14 DAY TRIAL // The way you find and download software is changing.
We warned you about it 3 months ago on Twitter and today we’re ready to show you the first stage of the process: the Softpedia Download Hubs. (Note for the impatient: go ahead, have a quick look, then hurry back here to learn more about their story.)
The Softpedia software library is truly gigantic, possibly the largest on the whole Internet. Several “browse&find” methods of navigating this content are available: categories, search, tags and the Program Finder, a Softpedia landmark since 2004.
But even so, in certain cases, the sheer size of it can make it a bit difficult for some users to find what they need. When we learned about this, we realized it was time for another round of innovation, something we’ve been successfully doing since 2001 with many industry firsts, such as the 100% Clean and 100% Free certifications.
Introducing download hubs, a new Softpedia feature which helps users easily and quickly find software products that perform a specific task.
Hubs are, essentially, a different way of organizing and grouping software together; instead of using the category, developer name or a tag, hubs take into account what the programs actually do. It’s simple, yet very powerful.
Using download hubs, you can, for example, find software to open or process a certain file format, with just a couple of clicks (say “play MP4“ or “convert 3GP”).
Feeling that there was a need to also organize the hubs themselves in some way, we came up with a list of browseable verbs/categories and associated each hub with one of them: view, edit, open, convert, make, tweak, manage, create, play, security and clients. So, you’ll find hubs like “make SFX”, “registry tweak”, “Lyrics Managers” and many others. How many? Well, about 1,300 today, but more will be added every day, while keeping existing hubs up to date.
Wait, there’s more: we won’t simply recommend the “best program ever” and send you on your way. Instead, you’ll get multiple options every time, both free software and trialware, so you can test and make a final choice based on your own criteria.
The selection of the programs is not automated. Rather than feeding you machine-generated content, the Softpedia download hubs are created and mantained individually by our dedicated editors. Each hub is completely based on hand-picked software titles.
Of course, we’re open to suggestions, both for new hubs and for improving existing ones.
That being said, we’ll leave you to check out the download hubs section in-depth and discover everything we’ve intentionally left out from this article. And don't forget, this is only the beginning! Enjoy another Softpedia exclusive feature - at least until other sites replicate it ;)