Leaked Screenshots: LimeWire 5.0

LimeWire released this official press release:

LimeWire 5.0 will soon be available in beta version, Kevin Bradshaw, Lime Wire's Chief Operating Officer, announced today. The program, which will redefine sharing as a social activity on the peer-to-peer network, will be available in beta version in late 2008. With the new version, users can choose to set up personal networks based on existing contacts and exchange information selectively with their friends.

"When Lime Wire was launched in 2000, we were pioneers in the peer-to-peer file sharing world, and we have seen that world change as our users have grown with us," Bradshaw said. "The peer-to-peer world has always had an inherently social aspect to it, and with our next version, we are bringing social sharing to the forefront. We see Lime Wire 5.0 not only enhancing our current users' capabilities, but the new program has the potential to create a new generation of Lime Wire users who are interested in connecting, sharing, socializing and discovering."

LimeWire 5.0 will allow users to:

-- Set up secure personal sharing networks based on existing contacts; users can choose to limit distribution to personal network only

-- Integrate buddy lists from Jabber-compatible services

-- Provide better virus protection

-- Interface with The LimeWire Store

-- Easier navigation with a new visual design of both website and application allowing users more security and better ability to manage shared files, download, search and connect with friends

LimeWire is the largest free P2P file-sharing software today with over 70 million unique monthly users. It has been downloaded 350,000 times every day and boasts approximately 5 million active users at any moment. It is reported that up to 25 % of the computers worldwide have the LimeWire downloaded on their computer. To compare these numbers to the program's original launch, a year after LimeWire was introduced in 2000, LimeWire was downloaded just over three million times.

Lime Wire LLC (www.limewire.com) develops powerful, sophisticated software offering an unparalleled user experience. Its signature products, LimeWire BASIC and LimeWire PRO, run on the decentralized Gnutella Network and are among the world's most popular peer-to-peer file sharing applications. Founded in 2000 by Chairman Mark Gorton, Lime Wire is a leader of innovative peer-to-peer software development and solutions in the file sharing industry. The company currently employs the largest number of expert Java developers at the forefront of the file sharing revolution. LimeWire Store sells high-quality, DRM-free MP3 downloads a la carte and through low-cost subscription plans. Intelligent product placement, unique editorial content, and links within Lime Wire's ecosystem are utilized to market and merchandise its licensed music. Additional titles from established and developing artists are produced and sold exclusively through LimeWire Store. The Lime Wire team enjoys a dynamic work environment at company headquarters in New York City.