Usenet used to be a complicated file-sharing network that only experts could understand. Then came along UseNeXT and blew the doors right open to anyone who's familiar with clients such as eMule and Limewire.

The difference being that UseNeXT is far more powerful in terms of the hits you'll find and the speed you can download them. UseNeXT provides anonymous and ad-free access to over 200 terabytes worth of MP3s, videos, games, pictures, and software. In addition, it's home to over 60,000 Usenet discussion boards and most importantly, the subscription system means it's legal and allows it to use it's own servers for super-fast downloads.

UseNeXT even comes with its own browser that can unpack and repair failed downloads as well as feature a built-in media player that allows you to preview files before they're downloaded. Using it is pretty easy. When you UseNeXT's the main interface, you have a list of 'Newsgroups' along the left-hand side where you'll find content organized by category. Beware if you're allowing minors to use it because there is a substantial amount of adult content, which you can choose to hide on first use.

Double clicking on any file will immediately take you to the download manager. Alternatively, you can use the search box in UseNeXT to hunt for specific content. By clicking on the newsgroups, you can see the most popular download content by category in an instant.

For those who don't want to waste valuable bandwidth, there is also a 'Free Downloads' section that allows you to download content without reducing your monthly download limit. Finally, the latest version of UseNeXT features coverflow for spectacular viewing of multimedia content and images.

UseNeXT is an extremely impressive network that might not be free, but offers significantly more content and speed than free P2P clients.