Xtorrent
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Xtorrent 1.1 beta 1 released with major new features
Dave Watanabe has released v1.1 beta of Xtorrent, his excellent BitTorrent client. With this major x.1 release, Watanabe has included some significant new features like individual file selection, file prioritization, individual file completion status, and improved privacy options. Watanabe has updated Xtorrent's UI to help bring some of these features directly to the user, and I'm also noticing what I think are a couple of new preferences, such as the ability to individually toggle whether audio and/or video are added to iTunes after being completely downloaded. The new features are definitely welcome, and Watanabe is optimistic about some planned features down the road. After trying far too many Mac OS X BitTorrent clients, I finally decided on Xtorrent and have been a happy owner. A base single user license costs $24, with the option to purchase lifetime upgrades for only $9 more.
Xtorrent 1.0 v40 released with per-torrent bandwidth throttling, list of big features to come
It isn't often that developers unveil their cards, but when they do, their user's ears typically perk up. Such is the case with Dave Watanabe's release of Xtorrent 1.0 v40 in which he announced two big new features now, and a few juicy ones coming down the road. As of this new version, Xtorrent Pro (the registered version) offers per-torrent bandwidth limits and support for the Azureus/utorrent compatible peer exchange, which should apparently help increase some transfer speeds.Using his crystal ball, however, Watanabe also announced three major features we can strike off the request list: selective file downloading, encryption, and torrentcast auto-downloading (though I should point out that Xtorrent can already subscribe to RSS feeds of torrents - it just doesn't auto-snag 'em yet). Dave announced that these features are "absolutely" planned for a future release (or spread out across more than one), though we'll all just have to sit tight as these things naturally fall under the tried and true "they'll be done when they're done" policy.
Widget Watch: CreateTorrent
Whether you're digging the recently-out-of-beta Xtorrent or you roll with a different app, you might still need a simple way to actually create a .torrent file to help with the seeding process. There are of course plenty of ways to do this, but the new CreateTorrent Dashboard widget is handy for the widget junkies in the crowd. A simple drag and drop of a folder or file will create the proper .torrent file, ready for seeding in your favorite BitTorrent application.The CreateTorrent widget is free and available from MacUpdate.
Xtorrent and Inquisitor officially out of beta
When it comes to 'lickable' interface design, there's no question that indie Mac developer David Watanabe is a top practitioner. His latest projects, the BitTorrent client Xtorrent (discussed here in beta form) and Safari search extender Inquisitor v3 are both debuting as full-fledged, bye-bye-beta products today. Inquisitor is free, and Xtorrent's Pro mode will set you back $20; the unregistered version has a download speed throttle among other limitations.Xtorrent's journey through the beta process has resulted in some criticisms leveled: for the use of open-source code from the Transmission project that may cause problems with some torrent trackers, and for Mr. Watanabe's sometimes brusque approach to customer service. While I can't speak to the tracker issues (in general, if one torrent client doesn't work for you, try another), we have an example of good end-user experience handling with Xtorrent and a point raised by our own David Chartier about the rather harsh phrasing of the license entry dialog (over here on this Flickr thread, of all places). The developer responded to the criticism not only with a rephrased dialog (requiring a new build) but also with a license code recovery page on the Xtorrent website. Well played, sir.
Xtorrent Beta 3: RSS "Torrentcast" Support
We've mentioned the two previous betas of Dave Watanabe's excellent bittorrent client Xtorrent. Now beta 3 is out and adds a long promised feature: RSS support. With beta 3, you can subscribe to a RSS feed from a torrent tracker site, and, according to Dave, "you are presented with a continuously updated list of torrents from that feed." Starting the downloading just requires a click of the download button. Continuing the recent trend, Xtorrent is available now with special "pre-release pricing," for $15.89 (versus $18.99 when released). Xtorrent definitely seems to be the most stylish of the Mac bittorent clients; with the excellent built-in torrent searching features and RSS feed support, it looks to be a certain winner. Perhaps the biggest thing Xtorrent still needs is support for some sort of automated downloading, so that the user wouldn't even have to hit the download button.
What I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving season
Since many of us at TUAW are celebrating Thanksgiving in America, I though this might be a good time to join many others in posting a few things I'm thankful for in the Mac web. Naturally, I'm thankful for the wonderful family I'm getting to spend time with, as well as an incredible wife and having a roof over my head. But in the context of TUAW, I figured I would spotlight some of the more Apple-related things for which I'm thankful. You know, the people, apps and other goodness that make my Mac experience that much more appreciable: The blogging team here at TUAW - No I'm not just sucking up; we have a great crew of people here that has recently expanded with the return of Laurie A. Duncan, and our newest blogger Erica Sadun. We're rocking some great content that makes me even more proud to be a TUAW blogger. MagSafe power adapters - kinda silly I know, but living in a house with a wife as busy as I am and a hyper-active Blue Heeler dog, this innovation has already saved my MacBook on a good number of occasions. I thank Apple's engineers for this surprise innovation on the new Intel portables. Daring Fireball - Yes, we pimp John Gruber's stellar musings on all things Apple, software and design quite a bit here on TUAW, but that's only because we all think he does some pretty nifty work, and his writing is a personal inspiration to me. I can't wait for Spring when I'm done with this internship and down to my final semester, with not much more than a senior thesis on my hands, which means more time to dedicate towards creating better posts and podcasts. Xtorrent - Aside from the mixed sentiments towards Mr. Watanabe in my last post about this rockin' BitTorrent client, I'm really digging it, and this is the first holiday trip away from home that I elected to leave the iMac running (on a battery backup, finally) with a long list of goodies to torrent for when I return. Keyword Manager for iPhoto - Sure, I found it just recently, but this app has quickly become a must-have for my iPhoto library. After recently acquiring a killer Canon Digital Rebel XT SLR camera, I'm getting my photography eye back and this app is proving vital for bringing some organization to my now-rapidly expanding library of 3700+ images. Backlit keyboards - I gave up my 1st gen MacBook Pro over the summer for a MacBook + iMac setup so I can leave the desktop machine running to render out big video and motion graphics projects. However, since my wife wants a notebook of her own soon, she promised to chip in to purchase a MacBook Pro for me in June of '07 as a graduation present, at which point she'll inherit the MacBook, and I will be reunited with one of the guiltiest of notebook luxuries that I miss so dearly: a backlit keyboard. Nevermind the recent bump to Core 2 Duo or the (finally!) re-introduction of FW800 and a DL DVD burner - I can't wait to fire up that sexy backlit keyboard. The Intel patch for Unreal Tournament 2004 - I spend way too much time online in this game, and I'm so thankful an Intel patch was released; so much so that it would have been at least a momentary deal-breaker if I couldn't find one when I was considering my original upgrade to Intel machines. I could obviously go on for pages, but I gotta wrap this up sooner or later. These are just a few of the unique things I'm thankful for (besides the obvious: "Macs") during this time of thanking. What Apple-related stuff are you thankful for right now? Whether or not you're celebrating, sound off in the comments.
Xtorrent Public Beta 2
David Watanabe (of NewsFire fame) has released a second public beta of Xtorrent, his BitTorrent client that first appeared on the scene back in September. The largest change is one of the least visible: a major overhaul under the hood of the downloads pane to pave the way for upcoming integration between the search pane, downloads pane and a future RSS module (oh Dave, you're such a tease). The swarm column was also redesigned to be more forthcoming on seeds and leeches (expand yours if it's too thin), and the main window now allows you to drag-and-drop torrent files, complete with a "slick informational overlay."Xtorrent is free while in beta and is available from Xtorrentp2p.com.Thanks Junior
Transmission 0.7 beta reviewed by Torrentfreak
The market for Mac torrent clients has been expanding quite a bit recently, and Torrentfreak has a nice review of a new beta version of Transmission, a long-standing favorite of many a Mac torrenter. While the review rounds up many of the nice new features, I'll give you the cliff notes for the slackers in the crowd: "Transmission 0.7 Beta is by far the fastest, most light-weight and one of the most appealing BitTorrent clients for the Mac."Diving further in, some of Transmission's new features seem to be inspired by Xtorrent, a new beta client from Dave Watanabe (of NewsFire fame). Of these new features, notables include time-of-day based speed limits (i.e. - slow down my torrent downloads while I'm at my desk at work from 9-5), as well as a Watch Folder with automatic cleanup of your torrent files (again, very Xtorrent inspired). The idea is: most Mac browsers by default download all files to the desktop, but that might not be where torrent users want to keep their downloads as well. This Watch Folder allows Transmission to automatically snag any torrent files you download to the desktop, move them to a user-specified folder and begin the torrent download. Ah, software automation - it's a beautiful thing.Check out the rest of Torrentfreak's review, as plenty more is packed under the hood of this new beta.[via digg]
Xtorrent Beta 1
You kids and your bittorrents. Why, I remember when I was in college and Napster was all the rage (this was when Napster was new, and still cool). We had one source for our downloads and we liked it.Now everyone is bittorrenting files to and fro (only open source software and the like, I am sure), and now there is a new OS X bittorent client called Xtorrent. This is from Dave Watanabe, the creator of NewsFire, so you know it is going to be pretty. Xtorrent has a bunch of neat features, and is now available as a beta. Check it out, bugs and all (I mean, it is a beta).
