Microsoft Works Suite 2003 - 1/13/2003 It seems like heresy, but let's admit it: Most home PC users and families don't need the muscle and bulk of Microsoft Office. In this first of a three-part series, we look at the software giant's more affordable alternative, Works Suite 2003 — and find lots to like, one lopsided negative, and the best program that Microsoft refuses to market.
CyberLink Offers Two Paths To Home Movie Production - 1/6/2003 CyberLink Corp. introduces two ways to assemble digital images and home videos into professional-looking CD or DVD projects -- one that automatically configures optimal video capture quality and chapter breaks, and one with enough custom editing, audio, and special-effects features to turn your PC into a Hollywood workstation.
Adobe Photoshop Album Helps Consumers Find, Fix, and Share Digital Images - 1/6/2003 You've got thousands of digital-camera shots or favorite downloaded images, but they're no more organized than your desk drawers and shoeboxes full of real photos? Adobe's new Photoshop Album lets you turn them into an automatically organized, instantly searchable gallery; preserve them on CD or DVD; or turn them into Acrobat PDF slide shows to share via e-mail or the Web.
Next Year's Multimedia: Microsoft Releases DirectX 9.0 - 12/30/2002 Get a head start on 2003's hottest games (especially multiplayer online games) and audio and video applications by downloading the long-awaited update to Windows' core multimedia technologies, replacing the DirectX 8 code released in November 2000.
Acronis Offers Fast and Friendly Disk Partition Manager - 12/30/2002 IT professionals can use Acronis' PartitionExpert 2003 to create, resize, or copy hard-disk partitions with 10 times the speed of rival utilities. Thanks to an automated task-wizard interface, so can nontechnical PC users.
Norton SystemWorks 2003 Review - 12/30/2002 Improvements to the exemplary Norton AntiVirus, a useful Web-cache cleanup tool, and, uh, the same old same old: Norton SystemWorks, which some years ago replaced the venerable Norton Utilities as Symantec Corp.’s flagship package and a Windows user’s must-have, has met the same fate. Is it time for the PC utility king to rethink its overlapping, multiple-bundles product strategy?
Opera 7 Preview - 12/23/2002 Chances are virtually certain you're reading this with Microsoft's Internet Explorer -- yet Opera Software's alternative browser (free with an ad banner, $39 without) keeps chugging and improving away. A look at the latest Beta 2 release reminds us what we're missing, from convenient tabbed and background browsing to brilliantly simple navigation shortcuts and far superior security.
Broderbund Updates CD/DVD Burning Toolkit - 12/23/2002 Broderbund's NTI CD-Maker 6 Platinum combines drag-and-drop CD and DVD burning with support for the latest VCD and SVCD formats, convenient MPEG-1 and MP3 encoding, and a WAV editor and jewel case designer for classy custom music discs.
New Version of WebWasher Filters Ads, Protects Privacy - 12/16/2002 Easier installation and more flexible protection are the attractions of a long-awaited upgrade -- with no increase in price, still free for personal use -- to WebWasher Classic, the popular pop-up and banner-ad blocker and online privacy protector.
GoBox 2.0 Review - 12/16/2002 'Tis the season for software stocking stuffers, and we've found an intriguing example -- a free, always-in-foreground news ticker and browser launchpad that offers quick access to online tasks ranging from checking the news and weather to searching for maps, phone numbers, or eBay auctions. Does this diminutive desk accessory let you spend less time using Internet Explorer and more time, well, exploring the Internet?
H&R Block Launches TaxCut Platinum - 12/9/2002 H&R Block bolsters its $10 and $20 (after rebates) tax preparation programs with a $30 (after rebate) Platinum package, with special features for everyone from retirement planners to home-office workers, rental-property managers, and sole proprietors. One state program, one electronically filed federal return, and one consultation with an H&R Block tax expert are included.
Corex Updates Business Card Scanning Software - 12/2/2002 Corex's CardScan software and nifty PDA-sized business-card scanners already automate the job of turning piles of business cards into ready-to-use Outlook or other contact information. Now an upgraded version automates the job of keeping your address book up-to-date, as well as offering a new synchronization engine and Web backup.
McAfee Runs Interference for Kids on the Net - 12/2/2002 The McAfee Security Consumer division of Network Associates says parents should guard their children's Internet connections as vigorously as their bedroom doors, and introduces a $30 Parental Controls 1.0 program to keep kids from visiting inappropriate sites or exposing personal info.
Info Select 7 Review - 12/2/2002 It's a word processor, spreadsheet, database, Web browser, e-mail and newsgroup client, appointment calendar, image editor, and outliner, but it's not an office suite -- it's the latest version of Micro Logic's personal information manager, a super-fast random-data-finder and -organizer that's a tempting alternative to Microsoft Outlook.
SmartDraw 6 Professional Plus Review - 11/25/2002 When you mention business drawing and diagramming, most folks think of Microsoft's Visio -- but this underdog application offers an easier, more affordable alternative for org charts, flow charts, floor plans, project calendars, and other report and presentation illustrations. Can it turn even slapdash doodlers into straight-arrow designers?
Macromedia Director MX Redefines Multimedia Authoring - 11/25/2002 Supporting not only the company's fast-streaming Flash MX but other new technologies ranging from MPEG-4 to Mac OS X, the newest version of Macromedia's multimedia authoring package lets pros create interactive content once and deliver it anywhere, online or offline, to audiences ranging from Web and kiosk browsers to users with disabilities.
Executive Software Offers Free Upgrade for Diskeeper 7.0 - 11/18/2002 Legions of LAN managers know that Diskeeper 7.0 offers quick, invisible, automatic background defragmentation and optimization of hard disks. Now vendor Executive Software shows its holiday spirit by offering users a free Second Edition upgrade that gives a choice of maximum-speed, maximum-free-space, and best-combination modes.
Broderbund Intros $100 CD/DVD Creation Suite - 11/18/2002 Broderbund bundles five programs -- a file organizer, image editor, video editor, CD label and jewel-case insert designer, and sophisticated CD/DVD burner -- to let multimedia mavens speed through jobs ranging from storing data backups to archiving digital photo collections or making DVD movies.
PC-cillin 2003 Bolsters PC Virus Protection - 11/18/2002 Trend Micro upgrades its consumer and home-office Internet security suite with advanced virus detection and outbreak alerts, an integrated personal firewall, and updated e-mail and wireless-network protection. Still not reassured? Telephone support is toll-free.
Detto's Home PC Migration Solution Goes to the Office - 11/4/2002 A new Business Edition of Detto Technologies' popular IntelliMover lets IT managers get employees up and running on new PCs in minutes, transferring application settings, preferences, e-mail and data files, and mapped network resources even across upgraded versions of programs or operating systems.
RecordNow Max 4.5 Enhances DVD Recording and Audio CD Mastering - 10/28/2002 Stomp Inc.'s updated CD- and DVD-burning software adds multisession DVD recording, an audio volume equalizer for music CDs containing tracks with different volume levels, and faster, simpler drive-letter access to recordable optical media.
Web Studio 3.0 Makes Site Creation and Management Simple - 10/28/2002 Web Studio, the drag-and-drop site creator and HTML editor formerly offered by Sierra's Home Division, has been reacquired by its creators and reborn with a new, more powerful version adding everything from easy HTML frame or image thumbnail creation to artistic special effects and instant page previews.
Norton Internet Security 2003 Review - 10/28/2002 By last year, even casual Internet users had learned they needed antivirus and firewall protection to keep hackers and germs out and their personal data in. This year, those users have probably gotten into instant messaging and grown worried about toxic worms and obnoxious spam -- and Symantec's ready with a handy update of its $70 utility suite.
The Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe 15 Review - 10/21/2002 Quick, what comes to mind when we mention The Print Shop? Personalized greeting cards, party banners, and award certificates for the kids, probably -- but Broderbund wants you to think advertising brochures, business presentations, and Web pages with video clips, too. Has the most venerable name in family print projects evolved into a true desktop publishing package?
Sitekeeper 2.0 Makes System Management a Snap - 10/21/2002 Besides dreading the chore of installing software on multiple systems, IT managers of even small or mid-sized companies now have the hassle of record-keeping and software license compliance monitoring, with Microsoft and other vendors now taking extra-close looks at contractual privileges. Executive Software automates both installation and inventory tasks with its site management console.
PentaWare Moves Beyond Zip Archiving To Total File Management - 10/21/2002 PentaWare applies its four years of file compression and archiving expertise not only to a new version of PentaZip, but to a complete file management package including a file browser and previewer, FTP support, and even built-in CD-R and CD-RW burning. The new utilities will ship in January, with discounted prices during the first quarter of 2003.
Dig Up Your Roots with Family Tree Maker Deluxe 10 - 10/14/2002 Into biography? Broderbund teams up with the A&E Television Network subsidiary Genealogy.com to offer a combined CD and online resource for tracking and decorating your family tree, with everything from photo editing and PDF file export to electronic scrapbooks with recorded voices and favorite video clips.
Delete Files So Securely Even Forensic Analysts Can't Find Them - 10/14/2002 Before you sell or give away that old PC, think twice about the private documents, e-mails, and pictures on that hard disk. A new utility, System Shield, doesn't just erase sensitive files, it obliterates them -- defeating undelete utilities, disk editors, or even (for the Pro version) electron microscopes and magnetic field residue tracers.
System Mechanic 3.7g Review - 10/14/2002 The need for housekeeping and hard-disk-cleaning utilities didn't disappear with DOS, but there's no reason a utility kit can't combine one-button maintenance with do-it-yourself muscle. Iolo Technologies' $60 package has something for everything from Win 95 to Win XP, from the tech-timid to expert tweaker, from clearing disk or Registry deadwood to speeding up your Internet connection.
VideoWave Movie Creator Review - 10/7/2002 Roxio's beginner-friendly video editor dares to be different, skipping the traditional timeline metaphor and offering ultra-automated creation of mini-movies with music, titles, transitions, and special effects. But will camcorder owners find the $80 package too much video and not enough editor?
Photolightning Software Makes It a Snap To Print and E-Mail Digital Images - 10/7/2002 A consumer-friendly $40 package promises not only painless downloading, cropping, and touching-up of digital camera images, but automates the process of making prints, sending images to online photofinishers, or even putting them into the text of (not attaching them to) messages readable by any e-mail service.
Corel Ships Ventura 10 Business/XML Publisher - 10/7/2002 Companies that have crafted XML content for Internet or intranet sites can quickly move it to printed manuals or other material with Corel's new Ventura 10. The page-layout program imports XML fluently, as well as exporting PDF and juggling other formats and complex tables to create highly formatted, professional documents.
Web Easy Professional 4 Review - 9/27/2002 If you're starting from scratch and want a good-looking Web site, V Communications' $70 Web Easy Professional can build you one -- complete with e-commerce support and fancy VRML effects if you like. But does this no-HTML-editing page and site manager bridge the gap between novice and expert users, or fall into it?
Broderbund Updates 3D Home Architect - 9/23/2002 Wondering how your house would look with that new deck or addition? Broderbund and its partner, residential design and building software specialist Cadsoft, have launched a new version of 3D Home Architect Professional with photo-realistic 3D previews and unlimited customization of objects, colors, and textures.
Partition Magic 8.0 Boosts Hard Disk and OS Management - 9/23/2002 PartitionMagic, PowerQuest's utility that makes it easy to create and resize partitions on your PC's hard disk for multiple operating systems or safer file storage, now makes it easy to move or copy files between partitions and file systems and comes with automated backup software.
Ulead GIF Animator - 9/23/2002 Ulead GIF Animator is an impressive client that offers a strong alternative to GIF Construction Set (GIF CS), perhaps the Internet's most popular client for designing animated GIFs. GIF Animator offers nearly all of the same great features as GIF CS and adds a variety of unique features of its own. Its solid feature-set is complemented by an intuitive interface that's both easier to learn and easier to use on a regular basis than that of GIF CS.
Ulead SmartSaver Pro - 9/23/2002 SmartSaver Pro is another graphics client from Ulead Systems designed specifically for Webmasters. The app arrives with one goal in mind — to be the fastest and easiest way to optimize GIF (both standalone and animated formats), JPEG, and PNG images for Web use.
Symantec Boosts Norton Internet Security and Personal Firewall Packages - 9/16/2002 You knew it was inevitable -- Norton Spam Alert. The junk e-mail filter is only one of the new features in Norton Internet Security 2003, along with enhanced privacy control and antivirus protection and a beefed-up (and available separately) Norton Personal Firewall.
Quicken 2003 Represents Biggest Redesign in Years - 9/3/2002 Any personal finance program can help you keep track of your net worth; Intuit's across-the-board upgrades to Quicken aim to help you increase your worth by combining custom-tailored setup and info screens with access to online brokerage services and market alerts.
