Giganews Releases Mimo Usenet Browser 0.2.0

Giganews, in partnership with Golden Frog just released Mimo Usenet Browser version 0.2.0.  With several new enhancements and updates.  In fact the core architecture has been rewritten.  Promising faster speeds, better management of downloads and fewer lockups.  Those who are new to Giganews Usenet services can sign up for a two week free trial.  Including unlimited access to Mimo newsreader.


Here is the official announcement from Giganews:

Giganews and Golden Frog are proud to release Mimo Usenet Browser v0.2.0. This update completely overhauls Mimo’s core downloading engine, resulting in faster speeds, fewer lockups, and better download management.

If you’ve tried Mimo in the past but put it aside because of download problems, you should try this release. Many customer bug reports have been addressed with this release.

Here’s an overview:

  • Mimo will now download the highest priority item in your queue first. When you have multiple items in your download queue, you’ll get your first item sooner.
  • Try out “PAR in Parallel” with this update. PAR verification now runs in parallel as each file is downloading without pausing the download. We’ve seen resulting download speeds increase by 100%!
  • Mimo will now pause and resume downloads properly.
  • Pending downloads will now resume when you restart Mimo.
  • New Feature: You can now change the priority on download jobs. Right-click on a job in the Downloads tab, and select one of the “move” options. You can also pause jobs and the next download will begin automatically.

Beyond Mimo v0.2.0 Beta: What’s Next?

This release sets the stage for continued improvements and new features. The next major change will be a complete user interface overhaul. Mimo currently resembles other Usenet clients available on the market – raw and unpolished. With the core download engine improved, Golden Frog is ready to focus its attention on the user interface and user experience.

Please remember that Mimo is still in Beta, so Golden Frog continues to need your feedback. Please submit bugs, request new features and receive updates from the Golden Frog Dev team in our newsgroup at giganews.mimo.

Giganews Releases Mimo Client with Usenet Search

Giganews is rolling out their new Mimo Usenet browser today.   Diamond members will have free access to the new client and Golden Frog Usenet search beta.  Other subscribers will need to upgrade to a Diamond account to gain access to Mimo.

We wrote about the Mimo technology preview back in June and will be providing more coverage on the final release in the weeks to come.

In addition to the Mimo release Giganews is revising some of their pricing plans on January 1, 2011.  Here is a summary of the changes:

Diamond accounts will increase in price by $5 to $34.99 a month and include extra connections, VPN access and the new Mimo newsreader.
Platinum accounts will include SSL encryption for the same $24.99 monthly price.  Where SSL excryption is currently a $5/mo. add-on.
Silver accounts (50 GB/mo.) will include SSL for $14.99 a month
Bronze accounts (10 GB/mo.) will include SSL for $9.99 a month
Pearl accounts (3 GB/mo.) will include SSL for $4.99 a month

It will be interesting to see the impact of the new pricing.  Those who want Usenet-only access with SSL from Giganews will save $5 a month while new Diamond members will see their memberships increase in price.  New Silver, Bronze and Pearl members will pay $2 more a month and gain SSL encrypted newsgroup access.

The new pricing will roll out on January 1st, 2011.  Current Diamond account members will continue to pay $29.99 a month while new members will pay $34.99.  If you have been considering a Giganews Diamond account we suggest you sign up by December 31st for the savings.  In addition Giganews is offering 50% off your first month.

Mimo Usenet Browser : Giganews Technology Preview

Giganews has teamed up with Golden Frog to bring Diamond customers Mimo and Golden Frog Usenet Search.  The Mimo Usenet browser is currently being offered free of charge to a select group of loyal Diamond customers as a technology preview meaning that Mimo is still in the development stage.  The preview is meant for functionality testing and to gather user feedback.

We don’t know that much about Mimo or the related Usenet search engine yet but Giganews has a page available for those included in the Mimo preview and others who would like a future invite.

From previewing the Mimo page we can see that Golden Frog has packed some nice features into their Usenet client.  They mention its optimized for faster downloads, browsing and searches.  The client includes Giganews accelerator technology.  It supports thumbnail images, includes search functionality and allows you to filter based on binaries, text and images.  Auto unRAR and PAR features are also part of Mimo.

The Golden Frog Usenet search engine supports searching binaries across all groups.  Since Giganews is offering the technology preview we assume it can handle their industry leading 700+ days of retention.

Were you invited to the Mimo technology preview?  If so let us know what you think of the new Usenet browser.  Better yet let Golden Frog know as I’m sure they’d appreciate the user feedback.

If you would like to receive a future invite to test Mimo then click the “Request an invite” link at the top of the Mimo preview page.  It will direct you to login to your Diamond account via a special invite page.  Doing so will automatically add you too the Mimo tech preview waiting list as shown below.

Read our Giganews review to learn more about their Usenet services or sign up for a Giganews Diamond account and request an invitation to test Mimo.  Assuming they send out future invitations based on request date you might want to sign up soon!