Yazsoft has optimized its powerful download manager, Speed Download, for better handling in Mac OS X 10.5.5. Version 5.0.7 also adds AFP integration and support, among other enhancements.

Yazsoft touts its download manager as "the fastest, and most complete download manager for Mac OS X," no matter what browser you use. Speed Download 5 is optimized for any Internet connection (dial-up or broadband), and it can collect and organize all your downloads. A clean interface with various view modes, a re-engineered “universal” download engine optimized for maximum performance, a powerful database to manage all downloads, uploads, and file transfers, Mac iDisk integration and auto-resuming file transfers are just some of the noteworthy features in Speed Download 5.

A new, fully featured, built-in FTP client has been added in the first stable release of Speed Download 5. It uses encrypted file sharing between SD5 users. A high performance utility for downloading web content for offline viewing is also available, according to Yazsoft. The latest release, Speed Download 5.0.7, adds better support for Apple's newest OS X version (10.5.5), as well as AFP integration and support, as far as new features go. Tweaks include adjustments to WEBDAV connectivity (for better performance and vaster compatibility), and many under the hood improvements to accommodate the other changes. Various FTP issues have also been addressed.

You can download a trial version of Speed Download here, and try it out right now. Limitations include a shareware reminder screen and limited simultaneous downloads. For more information on this download manager and file sharing combo, or a download link for the latest version of the software, visit this address. Using Speed Download requires any Internet connection and a Mac OS X-compatible Internet browser. Speed Download is a Universal Binary, meaning both Intel and PowerPC processors are supported.