A New York City startup released its hybrid e-mail and file sharing application into broad beta on Monday, offering a way for users to send large files -- up to 1 gigabyte's worth -- that would choke most ISP's mail systems.

Pando launched a public beta of its namesake, tagged as 0.8.9 for Windows (version 0.8.3 is available for the Mac), that uses BitTorrent file-sharing technology to send and receive files. Files bypass e-mail servers entirely, although recipients receive an e-mail notification that files are ready to download using Pando.

The free application has been in closed-beta testing for five months, Pando said; the company claimed that more than a half million people had installed the earlier betas.

"Pando is a little app with a lot of muscle," said Pando co-founder Yaron Samid in a statement. "With the average consumer digital camera now producing high-resolution photos and video files, the time has come to rethink email as we know it. Pando brings the power of peer-to-peer to the long neglected email attachment."

Pando touted its application for transmitting large files, such as home movies, digital still images, and business presentations, that are often blocked by ISPs. Last week, the company closed a $7 million second round of financing, led by Intel's investment arm, Intel Capital.

The 2.2MB Windows beta can be downloaded from the Pando Web site. Users on both ends of the transmission must have the application.