Macromedia Fireworks - 4/8/2004 Fireworks is the latest all-in-one Web graphics creation, animation, and optimization tool to hit the 'net. This combination vector and bitmap imaging app especially excels at optimization tasks for GIFs, animated GIFs, JPEGs, and PNGs, but it's also a full-scale graphics creation and manipulation program like Adobe Photoshop. If you're a long-time Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro user, you'll probably find the Fireworks interface a bit difficult to adjust to, but after getting by the relatively short learning curve you'll find that Fireworks isn't lacking in many areas.
Winamp - 4/6/2004 By far the best MP3 audio player on the 'net — and it's free!
McAfee SpamKiller - 3/18/2004 A powerful filter-based anti-spam tool that integrates with McAfee's security suite
CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12 - 3/1/2004 Looking for something between the low power of entry-level graphics packages and the high price of Adobe's Illustrator and Photoshop? Corel refreshes its CorelDraw drawing and page-layout, Photo-Paint image editing, and RAVE Web illustration packages with time-saving object-drawing, -positioning, and previewing tools and handy Microsoft Office export.
TurboTax Premier Home & Business for 2003 Review - 2/17/2004 You say you've got not only Form 1040 but Schedule C hanging over your head? Intuit puts last year's product-activation snafu behind it and pumps up its bestselling TurboTax lineup with four new versions, led by a package optimized for home-based businesses and sole proprietors. SmallBusinessComputing.com editor Patricia Fusco puts it to the test.
TaxCut Premium Home & Business 2003 Review - 2/9/2004 April 15 is getting closer every day, but H&R Block is ready to help -- even if you never go near an H&R Block office. Wayne Kawamoto says this year's version of the company's TaxCut compares favorably to Intuit's TurboTax or any other tax-preparation software, with a higher or friendlier ratio of plain English to nerdy numbers than ever before.
MSN Messenger for Mac OS X - 2/6/2004 Microsoft's instant messaging service for sending free, private messages
Ability Office Review - 1/5/2004 Most Windows users don't need the bulky muscle of Microsoft Office, and we're on record as recommending several alternatives to that super-powered, high-priced suite. Does this $50 entry from the U.K. join OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Works on our short list, or is it too little, too late for anyone who's outgrown, say, Office 95?
Shockwave Flash Player - 1/1/2004 A handy plug-in/ActiveX control for playing Flash multimedia content
QuickBooks 2004 Review - 12/29/2003 When it comes to offering annual upgrades that are hard to pass up, Microsoft could learn a thing or two from Intuit. This year's editions of the leading small-business accounting package offer not only truly useful new features, but industry-specific versions that make QuickBooks even more intuitive.
Cash Compass Review - 12/22/2003 A small-business operator needs a clear vision of the future -- and an even clearer one of the present as far as cash flow is concerned. SmallBusinessComputing.com's Wayne Kawamoto says the makers of Business Plan Pro have filled a gap in accounting software, providing easy, complete analysis of how your company (and your competitors) are doing today and likely to do tomorrow.
Adobe Acrobat Reader - 12/22/2003 A useful plug-in/ActiveX control for viewing inline Acrobat PDF files
Norton Internet Security 2004 Review - 12/15/2003 For several years, Symantec's antivirus, firewall, online-privacy, and smut- and ad-blocking bundle has been an Internet user's best friend — and this year's edition adds stronger spam relief to its germ-, worm-, and hacker-stopping toolkit. But could a couple of bumps in the road steer Norton loyalists toward alternatives?
InterVideo Home Theater Mimics Microsoft's Media Center Experience - 12/15/2003 DVD playback software leader InterVideo combines its WinDVD engine with a Windows Media Center-style personal video recorder and digital image and music browsing, organizing, and enjoying -- all from the comfort of your couch, thanks to an included remote control.
FileMaker Urges Excel Addicts To Try a Real Database - 12/15/2003 Microsoft Excel is the ace of spreadsheets -- but it's still a spreadsheet, so its flexibility suffers when you try to pour contacts, products, or other non-numeric info into its number-crunching columns. That plus a $50 rebate are the arguments FileMaker hopes will persuade Excel jockeys to consider managing data with, well, a database.
Nero 6.3 PowerPack Update Includes Advanced DVD Authoring - 12/15/2003 Ahead Software adds everything from AMD 64-bit and Intel Hyper-Threading support to unlimited MP3 encoding and video- and audio-quality improvements to its Nero 6 Ultra Edition CD/DVD burning, backup, and editing/authoring suite -- and registered users don't have to pay a penny.
The Taxman Cometh -- And So Do New Editions of TaxCut and TurboTax - 12/8/2003 Intuit's TurboTax and H&R Block's TaxCut rev up for the new year with easier navigation and financial-interview functions, plus electronic-filing and tax-planning extras for users ranging from Form 1040 tyros to experienced investors and small business proprietors.
ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro 14 Office Merges OCR, PDF, and XML - 12/1/2003 The OCR leader's new flagship application eliminates the boundaries between paper, Word, PDF, and XML documents, translating text and formatting with even more accuracy while automating the process of turning printed pages into digitized office workflows.
IntelliMover PC Replacement Suite Cures Moving-Day Headaches - 12/1/2003 Presumably your new PC is faster and fancier than your old one, but how long will it take to set up your e-mail, files, folders, settings, music, and more to get the look and feel you're used to? Detto Technologies' new suite does the job in mere minutes, along with wiping your old system for recycling and creating an automated backup regimen for the new one.
TaxAct 2003 Deluxe Preview - 11/24/2003 Ready for tax season? 2nd Story Software gives you a head start on the ides of April with an initial release of its improved 2003 tax-return software -- and if Form 1040 takes such a bite that you can't afford the $10 program or its state and small-business add-ons, there's a less fancy free version available.
McAfee Internet Security 6.0 Adds Spam and Spyware Protection - 11/17/2003 Network Associates adds e-mail spam and scam blocking to its bundled antivirus, firewall, and privacy/parental control suite, keeping Web and e-mail users safe from threats and annoyances ranging from hackers and worms to pop-up ads and identity theft.
Dreamweaver MX 2004 Review - 11/10/2003 Macromedia's Dreamweaver is the definitive example of a superpowered site designer in intuitive, WYSIWYG clothing. Intranet Journal's Troy Dreier says this year's edition is even better on two levels -- an everyday one of easier image touch-up and Word and Excel import, and the far-reaching one of finally bringing sophisticated CSS technology to mere mortal Webmasters.
ZoneAlarm Pro 4.5 Adds Identity Protection To Firewall - 11/3/2003 Along with new versions of its popular freeware and basic versions, Zone Labs introduces new extra-strength security features -- emphasizing protection from identity theft and bogus e-commerce ordering -- to its famous PC firewall.
Microsoft Money 2004 - 11/1/2003 An impressive financial suite and inexpensive alternative to Quicken
