Obviously, the first thing to acknowledge in this review is what has been acknowledged by every other review, not to mention on every tech or news outlet in the media. Napster is nearing demise. It was inevitable, and it has only been postponed time and again since spring of 2000. Napster did a great job of opening up the entire world to digital music. I remember a time when my friends and colleagues were sick and tired of me going on about these "MP3" things, before Napster, when the only way to share or exchange them was through a good FTP program. Then, in only a matter of months, these same people were lauding Napster as such a great program, 'cause they could get free music! I held a particular disdain for Napster at first, because I could, and still can if I absolutely have to, find any song I wanted through FTP programs, completely circumventing the whole Napster/Napster clone scheme. Although I can, the general public may not be able to, or may not want to take the additional time or effort to do so. Peer-to-peer programs are very easy to use, and it motivates the development of the technology. If the general public hadn't been exposed to Napster, I truly doubt that things such as advanced MP3 players or the Samsung Uproar (the first American MP3-playing wireless phone) would have been accepted so openly, or perhaps even developed in the first place. Now that the general public has the taste for digital music (and other media), there is no turning back. Hats off to you, Napster. So, with that out of the way, here comes iMesh.

imesh is not just another Napster clone. It isn't Napigator or Snoopstar. It does utilize the same concept and basis in peer-to-peer, but that's where it ends. Napster was the first widely-used peer-to-peer program, and it was just the basics. They've added to it, but it is still basic. iMesh is more related to the Scour software, which has unfortunately crumbled under legal pressure and is no more. It searches for anything digital: music, videos, software, text, images, anything that you want to share with others. Do not be concerned by that: This does not mean that anything on your computer is available to anyone else, and thus it is not a security issue. You have the opportunity to select the folders that can be shared, thus leaving you in control.

There are several facets of iMesh that deserve attention. The fact that it searches for all of the above things is clear-cut enough. 'Nuff said on that. A few of the great elements within iMesh are:

Augmented Downloading - When you search for a file, it doesn't attach it to a specific user that holds it. When you download the file, it lists in a special box all of the people that have that particular file (the exact same file, not different sizes or formats of it). This means, that if the person that you are downloading it from turns off his or her computer, there is no "Transfer Error!" that one is so familiar with on Napster. It just effortlessly bounces to one of the other holders of the file, and continues to download. If there is only one person online at that time, and they go offline, the file is queued, meaning that iMesh will wait until someone else comes online holding that file, and will download it from them.
Searching Format-Specific - As stated above, one can used iMesh to search for nearly any type of media that can be stored on a computer. I've downloaded MP3s, AVIs (movie files), and I even, although I own 4 copies of it, downloaded a text of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The good thing is, you can specifically search for any of these formats. If you're just looking for an MP3 of a particular artist, you may not be interested in wading through results for videos by that artist. So, you select "Audio." Or, you may already have the MP3, and you want that video. Just select "Video."
Search Restrictions - When one searches for a file with just one or two keywords, commonly one may get results for that file and perhaps other files that are, let us say, less desirable. Say, for example, you are looking for Lords of Acid videos, and you specify your search to "Video," and you just put in "lords." You may see where this is going. You get 3 or 4 results for Lords of Acid videos, and 25 Traci Lords porn video clips. With iMesh, you can access your preferences and go to "Search Restrictions" and put in there "Traci," and those pesky clips won't show up. This is good for keeping minors from being exposed to these things, or just to make it less bothersome to wade through those results. And, if it is a precautionary measure for minors, for example, the restrictions are password-protected, so only the one in charge can change those settings.
Checks for Updates - The three things I have just mentioned are probably the most notable additions to peer-to-peer programs that iMesh offers to digital afficionados, but this one is good to mention as well. You can set up iMesh to regularly contact the website for possible software updates. Since iMesh is still in beta release and will undoubtedly become more developed, this makes the transition to the upgraded software easier on the user. I know I used Napster v.b6 for 5 months after v.b9 came out merely because I didn't take the time to check Napster.com. This takes that extra work out of it.

These are the main facets of iMesh that I feel deserve attention and prove it to be on the edge of the new peer-to-peer programs that will follow in the wake of (both allusions are relevant here!) Napster. It is definitely not a clone, for one. It has already generated the start of a healthy following of users, with 70,000 at last look. Some people have displayed frustrations in iMesh's stability and occasional down-time. In answer to these things, it does not make iMesh a bad program if connecting is sometimes difficult here at the beginning. It is in beta, and it will get better. One user here in Epinions very aptly put it: a lot of people are not going to leave Napster until it is absolutely dead. It will happen, and iMesh will be ready to accept them. iMesh's website notifies users of when the server may be down for upgrades, and that is the keynote here. The server may be down for a day, but when it comes back, it will be able to serve better. I have full faith, and am absolutely pleased with iMesh's service. It may develop into something bigger and better, but it is definitely the focal point of development A.N. (After Napster).

Recommended: Yes