Downloading new files is one of the greatest things about the Internet for many people. Efficiency-boosting software, games, codecs and multimedia are commonly available with the click of a mouse. The ever-present limiting factor, of course, is download speed, and FlashGet is designed to boost speeds by replacing the usual download manager with its multi-protocol technology.

Plenty of programs claim to improve download speeds, but most fall flat in their attempts. FlashGet starts ahead of the pack with a clean, user-friendly interface, and it also works very well where it's supposed to. Users can count on speeds that are six to 10 times what they're used to, resulting in a supercharged online experience.

FlashGet improves the rate of downloads in BT, HTTP, FTP and eMule protocols. This means that unlike many download managers and accelerators, FlashGet makes Internet usage faster across the board. No matter how users take advantage of the application, it will stay on top of anything else currently open thanks to its handy icon. The icon also lets users download virtually anything from websites by dragging and dropping.

While the interface is simple and attractive, it doesn't allow users to customize it with anything other than background skins. Beginners may also have a hard time learning to use these skins.

The application doesn't offer much in the way of language customization. As a result, users who don't speak either Chinese or English may have a hard time getting the hang of FlashGet.

Overall, FlashGet does exactly what it's supposed to do: It gives users faster download speeds and simplifies download management. It's totally free, fast, and its light weight means it won't hog system resources. Despite its lack of alternative languages and visual customization, FlashGet is also very friendly to advanced users as well as everyday surfers.