I download a lot of content online, and managing it can be hectic. Slow speeds, failing to keep track of files, and unstable connections are just a few of the issues I frequently face when downloading content. That’s why I always try to use the best download manager to mitigate these issues.

One of the best download managers available is Free Download Manager, which has a noticeably direct name. This app was initially proprietary and closed-source, but the developers later made it free and open-source.

It's important to use the website link above (https://www.freedownloadmanager.org/) to download it, as people often mistakenly download botched versions from external sources. Malicious actors can bundle open-source apps with malware programs, so downloading from the official source keeps you safe.

I comprehensively tested the Free Download Manager to give an honest opinion. My review mainly centered on its features and user-friendliness. Read on to learn more about this app and whether it’s a good download manager for you.

Free Download Manager: Versions

The Free Download Manager is compatible with popular desktop and mobile operating systems. You can download it on Windows and macOS directly from the official website. The Windows app is also listed on the Microsoft Store. I used a Mac PC for my test, and installing the app was smooth.

I also downloaded the Android app to test its mobile friendliness. However, there is no iOS app, which I consider a drawback.

Free Download Manager: Features

The Free Download Manager has rich features to help you manage your content downloads. I appreciate that it’s a free, open-source tool with no ads. I’ve encountered a handful of free download managers with excessive ads, and I was happy not to see that here.

I usually download a lot of content via torrents, so I was pleased to discover that this app supports downloads via the BitTorrent protocol. You can upload a .torrent file, and it’ll immediately download the relevant content. The .torrent file contains the metadata of your desired content, which the app reads and immediately fetches from seeders via the BitTorrent protocol.

Apart from uploading .torrent files, many torrenting clients let you download torrents by providing the magnet link or torrent hash. Unfortunately, the Free Download Manager lacks these capabilities. You can only download torrents by adding the .torrent file. However, you can still download standard files (not torrents) by providing a URL.

I appreciated this app’s download acceleration feature, which let me split files into several sections and download them simultaneously. This technique offers faster speeds than downloading the complete file in one package. With files split into smaller bits, you can download them more quickly on slower connections.

Broken downloads are a significant issue for many users. When downloading content via a web browser, a download can progress halfway and fail because of an unstable connection. Then, you’ll have to redownload the file from scratch.

However, the Free Download Manager solves this broken downloads issue. When downloads are interrupted, you can resume them later from the exact spot where the interruption occurred. You’ll no longer have to curse at your computer for restarting bandwidth-heavy downloads from scratch, or at least I’ll no longer do.

I enjoyed previewing audio and video files while downloading them. For example, if you’re downloading the latest episode of your favorite series and are too impatient to wait for it to complete, you can start watching it while the download is in progress.

I also liked being able to automatically convert files after downloads. I have this frequent issue where I download videos in the MKV format, which my native video player doesn’t support. Hence, I immediately converted all MKV videos to MP4 upon downloading them.

The Free Download Manager allowed me to organize downloads neatly and place them in specific folders or subfolders. I liked the remote control feature, which allowed me to create new downloads on my PC from my Android smartphone. While at work, I initiated movie downloads on my home PC, and the movies were available to binge once I arrived home.

Having these features for free gave me a lot to appreciate about the Free Download Manager. Most download managers with similar features charge for their software or make money by showing ads.

Yet, I have a complaint. The Free Download Manager didn’t support YouTube downloads, although it did so sometime ago. Understandably, YouTube has taken more aggressive copyright action against download managers, so many apps turn off YouTube downloads to avoid legal tussles. Yet, I wish I could download educational YouTube videos with this tool.

Free Download Manager: Interface and in-use

The Free Download Manager excelled in the user-friendliness criterion. Its simple interface was easy to understand. To download a file, you can copy and paste the URL or add the .torrent file. It's that straightforward.

Users can monitor all their downloads from a single dashboard and pause or stop them anytime. I could view the progress of every download along with the thumbnail for easy identification. Before downloading a video or audio, I was constantly prompted to choose a file name, format, and folder to store it in.

You can choose between light and dark modes depending on your preferences. The desktop and Android apps feel modern and responsive. The same applies to the browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

If you need help with this tool, you can visit the official community forum where users often exchange solutions to their issues. You can also check the official GitHub documentation to troubleshoot problems yourself.

Free Download Manager: Final verdict

I’ll recommend the Free Download Manager any day and anytime. It makes downloads management easy without paying a dime. Most comparable download managers are freemium or premium, but this one is entirely free and easy to understand.

• Ninja Download Manager
• Download Accelerator Plus
• JDownloader

FrostWire is a popular torrent client that gives users access to a broad range of music, movies, software, and other digital content. It was first released as a fork of LimeWire, then a popular but now-shuttered torrenting client. Since then, FrostWire’s developers have added many features, and the app has long emerged from the shadows of LimeWire.

Many people use FrostWire because it’s free and has an intuitive interface. You don’t need to pay any dime to download content with this torrenting tool. As an open-source application, FrostWire is very customizable and has many features that global developers have contributed.

We’re reviewing FrostWire to help you decide if it suits your torrenting needs. We extensively tested the app and considered third-party opinions to give an unbiased review.

FrostWire: Versions and platforms

FrostWire is compatible with Windows and macOS PCs. It also has an app for Ubuntu, a popular Linux-based desktop operating system.

Likewise, FrostWire has an Android app for mobile devices. You can download the app for your relevant platform on the official website. The download button is the first thing highlighted on the homepage. Click on it, and you can immediately download the FrostWire app to your device.

FrostWire is compatible with Windows 10, macOS Big Sur, and Android 8.0 or later versions of these operating systems. Since Windows 10 debuted in 2015, Big Sur debuted in 2020, and Android 8.0 was released in 2017, any modern PC or smartphone should have newer versions of these operating systems, enabling you to download FrostWire without hassle.

FrostWire: Features

FrostWire is a torrenting tool that lets you download extensive content, such as your favorite movies and music. Upon launching this app, the first thing you’ll notice is its user-friendly interface. Unlike many torrenting tools with mangled graphical elements, FrostWire has a minimalistic and straightforward interface.

If you have specific content to download, you can search for it in the bar prominently displayed on the homepage. There’s also a search bar in the top-left corner, which makes it easy to find content.

We like that FrostWire provides suggestions as you type your query. Type the first two or three letters of the content you want, and you’ll likely see it suggested by FrostWire.

FrostWire is connected to the database of many torrent search engines. It also connects to other data sources to let users find freely downloadable files. Hence, FrostWire has one of the largest file databases we’ve encountered. Think of any fairly popular content, and you can find it on FrostWire.

The built-in music player is a unique feature we liked about FrostWire. When you search for music, you can stream it first before hitting the download button. This built-in music player lets you preview songs and ensure they fit your taste before downloading them.

With FrostWire’s music player, you can organize and easily access your music from one place. Users can create playlists and listen to music on the go, similar to music apps like Spotify. FrostWire has an Android app, so you can integrate the music player with your car's radio and listen to your favorite jams.

You can filter search results by source and size. For example, when you search for specific content, you can filter the results to only include files of less than 100 MB. You can do this by clicking the “Search Tools” button in the top-right corner to open the filtering box.

Though we appreciate FrostWire's filtering options, they are not as sophisticated as those of many torrenting apps. Some platforms let you filter search results by video resolution, audio quality, language, file format, and other factors.

We observed swift download speeds during our test. However, download speeds can vary depending on the availability of seeders on FrostWire’s network. If many seeders are present during your usage, you'll get very fast download speeds from the torrent swarm.

Sometimes, the network does not have many seeders, causing slower download speeds. Your internet connection also affects the download speeds you experience on FrostWire.

You can choose a specific folder to store FrostWire downloads. During the download, you can monitor the progress and speed from your dashboard. If necessary, you can pause or cancel the download.

FrostWire: Interface and in-use

User-friendliness is a criterion wherein FrostWire outshines many competitors. It has a simple, easy-to-understand interface that many rivals lack.

The features are neatly arranged into distinct tabs (Search, Transfers, and Library), making it easy to find what you need. Configuration options are placed neatly at the bottom.

FrostWire’s interface stands out in a niche where many tools are known for having complex interfaces. Its interface strikes an ideal balance between simplicity and functionality.

FrostWire can be accessed from a desktop or mobile app. However, the mobile app is only available for Android. Apple is famously unfriendly to torrenting apps being hosted on its App Store, so FrostWire’s lack of an iOS app is expected.

You can download FrostWire on your device directly from its official website. Downloading and installing the app took just a few clicks during our test.

FrostWire: Security and Piracy

Torrenting clients carry non-trivial security risks. Malicious actors often hide malware within torrent files for unsuspecting users to download. You can also expose your IP address to other users or inadvertently download pirated content. TechRadar doesn’t endorse content piracy or illegal downloads.

FrostWire is a trustworthy torrenting client, but it’s an open-source tool that doesn’t control the seeders on its network. Before torrenting, it’s advisable to use a VPN service to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic.

FrostWire: Final Verdict

FrostWire is a reliable, free torrenting solution for downloading your favorite content. It has an extensive file library and an intuitive interface that makes finding files easy. FrostWire has some drawbacks, such as limited content filtering options, but its pros outweigh the cons.

We list the best file manager.

UPerfect is one of those brands that continues to surprise me, not only with what's produced, but also with the quality of the releases. I've tried quite a few from the company at this point, ranging from basic travel monitors to complex multi-screen units, as well as large and small panels.

So far, I've been rather impressed. UPerfect seems to understand what consumers want, and it's built a panel for it. Moreover, I tend to find solid panels at a decent price.

The UColor O2 is no different. This is a 16-inch, 3K, 16:10, 120Hz, 1ms OLED panel with USB-C ease of use, a functional stand/folio, all while staying ultra-lightweight and thin. It's great for those who need a little extra display at their dedicated desk setup, of course, but it's also fantastic for those who are on the go and want to bring a display with them for extra productivity away from a desk setup. Regardless of your reasoning, I've reviewed many of the best portable monitors out there, and the UColor O2 is one of them.

UPERFECT UColor O2: Pricing & Availability

The UColor O2 is available on the UPerfect website by clicking here. I'm also seeing it available from a few other retailers.

Currently, the display is priced at $630 / £469, and at the time of review, it's discounted down to $350 / £261.

For an OLED panel, even though it's only truly 3K resolution, that price is pretty incredible. Especially when you consider that the display is a full 16 inches, which is comparable to the larger laptops on the market, and features a 120Hz refresh rate, a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 1ms response time, and excellent color representation for those looking for a display for gaming.

UPERFECT UColor O2: Unboxing & first impressions

The unboxing for UPerfect's displays is always interesting to me. The boxes are so understated for what is inside, but perhaps that's a part of the plan.

Inside the box, you will find the monitor, folio cover/stand, a mini-HDMI to full-size HDMI cable, two USB-C cables, a USB-A to USB-C cable, VESA Mount Screws, and a 33W power adapter. Nothing crazy, but it's just enough to get you started.

Personally, even though this device can run mini-HDMI, I will probably never use it, so I kept that cable tucked away, along with the USB-C to USB-A Cable and power brick, leaving me with the monitor, the folio, and the USB-C to USB-C Cables. With this, I went straight to work setting it up for an on-the-go panel I could take with me everywhere.

While reviewing this panel, I just finished reviewing a Samsung smartphone with DEX capabilities, which gave me the excellent idea of trying to get some work done while out and about, utilizing just the phone, a keyboard, and this panel.

UPERFECT UColor O2: Design & build quality

This panel is delightfully sleek. It's thin and lightweight, and the folio doesn't add much bulk, making it worth carrying around and not like a burden in the slightest. The bezels are minimal, the buttons are premium-looking, and the stand makes the panel usable in its most basic form, eliminating the need for a third-party stand.

One thing I have grown to like about the company's offerings is the lack of branding. I dislike it when companies plaster their branding all over their beautifully made products, making them look cheap.

UPERFECT UColor O2: In use

As I mentioned, I wanted to try this panel out with my Samsung phone, which I have just finished testing. I was able to set this up with a single USB-C cable. Although I didn't want to drain the phone's battery, I also added a power cable to charge the phone via passthrough charging from the second USB-C port on the monitor.

This compact setup, paired with a keyboard, was something I considered trying after seeing it promoted on the UPerfect website, following my recent review of the Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro. For this simple setup, the panel was fantastic and helped me get some real work done on the go. Once I had finished testing the legitimacy of that setup, I tried out this display with my iPad, MacBook Pro, Dell Precision, and some of my Lenovo devices.

On every test, the panel performed well, giving me extended workspaces to complete whatever I was working on.

The clarity on the 3K display is sharp and vivid, but what I appreciate is the 16:10 aspect ratio. Personally, every time that I have tried a 16:10 aspect ratio, I fall in love with it over and over. 16:9 is standard, and I understand it, but just that little extra to get to 16:10, I feel like there is so much more vertical space available to spread out my research, project management, chats, and so on.

Thanks to the device's light weight, I can carry it in a backpack with ease, without worrying about adding extra weight or making my bag feel uncomfortable. I wish that this petite folio could somehow accommodate portrait viewing. Still, I understand that not every display can have that option. Additionally, the display has an integrated VESA Mounting spot on the back of the panel, allowing you to add your stand on the go or mount this panel to your desk or workspace.

UPERFECT UColor O2: Final verdict

All in all, the UPerfect UColor O2 is a great portable monitor. It's got an excellent refresh rate, a spectacular response time, a brilliant OLED panel at 3 K resolution, and it has the ever-popular USB-C capabilities. If you are looking for an ultra-light display with USB-C, this is a great option to consider, especially if you are like me and enjoy the 16:10 aspect ratio a bit too much.

The last time I felt a laptop this remarkably lightweight was the last Dynabook I checked out years ago. There's something about holding a laptop this light, especially compared to my 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro and my Dell Precision 5690, as well as some of the other thin laptops I am testing. Nothing comes close to how light the Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N Copilot+PC is.

At first glance, and first feel, the Dynabook feels like it's not even a real laptop. Coming from the world of hefty machines, it's hard to think that a laptop this light can be anything more than a shell or a prop. Nevertheless, it boasts an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, Intel Arc graphics, excellent ports, great wireless connectivity, and robust AI capabilities built in.

I've been using this laptop in my rotation for over a month, and I'm still amazed by its weight (or lack of it). Just this morning, I double-checked my bag moments after putting this laptop in there, thinking I must have forgotten it.

Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N: Pricing & Availability

This Dynabook starts at just under $2,000 for a Core Ultra 5 model with 16GB, 512GB, and can run up above $2,000 for the Core Ultra 7 model with 32GB, 2TB. You can pick one up from Dynabook's website globally, but it is available from selected online retailers.

Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N: Unboxing & first impressions

The incredible weightlessness of this laptop began when I first grabbed the packaging. It felt like there was nothing inside the box. Grabbing the laptop from the box, I noticed the texture of the computer.

With so many laptops being made from aluminum and other metallic materials, this one stands out as being made of a lighter plastic. It does, admittedly, make it feel a bit cheaper, but then I noticed the chipset and started utilizing it.

Once I logged in and got to work, responding to emails, handling project management, researching, and going about my workday, I realized that most things were working better than expected. This laptop felt minimal, but was surprisingly capable.

I was genuinely surprised and impressed by how thin and sleek this phone felt, especially considering its durability on paper. I was also happy to see USB-C -- even though it's now standard practice, it's still good to see.

Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N: Design & build quality

The choice of alloy in the Portégé Z40L-N provides ultralight weight, but it also makes this computer feel less than premium. The edges are crisp, the ports are great, the screen is good enough, and other elements are solid. But, coming from someone who usually works with more premium laptops, this one does feel a bit lower quality. However, that is an obvious tradeoff for having something so lightweight -- one that many would be willing to make.

Another interesting feature of this design is the return of a removable and replaceable battery. This not only helps extend the device's longevity but also makes it easier to replace or repair the battery if any issues arise in the future.

The last notable feature of this laptop is that, despite its lightweight and portable design, it still offers more ports than most modern computers. Even some of the most premium, professional-focused laptops have transitioned to almost entirely USB-C or a Thunderbolt port -- that's it. Dynabook chose to completely surprise us all by including an abundance of ports in this laptop, making it even more fantastic for those who are on the go. With the Portégé Z40L-N, you won't feel any weight in your bag, and you won't need to add a dock either.

Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N: In use

In the last month, the Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N has stood up to pretty much everything that I've thrown at it - surprisingly. Granted, I'm not expecting this machine to be the best video editing laptop or a machine to run local LLMs on, nor am I designing 3D models on it, but for everyday professional business tasks, it works surprisingly well. It's no surprise, though, that the real benefit of this laptop is its portability. I've been able to take this just about anywhere I've gone, tossing this into even my lightest backpack to take with me for the day.

The Core Ultra chip handles basic productivity, messaging, emails, research, and more without any issues. Plus, if you're the person who may need to present or plug into something at some point, having that peace of mind that you won't need a dongle is great.
While the laptop itself is relatively small, you can expand the workspace by plugging into a docking station or selecting one of the top business monitors that feature a USB-C input and a built-in dock.

Dynabook Portégé Z40L-N: Final verdict

The Dynabook Portégé Z40L‑N is a surprising laptop. On one hand, it is an unfathomably lightweight machine that feels so lightweight it's almost toy-like. But, on the other hand, it's also surprisingly capable, boasting impressive ports and a powerful chip. It's shockingly rugged yet also lightweight, it's powerful yet portable, and it's AI-smart yet simple. If you are looking for a new laptop and want something highly portable as a top priority, this laptop is one that you should consider, especially if you stick to standard business-type work.

For more options, we've reviewed the best business laptops for working on the go.

Even as the world continues to become more and more technically advanced, not everyone wants the most flagship, fancy, and frankly quite delicate smartphone. We've reached a point where it's commonplace for people to have smartphones, but not everyone wants to spend top dollar on the best flagship. Some can't risk the lack of durability of some of the more highly promoted devices, regardless of the company -- whether it's fruit or robot. For those who need rigidity, durability, and reliability without compromising on bulk, the rugged smartphone stands out as a fantastic option to protect your key device and get work done, without the additional cost and expense of an extra case.

The best rugged phones can withstand drops, water, cold, gloves, and more on its own. Something that even the best flagship phones can't always claim. The Samsung XCover7 Pro is a newly released rugged smartphone that features a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, outdoor vision booster, Gorilla Glass Victus+. On the rugged side of things, it has an IP68 rating for water resistance and MIL-STD-810H drop rating. Internally, there's a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 with 6GB of RAM, up to 128 GB internal storage plus a microSD Card slot for expanded storage. It also boasts great connectivity, a removable battery, built in Knox Vault security and all within a compact, USB-C ported device that can comfortably fit in your pocket.

It's engineered from the ground up for rugged use cases, offering durable reliability, enterprise-grade features, and ease of use in the field, thanks to the glove- and wet-hand-enabled touchscreen. Samsung markets this towards frontline workers and other tough jobs, and it's pretty clear why.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro: Pricing & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro was launched for $600 directly from Samsung and other retailers in May 2025. If you are a first responder, T-Mobile can offer priority connectivity. However, different carriers can also work with this phone, as it's frequently purchased unlocked to be compatible with any network.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro: Unboxing & first impressions

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7Pro is rated as a rugged phone, but that doesn't mean it feels like a smartphone with a bulky Life case or an Otterbox on it. That's what most people would guess a rugged smartphone would look and feel like. But instead, this Galaxy XCover7 Pro felt like a standard smartphone, just without a glass back.

I was genuinely surprised and impressed by how thin and sleek this phone felt, especially considering its durability on paper. I was also happy to see USB-C - even though it's now standard practice, it's still good to see.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro: Design & build quality

The Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro is a phone built to be rugged, yet also one that you can carry with you every day. It's blocky and easy to grip, but it's not so hefty that you can't take it with you on days that you're not fully kitted out as a first responder, firefighter, construction crew, or the likes. It can be your everyday phone or your work phone if you prefer.

The buttons are easy to access and control, even with gloves on, and Samsung has included an XCover Key that can be programmed to perform a wide range of tasks, including PTT/Scanning mode, allowing for ease of radio-like communication using Microsoft or other software.

Further, the removable battery allows for quick swaps in the field if necessary, keeping one (or several) batteries on charge and then, when your active battery dies, swap it with a fully charged one in a matter of seconds, rather than waiting for even the fastest of chargers to juice up your phone.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro: In use

I've had this phone in my arsenal of tech for the last 67 days at the time of writing this. Throughout that time, I've used this device extensively as a working tool, navigating around town, utilizing Samsung DeX to write portions of this article and several others, multitasking, customizing, chatting with Slack, and researching. While working outside, the display is legible and usable, but it's not as bright as some of my other OLED panels. However, it's still clear enough and bright enough that I can see what is on the screen.

During my time using this phone, I've been generally pleased with the battery performance overall. Obviously, I wish it could last longer, but in my use, even on pretty heavy days, I have seen it last 10-11 hours, sometimes longer, depending on workflow. So, even those that do work on the job for an actual sun up to sun down kind of shift, odds are when you are working on the job all day you are not on your phone all day, or if you are on your phone, you should still be suitable for quite some time, and may have to top off the battery between job sites, on the drive home, etc.

The performance has also been something that I've been happy with. It's no flagship, so it's not the best of the best, but it still held up to my workflow throughout the day. I was able to jump in and out of Google Workspace, respond to Slack, and project manage in Jira, Notion, Asana, HubSpot, and every other project management tool that my consulting business requires. I've been able to multitask (on the same screen) emails, web browsers, and more. I've been able to plug into any of my many desk setups via USB-C and run the phone in DeX mode, connecting to the keyboard and mouse at that setup and then pulling up full browsers to get some writing, research, emails, and project management done without needing another device. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 has handled all of this well. And, while I am reminded that this is in no way a full desktop setup, it's not a powerful laptop, and it's not even a powerful productivity tablet. However, it is an impressive feat for the price point and the other features of this phone.

Another thing worth mentioning, which you don't often see, but that works in the background for you with this device, is the Knox security implementation. Knox security enables a rigid separation between work and personal use, allowing you to use this device for both purposes, from the chipset up. Every element of what you do on this device can be segmented. And, so you can keep an eye on what applications can do, there is an integrated privacy dashboard that will help you see what is what.

Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro: Final verdict

I didn't know what tier rugged phone I was getting into when I grabbed the Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro. I didn't know if it was going to be just rugged and slow, or what all I was going to experience. But, after nearly 70 days with this phone, I am genuinely impressed. It's plenty powerful and feature-rich for most, whether you are in the first responder category or not.

If you want a phone that you're not constantly worried about breaking, this is a phenomenal option. However, if you are on the front line, a first responder, or in construction or a similar field, this phone is a remarkable option you should consider as your work device, or even your all-in-one device.