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NewsLeecher SuperLeech Alpha Test

May 3, 2013 by NGR

NewsLeecher is alpha testing a new add-on for SuperSearch. The new feature is called SuperLeech. It looks similar to the Newshosting auto-search feature we wrote about earlier this week and Newsbin’s new watch feature. NewsLeecher members with an active SuperSearch license can alpha test the new SuperLeech feature. We’re not sure whether or not the NL team is going to charge extra for the add-on in the future.

NewsLeecher SuperLeech

We look forward to testing out the new SuperLeech add-on this weekend. Rather than wait until next week we wanted to share the news with you first. That way you can check it out as well. Here’s some additional information from the alpha test forum post to get you started using the new feature:

Currently, SuperLeech implements 3 different service modes :

————————
1. “Leech [ All ] ” Mode
————————
This is the most basic mode. Using this mode, SuperLeech will
leech *everything* matching the specified search query. This
mode should only be used, if you search for very specific
subjects, or you will end up having the SuperLeech service
leeching way too many articles.

————————-
2. “Leech [ Once ] ” Mode
————————-
Using this mode, SuperLeech will leech the first matching
article ( or article collection ), that gets posted to the
Usenet, after the SuperLeech entry has been activated.
When a match has occurred, the SuperLeech service will make
sure that no further articles are matched.

—————————–
3. “Leech [ Episodes ] ” Mode
—————————–
This mode has been implemented for users, who are interested
in series episodes. It can be used to automatically download
new episodes for wanted series, almost as soon as they get
posted to the Usenet.

Say you are interested in a podcast series called “My favorite
podcast series”. To automatically download new episodes of the
series, when they become available, simply setup a SuperLeech
entry with the search query set to “My favorite podcast series”
(wo. quotes) and the search method set to “Leech [ Episodes ]”.

You can read the full forum post for additional details. Next week we’ll recap all the new auto-search features released recently. In the meantime test out the new SuperLeech feature and let them know what you think.

Filed Under: Newsleecher, Newsreaders

Newshosting Client Automatic Search

April 30, 2013 by NGR

Earlier today Newshosting released a new version of their popular newsreader. Newshosting client v1.4.0 contains a very cool new feature. Members now have the ability to set up automatic searches. No more missing content or waiting too long because you didn’t get around to it in time. The new automatic search feature will check for your desired content hourly and download it once available.

Newshosting Automatic Search

We went in and set up a quick search for Ubuntu posts between 800 MB and 1000 MB. Then we set the valid time to a week. Specifically April 30th to May 7th. For demonstration purposes we chose “Only show results”. If we wanted the latest Ubuntu distro as soon as it hit Usenet we’d choose “Download one search result” or “Download all search results” from the Action dropdown. Hopefully you get the idea from our quick demo.

The new automatic search feature is currently in beta. You can expect to see more refinements in future releases. If you’re not a member you can sign up for Newshosting for just $10 a month or $99 a year. You can read our Newshosting review to learn more about the client and follow us for the latest news and updates.

Filed Under: Newshosting Client, Newsreaders

Newsbin Adds a Watch Feature

April 26, 2013 by NGR

The Newsbin Pro team is at it again. Releasing a new beta version of the newsreader. Newsbin 6.50 Beta 5 rolled out on April 24th and is available for download from their beta page. If you already have a license the new version is free as always. Otherwise the client is well worth $20 or $30 with a year of standard search access. Want to automatically grab content soon after it’s posted? If so check out the new watch feature.

Newsbin Watch Feature

Here’s a full list of features and changes in Newsbin 6.50 vs. 6.42:

New Watch feature. Configure Newsbin to pull out items of interest during header downloads.

Ability to launch post unrar processing scripts.

Provides the ability to download parts of a post to one drive and have them assembled to another. Useful if you want to minimize I/O bottlenecks by downloading to a fast internal drive then save the assembled files on larger external media like a NAS.

Optimizations for downloading to SSD drives

Uses new hashing code. Seems to solve the rare problem where Newsbin and quickpar don’t agree on the hash value

If you have two unique Regular Expressions with a space between them, it’ll AND the results.

Intermediate NB2 files are no longer used.

New logic to verify all downloaded files even without pars so it won’t download dup files ever.

Startup checking is much faster, like if you exit with large sets in the download list.

Compacts more posting styles

The “Small File Filter” is now disabled by default (Show PAR/NFO)

Unnecessary files in the data folder gets purged on startup now.

Now supports SMTP authentication for email notifications.

Newsbin customers can download version 6.50 Beta 5 from their beta page. All full releases and betas are free of charge for users with a software license. New users can download a 10 day free trial to test the client.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to compare Usenet clients and providers. Join us on Twitter @NewsgroupRevs.

Filed Under: Newsbin Pro, Newsreaders

NewsLeecher v5.0 Final Release

March 29, 2013 by NGR

Earlier this month NewsLeecher had a double release. They released both v 5.0 Final and v5.1 Beta 1. In addition they’re already working on new features to be included in NewsLeecher version 6. Upcoming features include automated SuperSearch searching and downloading. Along with scripting support to allow for more flexibility in the client. Visit NewsLeecher.com to download either the latest v5.0 Final or v5.1 Beta release.

Here are the release notes from NL v5.0 Final:

#: NewsLeecher V5.0 Final Release.
#: Since V5.0 is now final and has been released, we have begun
   to work on the NewsLeecher V6 series.
   NewsLeecher V6 will support automatic SuperSearch searching and
   downloading, based on user specified search queries. V6 will
   also implement fast and efficient scripting support, to make
   NewsLeecher much more flexible. Scripting will, for example,
   allow fully flexible and automatic download management,
   Repair & Extract management, etc..
#: For a complete list of changes since NewsLeecher V4 Final,
   check this page:
   https://www.newsleecher.com/version-history/
*: Only very minor changes since most recent beta (beta 19).

Along with the release notes for NL v5.1 Beta:

*: It is now possible to cancel ongoing cleaning of subscribed
   Usenet groups. This is sometimes wanted, as cleaning can take a
   long time for larger groups.
*: Smaller visual improvements.
!: When cleaning of subscribed Usenet groups was initiated, the
   NewsLeecher interface would freeze until the procedure had
   finished. This has been fixed, so the interface is also
   responsive while cleaning is in progress.
#: Note that we are working on improvement the performance of the
   group cleaning procedure for an upcoming release.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet. Including newsreader reviews, Usenet providers reviews, guides, free trials and special offers. Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest Usenet news.

Filed Under: Newsleecher, Newsreaders

Newsbin and NBRemote Updates

March 24, 2013 by NGR

Today we’d like to share some news from our friends over at Newsbin. Along with a new release of NBRemote for remotely controlling Newsbin Pro from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The latest version of NBRemote adds support iPhone 5 screens. If you already own the app go ahead and update it. Otherwise visit iTunes and download NBRemote for $2.99. You can also test out the NBRemote Lite version for free.

You can read our NBRemote review to learn more about the app. We think it’s great. It’s well worth the $2.99 price to be able to remotely control Newsbin Pro. Think how nice it will be to sit back on your couch and search for content and queue up downloads. You can also try out the Lite version and move up after testing the app.

On the Newsbin Pro front, Quade is hard at work on a cool new feature for the upcoming v6.50 beta release. Newsbin fans will be excited to hear that they are adding a new watch feature to the next beta. Here’s what Quade had to say about the upcoming feature in a related forum post:

Working on a new feature for the soon to be beta 6.50.

You can setup simple filters to filter out all header downloads and send the matching ones to a custom listing and/or send them to the download list. You’ll be able to load the listing as if you’re loading a group. It’ll only show the matching files.

Say you want to keep track of a series called “Big pussy” and you want to get the files before they vanish from the server. You’d setup a filter called “Big pussy”. In the filters you’d set the min and max size, what groups you want to keep track of and/or you can spec what poster you want the files from. The search string might look like:

“Big pussy 720p|1080P”
Min Size: 500 M
Max Size: 5G
Poster: pussy@home.com
Groups: <Some groups parent>.

Then you can spec where they download and if you want them to download automatically. You could set Newsbin to automatically download headers, pick these files out of the downloaded headers and then hand them off to the download list. In that way, you’d never be more than 15 minutes from getting the files and it could be totally automated.

Eventually it’ll integrate with search too so, you can set this up and not bother downloading headers, just hit search every 15 minutes for matching files. When I say eventually, I means as soon as I write the code.

Dex is playing with it right now, he’s pretty excited about it. You can do this now with the filter profiles and automode but, it’s too complicated and not that easy to manage. In this way you can add the watches like groups, load them like groups and delete them when you don’t want to watch for them any more.

Cheers to both Newsbin and Bergdahl (developers of NBRemote) for continuing to put out great products. We look forward to testing out the new watch feature in the upcoming beta 6.50 release of Newsbin.

Filed Under: NBRemote, Newsbin Pro, Newsreaders

Configure a Usenet Server for Fills

March 19, 2013 by NGR

We’ve all been there. You just finished downloading a large group of files only to realize you’re missing too many parts for PARs to save the day. Now what? For a lot of people it’s back to square one. Luckily you still have some other options. Our favorite solution is using a fill server to grab missing or damaged files. We recommend using a fast Usenet provider for primary downloads and a block plan for fills. More and more Usenet fans are turning to inexpensive blocks from European providers to act as fill servers.

You can visit our main site – Newsgroup Reviews – for recommendations on which Usenet providers are the best. Our post is going to assume you already have a primary and secondary (fill) server. They can technically be from two different services or separate server farms from the same company. We’ll cover that in more detail in a moment. For now you’ll want to choose a Usenet client that supports fill servers. Here’s a few options:

The naming may differ between newsreaders. Some may use terms other than fill servers. You might also see the feature listed as something like server priority. Regardless you’re looking for an option that will pick up if you can’t complete the download otherwise. We’ll walk you through setting up a fill server in Newsbin.

When it comes to fills Newsbin is definitely our favorite newsreader. You can easily set the client to use any Usenet account as a fill server. All you have to do is click on Options – Servers. From there choose the server you want to use as a fill and click the “Fill Server” checkbox in the advanced options section.

That’s all there is to setting up a fill server in Newsbin. If your Usenet provider has more than one server farm you can set one up as the primary and the other for fills. We personally prefer using two separate accounts. I think you’ll have more success that way as well. Enjoying more complete Usenet downloads.

Filed Under: Newsreaders, Usenet Tutorials Tagged With: Usenet fill server

Free iPhone App for Easynews

March 14, 2013 by NGR

Our favorite iPhone Usenet reader just got even better. Easynews members now have access to a free version of EZ Global Search. The free iOS app is on iTunes under the name EZ Global Search Lite. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that are in the paid ($2.99) version but it’s great for those seeking a free alternative. You can search for content, preview and add items to Easynews Zip Manager. Visit iTunes to download it free.

You’ll need Easynews web access to use EZ Global Search Lite. If you’re not already a member you can sign up for a 14 day free trial. Then download the free Easynews iOS client from iTunes.

Both the free (Lite) and premium version of EZ Global Search are available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The latest version has been optimized for iPhone 5 users. Allowing you to take advantage of the larger screen size. Let’s take a look at what you can do with the free version – EZ Global Search Lite:

Search by Keyword
View results with thumbnails for image and video files
Click a thumbnail to view the full sized image (video thumbnails too!)
Email image to friends or Save them to your iOS photo gallery
Select multiple files (up to 5 files with the LITE version) and send them to the Zip Manager (upgrade to the full version for unlimited zipping)
Zip Manager Tab lets you easily view your queued files in an iOS friendly format or using Easynews’ Web view
Post detail screen displays all available data for each file type including:
– Audio: duration, bit rate, sample rate, ability to play audio sample, file size, and more.
– Video: duration, bit rate, sample rate, resolution, ability to view video thumbnail screens, file size, and more.
– Photos: resolution, thumbnail preview, file size.
AirPlay Audio support. Easily STREAM iOS compatible audio files and push them to your AppleTV (still trying to work out video support, sorry)
Choose what port connections should be made through (80, 81, SSL 443, SSL 81)
View your Gig Bank data
Universal for iPad and iPhone. Use on your iPad in Full Resolution!

You can also upgrade to the full version – EZ Global Search – for $2.99 and add these features:

Ad-Free
Filter by FileType, Date Range, Size Range, Extension, Newsgroup, Collapse sets
Sort results by 16 different terms in Asc or Desc order
Background Audio Playback Support
Full search results with ‘Pull to Load More’.
NZB Support: Send NZB files to download apps: SABMobile, SynoLoad, QGetMobile
Quickly view and search within your Easynews “Favorite Newsgroups”
Easily view your Saved Searches within your Easynews account (with auto-search nightly hit counts)
Save a new search to your Easynews Account to quickly search at another time.
Push posts URLs to popular ‘download apps’ like GoodReader, iCab Mobile, Filer, Downloads, ReaddleDocs, Atomic Web Browser and others. These apps can open and play these files in their native players or other apps

Check out EZ Global Search Lite. We’ve been using the full release for a long time. It’s our favorite way to search for Usenet content on iPhone. Easynews being web-based definitely has it’s advantages!

Filed Under: EZ Global Search, Newsreaders Tagged With: EZ Global Search Lite

Can Your ISP Track Usenet?

March 4, 2013 by NGR

Are you concerned that your ISP is tracking Usenet? If so you’re not alone. We’re not advocating copyright infringement but we’d like to set the record straight. Tracking by your ISP or anyone else is a massive invasion of privacy. One that you can help avoid. First of all if you don’t want your ISP tracking then don’t use any Usenet service provided by them. You can also enable SSL in your newsreader to help ensure your Usenet privacy.

As long as you enable SSL for each server in your newsreader your Usenet downloads will be encrypted. The reason is that by turning on SSL you are encrypting the data transfer between your system and the Usenet provider’s news servers. By relying on the same technology used by financial institutions you can help ensure your privacy. The process is simple. We’ll show you how to enable SSL in several newsreaders.

Newshosting Client SSL Setup & Port

Newshosting offers their members a free Usenet client. You can use it to search for content and download directly from their news servers privately. To enable SSL you’ll want to open the newsreader, click on Options – Settings. Now come down the left hand side of the Settings window and click on the Connection tab. From there check the box next to “Prefer SSL connections if available“. You can also change the SSL port. We prefer port 443. The same SSL port used by HTTPS connections. This will also help you avoid ISP throttling.

Newsbin Pro SSL Setup & Port

Newsbin Pro is easy to configure. To enable SSL simply fire up the client and click on Options – Servers. Choose the server you’d like to enable SSL on. You may have more than one server account listed if you use multiple Usenet providers or connect to more than one server location. If so just make sure to turn on SSL for each server individually. The process is the same each time. Once you’ve selected a server check the box next to “Use SSL – Encrypted Connections“. Once again you can specify a custom port.

NewsLeecher SSL Setup & Port

NewsLeecher can by configured to encrypt your connections and allows for alternate ports. Bring up the client and click on the Manager tab. From there select the servers you’d like to setup SSL on. Just like Newsbin you’ll want to do this multiple times if you connect to more than one provider or server location. Once you have the Usenet server setup page open check the “Use Encrypted Server Connections (SSL)” box. You can check “Show Advanced Settings” if you’d like to change the default port number (563).

That’s all there is to it. You don’t need a VPN or proxy to help ensure your Usenet privacy. Enabling SSL is enough. For web browsing and other applications we highly recommend a good VPN service.

Filed Under: Newsbin Pro, Newshosting Client, Newsleecher, Newsreaders

Newshosting Client Automated Downloads

February 18, 2013 by NGR

Newshosting members are in for a real treat. Did you know that Newshoting’s free client will let you automate Usenet downloads? That means you can set your favorite source to pick up the latest NZB files of your liking. Then configure Newshosting to watch your local NZB folder. When a new NZB arrives Newshosting will automatically import and download the related content. Now that’s a feature worth checking out!

It’s pretty simple to automate downloads in the Newshosting client. We’ll walk you through the process. First if you don’t already have a folder that you save NZB files to you’ll want to create one. Next you’ll want an NZB site or other source that will automatically watch for content based on your search preferences. After that you can fire up the Newshosting client and click on Options – Settings and then go to the Import tab.

As you can see above we enabled the ‘Auto Import Folder‘ and set the folder to watch for new NZB files. Since we have no need for the NZB’s after the content is downloaded we also enabled the ‘Delete files after import‘ option. That’s it. Newshosting will now monitor your NZB folder and handle the downloads automatically.

Everything up to this point in the post has been for Newshosting members who are already enjoying the client. For those who haven’t tried it yet and would like to check out the new automatic download feature we can save you some money. Newshosting is kindly offering our visitors a discount off their service. With unlimited Usenet downloads and free access to their newsreader for just $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

You can also read our Newshosting review to learn more about the service and how to download from Usenet.

Filed Under: Newshosting Client, Newsreaders Tagged With: Newshosting client automated downloads

Best Usenet Apps for Android & iPhone

February 15, 2013 by NGR

Over the last year a number of Usenet apps have been released for iPhone and Android devices. We’ve had the pleasure of testing the new mobile apps and sharing reviews along the way. Today we’d like to present our favorites in a list of the Best Usenet Apps for Android, iPhone and iPad. Each has advantages along with a few shortcomings as you might expect from early app editions. We hope you’ll support the continued growth of the new apps by downloading the latest versions and enjoying the benefit of browsing Usenet on the go.

Best Android and iOS (IPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) Usenet Apps

As we take a closer look at some of the best Android and iPhone apps on the market you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. First of all you’ll notice that some apps are developed for specific Usenet providers while others are tied to specific newsreaders. We’ll make sure to point out the requirements and supported services while presenting each selection. Along with linking to a full review of each Usenet app.

Let’s dive right in and take a look at the best mobile Usenet apps:

1 – EZ Global Search

EZ Global Search (full review) is designed for Easynews web Usenet members. Allowing them to continue the experience of accessing newsgroups while connected from iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Use the app to search Usenet, preview and even add content to Easynews Zip Manager. The EZ Global Search app is available on iTunes for $2.99. You’ll need Easynews web access to use EZ Global Search. If you’re not already a member you can sign up for a 14 day free trial.

2 – NBRemote

Newsbin Pro users can now enjoy mobile access with their new NBRemote app (full review). Newsbin Remote Control (NBRemote) is available on iTunes for $2.99 and supports iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. With forum members discussing the possibility of a future Android app. The idea behind NBRemote is simple – control Newsbin Pro remotely from your mobile device. A goal that NBRemote accomplishes well. You’ll need a license for Newsbin to enjoy the NBRemote app. We recommend buying a lifetime key for $20. Newsbin also offers a 10 day free trial.

3 – SABMobile

SABMobile (full review) is a third-party app developed for the popular open-source SABnzbd newsreader. SABnzbd Usenet client is free to download and supports Window,s Mac and Linux. Sabmobile allows you to access SABnzbd remotely and is available for iPhone, iPad nad iPod Touch on iTunes for $2.99. The app is also available for Android on Google Play for $2.99. Grab the latest edition of SABnzbd free from sabnzbd.org. Also check out their other cool add-ons.

4 – EZ Usenet

EZ Usenet (full review) is the first of two mobile apps on our list catered toward Android fans that use Easynews to access newsgroups. The app supports Android and is available on Google Play for $2.49. First you’ll download the free version of EZ Usenet and then purchase the unlock for $2.49 to unlock all the features and remove advertising from the app. Once again you’ll need Easynews web access. If you’re not already a member you can sign up for a 14 day free trial.

5 – Easybrowser

EasyBrowser (full review) is the second mobile app on our list developed specifically for Android fans that use Easynews for Usenet. The app supports Android and is available on Google Play for $0.99. First you’ll download the free version of EasyBrowser and then purchase the unlock for $0.99 to unlock all the features and remove advertising from the app. As you might have already guessed you’ll need Easynews web access. Non-member can sign up for a 14 day free trial.

That concludes our list of the best Usenet apps for Android, iPhone and iPad. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our favorite mobile Usenet clients. We look forward to bringing you the latest news along with hands-on reviews of upcoming releases as mobile Usenet apps continue to gain momentum this year and beyond.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about mobile Usenet. For the latest news follow @NewsgroupRevs.

Filed Under: Android Apps, iPhone Apps, Newsreaders, Xtra Tagged With: Usenet apps Android, Usenet apps iPad, Usenet apps iPhone