This latest version of Morpheus gives prior users a compelling reason to give it another try, after the turbulence of this last year. When Morpheus first moved to the Gnutella network, it didn't live up to the quality that made its earlier reputation. But this new version announces its reformation with a colorful Superman-style "M" logo; and the style changes go way deeper than the logo. The overall interface looks great. It's well laid out, offering tabs for search, traffic, and media management. The buttons are big and, though they won't win any cool awards, easy to use.
Searching--the heart of any file-sharing application--is full-featured. A search power meter informs you of how many servers you are connected to, while search results show how likely you are to be able to download any given file. There is no column for bit rate in the results, but you can see this information when you click on an individual file. Morpheus also lets you refine your search for audio, images, video, documents, and software, and can run multiple queries. Two buttons on the interface offer a media manager and chat, but when you first click them nothing seems to happen. The buttons initiate a download of these add-on components, and will launch them immediately once they are installed.
Our first searches after installation took an extraordinarily long time to return results, but once going, it met our expectations. Later launches returned results more quickly. Adware is limited to banners in the interface and various shopping programs for merchandise and concert tickets. There were no browser pop-up ads as we ran the program.
This version of Morpheus is more than competitive with other Gnutella clients, offering a clean interface and no ad-related interference. Interface components all make sense and the add-on media manager and chat client are actually useful, if you don't already have these utilities covered.
Editor's note: This ad-supported software includes technology that will serve banner advertisements through the program interface. Morpheus also installs Morpheus Shopping (a branded version of BuyersPort.com powered by Wurld Media). If you register for this service, your information and purchasing data will be used in direct marketing campaigns. If uninstalling Morpheus, you must uninstall the bundled Wurld Media component separately using the Add/Remove Programs menu (located in the Windows Control Panel). Wurld Media claims not to share your information with third part
ies. For more information, please refer to BuyersPort's privacy policy.
