide cool features and be easy to use, but it just doesn't do the job in its current incarnation. The free version includes incredibly annoying web banners, many of which are pornographic or sexually suggestive. It costs $20 to upgrade to Morpheus Ultra and eliminate all ads.

Some P2P networks are trying to minimize the copyright problems plaguing them by complying with the law to some degree. BitTorrent, for example, recently began selling and renting media downloads from its new store. Time will tell whether StreamCast Networks will handle the problem in the same way.

In Morpheus, many search results lead to a dead end in my tests due to copyright issues. In fact, more than half the downloads I requested popped up a browser window showing eBay items related to my search terms. The download items in the search results list then turned red.

This is too bad, because Morpheus' interface is easy to use, and much more slick-looking than version 4's interface. It also has tons of features, making it more like BearShare than like the anemic BitTorrent client. It lets you manage and listen to podcasts, open .torrent (BitTorrent) files, sync files with iTunes, and it has chat rooms. You can also scan downloads with your antivirus program, from right within Morpheus. And for concerned parents (and yes, you should be concerned), there are parental controls.

Note: This program pops up lots of annoying adware.

--Jennifer Berger