August 27, 2008 by sharky
Torrent2Exe.com
Convert Torrents to Standalone EXE Files at Torrent2exe.com.
If you’ve ever been burdened by the hassle of trying to explain what "BitTorrent" is to an unreceptive friend then perhaps Torrent2exe.com can help. Torrent2Exe will make torrent downloads a breeze even for computer novices. Here’s how it works: Simply download a *.torrent file to your PC (not into your BT client), then upload it to Torrent2exe.com - an executable file (*.exe) will be created. You can now share that *.exe (email it, post it on your website or blog, MSN it, etc.) with even the most unsavvy BT user. The BitTorrent client is self-contained within the exe file, allowing for one-click clientless downloading. Also works with direct input of torrent URLs, in the event that you’re blocked from downloading torrent files to your PC hard drive (workplace, school, etc).
Torrent2exe has undergone a much-needed facelift - users can now select max. upload and download speeds, as well as change the Seeding Options (ratio; seed for ‘X’ hours) in the Advanced settings. Throughout our testing, we didn’t notice any size limitations of the finished torrent - even 70 GB torrents seemed to work without a hitch.
You can also create your own torrents (in uTorrent) from your own files and folders. Simply use a public tracker (for example - http://open.tracker.thepiratebay.org/announce) in your newly created torrent, then open (seed it) in uTorrent. Next, upload the actual *.torrent file to Torrent2exe and share the *.exe file with friends! (Your torrent won’t be indexed on any public torrent site, but it will be available to anyone you gave out the *.exe to). Ideally, they’ll be downloading from your computer through your BT client.
We also tested this on some private trackers, and it worked! (Although we highly recommend that you don’t do this - as it is likely not an approved BT client). If preferred, users can also download the PC application which does essentially everything the web-based service does. Download it from here.
OUR TESTS: Very fast, indeed! We achieved sustainable download speeds between 100 - 200 KB/s for mininova torrents - nearly an impossible feat on a public tracker.
UPDATE: After 4 days of continuous seeding on a private tracker, we still generated a hit-&-run while using it, even though our torrent continued to seed well. Our Advice? - Use on public trackers only.
BitLet.org
BitLet is a Java-based BitTorrent applet that lets you download any torrent file directly in your browser. Finished files are then saved to a chosen directory on your PC.
Note: For URLs of torrents from mininova, use the "get" URL; for example: http://www.mininova.org/get/1734589. Alternatively, BitLet users can install the BitLet bookmarklet which is a nifty accompaniment for most of the major public trackers, including mininova, ThePirateBay and others. The bookmarklet adds a small ‘direct download’ button for one-click downloading into BitLet.
BitLet also has an online ‘upload’ feature whereby your local files and folders can be converted into a torrent which is then automatically submitted to mininova.org for indexing.
There’s also a neat music feature (torrent streaming) that allows you to ‘paste’ the URL of a torrent file that contains *.mp3 files (or *.ogg) - for example, a complete album. The track listing will load in the browser window and songs can be listened to "through" the torrent without having to download it directly to your PC’s hard drive. (It’s worth mentioning that we had sketchy playback throughout our tests, even when using music torrents that had tons of peers).
OUR TESTS: We found BitLet to be extremely quick - speeds were comparable to a PC-based BitTorrent client.
TorrentRelay.com
TorrentRelay is a website that offers a unique Bittorrent client, one that is entirely web based. You can load torrents from a variety of methods; Local Files, Online URL’s or even short Mininova ID’s. TorrentRelay works though firewalls, complex routing and proxies over standard HTTP by offering your downloads as an HTTP ‘Save As’.
Read this TorrentFreak article for more information on TorrentRelay.
OUR TESTS: While TorrentRelay offers the most versatility among all of the web-based BT clients (including PS3 & iPhone support), you’ll pay the price (on their free service option) with slow speeds even on the well-seeded public torrents, and frequent unavailability during ‘peak’ times. One option is to upgrade to their ‘prime‘ service, which we took for a spin, and it definitely offers some major advantages over its free version. The prime service somewhat resembles the same features that a TFlux or WebUI seedbox can provide, thus it would be appropriate for private trackers. Other Prime features include:
- Priority Prime Server
- Personal client that remembers all your previous downloads
- Close your browser and even turn off your computer, your downloads will continue
- Seed your torrents back, helping you keep your ratio up
- Login at home to start your torrents, you’ll find them at school or anywhere else you login
- More active torrents and unlimited downloads per day
- Download larger torrents
- PS3 (Play Station 3) video streaming
- Streaming support for VLC, Quicktime and Windows Media Player
- UnRAR archives without the need to download them
- Create ZIP archives, making the downloading process easier
Instant-Torrents.com
Instant-Torrents is somewhat of a hybrid between a secure VPN service and a torrent downloader. It works through the VPN service IVACY (which, like any respectable VPN service, is not free - although they offer a 1 GB ‘test’ account to those who sign up here - so you’ll be able to test out the entire service for absolutely nothing). Ivacy accounts run from €0.5 (Euro) per 1 GB, and a monthly ‘unlimited bandwidth’ account costs €10 (Euro) / month.
It works like this: 1. Create a new account with Ivacy. 2. Download the ‘Ivacy Monitor’ VPN software; install it and connect to the VPN using your username/password (or, set up the Ivacy VPN manually without the software). 3. Create a free account at Instant-Torrents, and login. 4. Add torrent files via URLs (or click the ‘upload’ tab and add local torrent files). Your added torrents will be shown in the browser. Once completed, you’ll be able to download your finished files via the secure Ivacy VPN. NOTE: There’s a limit of 5 simultaneous running torrents, and all completed torrents should be downloaded within 20 days. For large torrents (as there is no size limit), you’ll be notified via email when the torrent has completed.
Additionally, you may also browse the existing files on the Instant-Torrents network - just click the "Ratings" link to see what others have added.
OUR TESTS: Downloading was quick indeed! And browsing other users’ added torrents was fun, too! (You’ll see what we’re talkin’ about)
www.TorrentEditor.com
TorrentEditor is the easiest way to edit torrent files online. Features include:
- • Add, update, remove or change trackers.
- • Edit creation date, created by and comments.
- • Quickly see what is in a torrent before loading it.
- • No technical skills needed.
- • Fast and easy!
- • No programs to install.
Use TorrentEditor.com to:
- • Change trackers that are no longer running.
- • Prepare an existing torrent to post to a new tracking site.
- • Verify that the torrent contains what it says it does.
- • Change the piece size of existing torrents; add/remove the private flag.
http://btreannouncer.net
btReAnnounceR is a similar service to TorrentEditor that allows for online editing of torrent files, such as:
- • You need to find more trackers for your torrents.
- • The tracker to a much desired download may be blocked by your ISP and you need to find an alternate.
- • Your torrent wont complete because the primary tracker is down.
- • You want to try to find more seeds for your torrent.
ImageShack
The ImageShack "Torrent Drive" free service offers a 5GB ‘hard drive’ with a 500 KB/s speed limit and 150% seeding on each torrent (max).
OUR TESTS: Not well-received. See here for an honest review.
Honorable Mention: TXTOR
Txtor is a service that offers the possibility of downloading a torrent file that’s available publicly on the Internet as if it were a text file. From a user’s perspective, it’s very simple: you paste the URL of a torrent file in the TXTOR text box and click the download button. The resulting text file gets downloaded, you rename the ".txt" extension to ".torrent" and fire it up in your favorite BitTorrent client.
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