uTorrent for Mac is a lightweight and efficient BitTorrent client that allows you to connect to P2P networks.

uTorrent for Windows has been a big success on PCs for years and uTorrent for Mac includes all the same features that made it such a success. It's lightweight, extremely easy to use, very fast, requires no configuration and generally just makes downloading torrents very easy. If you have used the Windows version, the main difference you'll notice is that uTorrent for Mac is slightly stripped down compared to the Windows version.

For example, down the left hand side of uTorrent you have all the same menus that you have in Windows that allow you to select exactly what you see in the uTorrent window. You can choose to view only those downloads that have completed, those that are currently downloading, those that are active and finally those that are inactive. Of course, you can also choose to view all of these at the same time too.

However, along the top of the interface, some of the controls that you find in Windows have been removed such as the button for RSS downloads, the create your own torrent wizard button and a preferences button. Preferences can be accessed via the menu bar although there is no RSS downloader or create your own torrent wizard unfortunately.

Everything else is the same as you get in uTorrent 's Windows version including a detailed stats windows giving you details of your download which you can toggle on and off via the info symbol on the top right of the interface. You'll also find the search box which simply takes you to a Google search results page.

The preferences dialog offers the same controls as in Windows with options to limit the bandwidth uTorrent uses, network settings and BitTorrent settings. Most importantly, downloads in uTorrent for Mac are lightening quick (if you have plenty of seeds for your file) although of course, this will also depend on how fast your internet connection is. It takes little more than a few seconds for uTorrent to start finding seeds and get on with downloading your files.

Finally, the uTorrent website offers you several different skins to choose from, an extensive FAQ and a full guide to using uTorrent for beginners. There are few drawbacks to uTorrent but one problem is that there is no way to add or remove torrent components once they have started.

Note that uTorrent provides access to a huge number of files but should only be used for sharing legal digital content.

If you've used uTorrent in Windows, you won't be disappointed by uTorrent for Mac. If you've never used it, then give it a go and you may never go back to your old torrent client again.

Download uTorrent for Mac 1.8.4 in Softonic

Torrent sharing consists of sharing large files, like movies, software, or games with other peers. The file you want to download is cut up into small segments shared by users, creating what is called a swarm, and does not go through a central server, significantly reducing the bulk of file transfers. The Bittorrent client was actually the first P2P application to use this technology and became immensely popular when it was released.

Thanks to a straightforward, uncluttered interface BitTorrent for Mac appears as a friendly torrent client that beginners will feel comfortable with. In fact, the latest version looks uncannily like uTorrent although the functionality is nowhere near as good unfortunately.

Once you’ve found the torrent you want, download it to your Mac, open it up inside BitTorrent for Mac and let the client do its job. The speed at which you download will depend on the number of seeds, that is people who have the complete file and are sharing it. The more seeds there are the quicker files will download. However, a frequent complaint with BitTorrent for Mac is that downloads rarely start and when they do, they can be notoriously unstable.

You can improve things slightly by changing the settings of multiple torrent downloads but there are few diagnostic tools to help you work out the problem. At the very least, you should choose the right port and setting upload and download rate limits to avoid hogging your bandwidth. It’s also good to set your downloads by priority to monitor more precisely how your torrents are doing.

Compared to the exhaustive Azureus, Bittorrent is very simplistic. And compared to uTorrent, it doesn't work half as well despite similarities in appearance. It doesn’t provide many statistics and doesn’t let you customize the interface. Integrating a search box is a great idea, but it limits searches to the BitTorrent website, not considered the most thorough source by torrent aficionados.

Note that BitTorrent gives you access to a huge number of digital files and should only be used for sharing legal P2P content.

BitTorrent for Mac may have once been a good starting point in the P2P world but there are now several other clients which are far more effective.

Download BitTorrent for Mac 7.4.1 in Softonic

While there are more advanced and powerful torrent clients like uTorrent, BitTorrent Surf's brilliance is in its simplicity. Once you have the extension installed, you can immediately start searching for torrents. Can't find what you're looking for? You can add your own custom searches for BitTorrent Surf to query.

Once you've found something you want to download, just click the check mark and your download will begin immediately. You can set the share ratio for each program but that's it in terms of advanced features. There's no capping download and upload speeds. There's also no options to modify where your downloads go and what to do with the files after downloads have completed.

The interface of BitTorrent Surf is good on the whole but users will be greeted with random banner ads at the bottom. They're not that intrusive and shouldn't bother most users.

Overall, BitTorrent Surf is a simple to use BitTorrent client but power users will need to look elsewhere.

Download BitTorrent Surf 0.5 alpha in Softonic

CheatSheet for Macsimply displays keyboard shortcuts of the application you have open at any time. Simply press the Command key (with the Apple symbol on) and in the foreground, CheatSheet for Mac shows you all the keyboard shortcuts sorted by section.

CheatSheet is very useful for remembering keyboard shortcuts for certain applications such as uTorrent, AppCleaner, Growl etc although some apps may not work with it or have desktop shortcuts. The result, is huge time savings, less mouse work and a much slicker OS X experience.

CheatSheet is an essential tool for anyone that prefers using keyboard shortcuts and wants to be more productive on their Mac.

Download CheatSheet 1.0.1 in Softonic

Vuze (formerly known as Azureus) is a bit-torrent client which follows a similar format to eMule but its makers claim it can offer significant improvements in terms of hits, download times and navigating available material.

There's no doubt that Vuze offers some spectacularly fast download times but this comes at a price. Mainly the fact that Vuze is extremely bloated and tries to install two toolbars when you install it. On the upside, because Vuze is an open source project, there is a large community of programmers, designers and users who are continually testing and improving it and there's an excellent FAQ.

You receive comprehensive stats about every file that's downloaded with Vuze (most of which will mean nothing to you though) but most importantly it gives you the all important Estimated Time of Arrival and Share Ratio which tells you how much of a particular file you have uploaded or given back to the community. Apparently, in a perfect world, every file should have a share ratio of two which means for each file you download, two users download it from you.

Possibly the most notable feature of Vuze, however, is the media website that's embedded into the application. It looks like an entertainment website and that's pretty much what it is only the entertainment can be downloaded via Vuze. These include gameshows, user generated content, sports and more.

Vuze has a rather overwhelming interface as a result. It's far more bloated than other P2P clients such as uTorrent and Transmission. It takes some getting used to at first the upside is that it is much more customisable than most Mac P2P apps. For example, if you want to configure Vuze to work only with a VPN, you can do unlike uTorrent and Transmission.

Vuze is generally an excellent P2P application that may be a bit more bloated than most but works well and has plenty to offer.

Download Vuze (Azureus) 4.7.0.0 in Softonic

SoMud allows you to search, download and even play web videos within its interface thanks to its own embedded media player. You can preview media files while they are being downloaded which is handy for avoiding fake or spam files. The download speeds are also impressive although it's obviously dependent on your connection and the number of peers connected.

SoMud is also unusual in that it also allows users to record their desktop or screen activity and share it with other peers. This includes audio and webcam images. In addition, there's a P2P wizard that allows you to create your own torrents and there's also parental control to filter specified keywords and lock specified content.

SoMud doesn't have the simple, slick interface that uTorrent has for example. It's also quite a large file at over 100MB for a P2P client. It's also rather annoying that when you install it, it automatically opens the developer homepage in your browser. Downloads are generally reliable but can take some time to start. Finally, the floating icon is a bit unnecessary since there's already access to the interface from the Menu Bar and Dock.

SoMud is a very interesting P2P client with some unusual features and may appeal to those who want a bit more control over their P2P downloading than most other clients allow.

Download SoMud 1.3.5 in Softonic

I haven't been converted to the iPhone yet because I believe there is such a thing as too much Apple in your life. And more importantly, Android has really impressed me so far.

However, if you have gone loco for all things iPhone then Spiffy Icon Pack is just what you need. Why you would want to replace Apple's lovely iTunes logo for an iPhone style I'm not sure, but it certainly gives your Dock a unique touch. Spiffy Icon Pack features 54 icons, covering a huge number of applications and programs including Adobe Dreamweaver, Excel, iChat, iDVD, iTunes and Skype to name just a few.

The icons are beautifully crafted and each is 177 KB in size with a resolution of 700×500 pixels. There's very little to complain about in Spiffy Icon Pack except the fact that it probably won't cover all of the applications installed on your Mac. For example big programs such as uTorrent and Picasa aren't available and there's no icon for the Trash Can or Finder.

However, Spiffy Icon Pack offers a superbly-crafted set of iPhone icons that any Apple fanatic is going to seriously love.

Download Spiffy Icon Pack 1.3 in Softonic