While 2010 went by in a blink there were quite a few Usenet achievements. The ongoing retention gains and reduced prices have made Usenet more popular than ever. In this post we’ll focus on new technologies and features added in 2010 that have changed Usenet for the better.
Usenet achievements were plentiful this year. In past years the discussion revolved around retention levels. While retention continues to grow the industry expanded in other directions as well this year. Everything from Usenet providers adding clients, VPN, storage, enhanced web access and supprt for mobile devices.
Let’s take a closer look at a few Usenet providers who left an extra mark this year:
Giganews – (VyprVPN and Mimo Usenet Browser)
Giganews was certainly busy innovating this year. First with their addition of VyprVPN and then Mimo Usenet browser. VyprVPN provides Diamond members with free VPN access to help secure their privacy while online. Mimo newsreader is also free for Diamond members and provides a Usenet search feature in addition to a nice user interface. Not to by missed Giganews continued to lead the industry in retention. With speed and reliability to match their premium services.
Easynews – (New Web Interface, Mobile Apps)
Easynews was hard at work innovating this year. Starting with network upgrades to ensure a high level of performance and reliability. In October Easynews launched a new web interface and continue to enhance the online features. We were impressed with the ease of use and wrote a full review of the beta release. More recently Easynews added 3rd party mobile apps like EZ Global Search. Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. In addition Easynews added unlimited NNTP access and support for PayPal this year.
NewsDemon – (Online Storage)
NewsDemon added free online storage for their unlimited customers this year. Partnering with StorageNinja to offer 30 GB of free online storage to members who subscribe to an unlimited plan. In addition they continued to include a fully licensed copy of News Rover newsreader for all members.
Newshosting – (Free Easynews Account)
Newshosting recently announced a partnership with Easynews to offer free web Usenet access to NHXL members. This means NHXL subscribers not only receive unlimited NNTP Usenet access from Newshosting but also a 10 GB monthly Easynews account at no additional cost. Newshosting also continued to increase retention and added support for PayPal in 2010.
Not to be missed are all the Usenet providers who offer low cost Usenet access with reliability and continued retention gains. A list including UseNetServer, Supernews, ThunderNews, Astraweb and many more. Cheers to everyone who helped improve Usenet in 2010. We look forward to the years ahead!
