There are tons of programs out there promising to speed up your downloads and usually their results are very hit and miss to say the least.

Internet Download Accelerator is no real exception to this rule although its effects certainly are noticeable. The program works by splitting a file being downloaded into several parts and downloading these parts at the same time. In this way, it theoretically achieves a faster download and for the most part it does. It's also very useful in that it can reconnec to to broken downloads and if you use multiple browsers, it conveniently integrates into them all with no fuss. It's also empowered with an unusual feature which detects those links that you've copied to your clipboard. It automatically detects downloadable links that are there and prompts you to download them so you don't need to worry about forgetting. In addition to all this, it comes bundled with an FTP Explorer, a site manager for password and download folders, a download scheduler and download throttle so you can control it if it's starting to block your connection with too many downloads at once - very useful if you're on a network or shared connection.

You should at least notice a 15 % increase in the speed of your downloads and since it works across multiple browsers, it's a nice little solution for those who chop and change their browsing habbits.