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There's a new app in BitTorrent's recently released App Studio today, one that really exemplifies the importance of the BitTorrent technology -- the ability to distribute large files to people with low-bandwidth: Khan Academy.

The Khan Academy app will bring over 2000 educational videos to the BitTorrent community. Users can freely download and share the educational videos, whose subjects range from statistics to algebra to organic chemistry.

"BitTorrent is a great platform to help us fulfill our mission of providing world-class education to anyone, anywhere," says Khan Academy's founder Salman Khan. "BitTorrent offers a unique opportunity to video creators and publishers. Their technology allows users to download large video files quickly, plus it requires no costly hosting or infrastructure on our end - an important factor for a non-profit."

BitTorrent launched its App Studio last August in order to help content creators connect with its large, global user base. Although BitTorrent is often associated with illegal file downloads, the company has long made the argument that the distribution method can actually be a benefit, not a drawback, for independent artists. As Khan notes, BitTorrent aids distribution and relieves hosting costs. But the technology also makes large files -- particularly video files -- accessible for those who don't have sufficient bandwidth to download content as one massive file.

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer filesharing protocol. Rather than downloading a file from a single source, the protocol allows users to join a "swarm" of hosts to download and upload from each other simultaneously. This alternative distribution method means that even mobile phones and computers with minimal Internet bandwidth can distribute files to many recipients.

To access BitTorrrent's app store, and the new Khan Academy app, you'll need the latest version of its BitTorrent or uTorrent client.

Audrey Watters


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