OmniPage 16 by Nuance for PC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been a long time user of OmniPage, going way back to version 4. I have regularly updated every 2 years or so, often enjoying the speed or work flow improvements.
I upgraded to OmniPage 16 via an email solicitation and decided to buy it. Unfortunately after a successful install, registration, and activation, the software would not run. The splash screen would display, and then the program would end.
At this point I come face to face with Nuance support and realize I should have read the support for this product before buying. I could find nothing in the online Knowledge Base forum related to my problem. Phone support is a toll call, and requires long periods of hold, and costs $19.95 per incident (with the first one free). Email support is $9.95 per incident.
Luckily the phone support was able to solve my problem in about an hour. I had to install and run some special snooping software which gathered my system information which I mailed to the support team. Unfortunately, I have now used up my one free incident and won't pursue some of the other bugs I see. Be sure you are comfortable with this limited software support before buying.


Click Here to see more reviews about: OmniPage 16 by Nuance for PC

Don't waste your time re-creating paper documents. Typing a typical 20 page, 6000 word document, takes about 150 minutes for the average person. OmniPage can re-create the same document as an editable digital document in your favorite format in less than 2 minutes. And millions of customers and independent labs agree - OmniPage delivers maximum productivity with greater than 99% character accuracy. OmniPage 16, the entry-level version of the world's best selling OCR software, is the most precise way to turn paper, PDF, and even digital camera pictures into files you can easily edit. Don't waste time re-creating paper documents when OmniPage can quickly turn them into perfectly formatted digital documents in that look just like the original - complete with columns, tables, bullets and graphics. It's the world's most powerful document conversion product, not to mention the easiest to use. OmniPage 16 is ideal for students, home office and small business users alike.Multiple-Document Support - Save additional time by working on multiple documents at once. OmniPage can now open, process, correct and save multiple documents simultaneously Use your digital-camera to accurately capture text anywhere. Advanced technology automatically corrects for three-dimensional distortion to ensure the best OCR results possible PDF-MRC - Create up to 8 times smaller scanned color PDF documents faster with improved PDF-MRC technology to reduce file sizes dramatically Multi-Core Parallel Processing - When used with dual-core processors, achieve up to 46% faster speed 27% increase in overall document conversion accuracy over the previous release Supports Microsoft Office 2007

Click here for more information about OmniPage 16 by Nuance for PC

Read More...

QuickBooks Basic Payroll Unlimited Employees 2009 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I echo the review by capeyankee (02/03/2009). One would think that if you had previously purchased the STANDARD version (1 year subscription) and now had to choose between a BASIC version and an ENHANCED version, you would get what you had before by ordering the BASIC version (STANDARD = BASIC, one would think). Not so, and the difference is significant. To further the confusion (and the misleading labeling) if you searched for "QuickBooks STANDARD Payroll" on Amazon and then clicked on "See Newer Version of This Item" you would be taken to the BASIC Payroll product. Hardly a newer version of STANDARD, the BASIC product provides quite a bit less than the STANDARD did.

Click Here to see more reviews about: QuickBooks Basic Payroll Unlimited Employees 2009

Easily pay employees yourself within QuickBooks and work with your accountant on taxes. (Requires QuickBooks 2006 or newer.)

Easily pay employees yourself within QuickBooks and work with your accountant on tax filings. Basic Payroll helps you:
1) Easily Pay Employees Simply enter employees' hours in QuickBooks and with just a few clicks, Basic Payroll automatically calculates earnings, payroll taxes and deductions for you.
Easily print paychecks yourself, or use convenient Direct Deposit (additional fees apply).
2) Instantly calculate payroll taxes Basic Payroll instantly calculates federal and state payroll taxes for you. Simply write checks to make the tax payments yourself.
Intuit Payroll's team of compliance professionals works with tax authorities to help keep your payroll tax rates accurate and up-to-date.
3) Work with your accountant on tax filings Basic Payroll does not include any tax forms. However, you can easily generate reports and work with your accountant on tax filings.
Easily pay employees yourself in QuickBooks and work with your accountant on payroll tax filings.
Get started quickly
Get started quickly with our easy step-by-step setup guide

Easily pay employees
Create paychecks in just a few clicks: Basic Payroll automatically calculates earnings, payroll taxes and deductions for you
Easily print paychecks yourself, or use convenient Direct Deposit (additional fees apply)
Stay current with federal and state payroll tax rates with automatic updates in QuickBooks
Run customizable reports anytime to see how payroll affects your bottom line

Instantly calculate payroll taxes
Instantly calculate federal and state payroll taxes

Work with your accountant on tax forms
Easily generate reports and work with your accountant on payroll tax filings--no tax forms included

Get help when you need it:
Get free callback support from our payroll specialists, even choose a time that is convenient for you
Receive 24/7 access to our online Payroll Answer Center

Run payroll within QuickBooks
Basic Payroll works within QuickBooks so you don't have to enter the same data twice

Click here for more information about QuickBooks Basic Payroll Unlimited Employees 2009

Read More...

DVD Architect Studio 4.5 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This program does not come with a fancy video editor nor is it a suite of tools. That's why you get more bang for the buck. If you already have other tools, such as Sonic EMC or Premiere Elements you get video editors and other tools, but neither of those create the DVD as well as DVD Architect.
For example, Premiere Elements allows you to create automatically chaptered movies by allowing you to but chapter marks in the movie editor, but it does not allow you to create a DVD with more than one movie. It has a nice video editor, but a very weak DVD authoring tool. Sonic EMC allows multiple movies and slide shows, but does not create chapter marked movies.
DVD Architect allows both and a lot more. You add setups for sound tracks and easily create a tree of menus of practically any structure you want.
You can access DVD virtual commands in a limited way through the scripting tool. It could be better in that area.
If you buy Vegas Pro 8, you get DVD Architect with it and you have a great deal more power than any of the lowest price Video/DVD authoring combos.
I chose Vegas Pro 8 with DVD Architect because I was looking for a mid-priced tool (half the price of Premiere Pro), which is far more versatile than the low end packages. Although it may not be as powerful as Premiere Pro or Mac's Final Cut, it does a great job and you don't have to pay $800 for Premiere Pro.
I would have liked Premier Pro, but it was too expensive for me PLUS it does not yet support AVCHD files from my camcorder.
Sonic advertises support for AVCHD in Roxio Creator 2009, but what they really did was add a converter, which converts all the clips from your camera to mpg files, since the video editor "VideoWave" has not been changed to handle native AVCHD. Each step of conversion is a loss in quality. Sonic EMC also does a very sloppy job of batch processing the files so you can't walk away and just let it convert everything. You must select a folder every time it finishes a clip. Having 30 years of programming experience, that could have been done better by simply modifying the batch loop.
I still like the Sonic suite because it has a lot of useful tools that are not included with these other programs.
If you have an earlier Sonic Video Wave or EMC 8 or 9 and don't want to spend the money, you might find an AVCHD converter online for free or very cheap, which essentially accomplishes the same thing.
Bottom line: You get what you pay for and when you hold your budget, you have to compromise one thing for another.

Click Here to see more reviews about: DVD Architect Studio 4.5

Click here for more information about DVD Architect Studio 4.5

Read More...

QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll 2008 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I love Intuit and I am a user of Turbo Tax and Quickbooks. However, this product was a total disaster for me. I have a couple of farm employees and currently I do the payroll using an excel spreadsheet. It was easy to set up the tax information because I can create the equations for my state and the fed to do it correctly. It was really not that difficult to do, but I wanted something I could do directly in Quickbooks so I bought this program, Payroll.
First of all, the program cost more than Quickbooks and because I wanted to enhanced version, I could not buy the combined deal (saves money on only the standard version). Then, to my surprised when it arrives, I found out that it is only good for one year. What? Why do I have to pay $250 a year for a program to replace an excel spreadsheet which cost me nothing? The tax tables don't change that much that it requires paying every year. I can understand, if I had a big payroll, why I might need this program, but when I just have two guys, I don't understand the extra charge.
What really irks me is that Intuit does not allow me to attach my payroll worksheet to their Quickbooks, so it is either keep them separate or pay $250 a year. Until I find something better or get more employees, I will keep it separate.

Click Here to see more reviews about: QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll 2008

We make it efficient to do your entire payroll in-house. Enhanced Payroll gives you powerful tools to help save you time and improve the accuracy of your payroll--right within QuickBooks financial software (use your existing QuickBooks software or the included QuickBooks Simple Start CD). Track Worker's Compensation rates and deductions (requires QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise Solutions)Easily share data with your accountant Pay your employees when and how you want, helping you manage your cash flow effectively Offer Direct Deposit (DD) to your employees; schedule DD up to 45 days in advance (2) Run customized payroll reports from QuickBooks any time you like

Click here for more information about QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll 2008

Read More...

Audition 3.0 WIN Upgrade Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I began editing audio using CoolEdit and then progressed to Audition 1 when Adobe bought the company. I was running version 1.5 when I decided to upgrade to 3.0. I should have saved my money.
Audition 3 is much slower to load than 1.5. It does have some nice additions but at the same time it has been a bit unstable on my machine (Windows XP SP2). My screen frequently flickers as Audition updates displays. The audio card configuration seems to change for no reason and I must reset the hardware preferences to get it back.
At the moment I have both 1.5 and 3.0 on my computer and I am trying to work through the issues with 3.0 in hopes of resolving my complaints should they be related to my hardware.
I would rate version 3.0 as a Beta release with issues that should have been resolved before releasing it to the public.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Audition 3.0 WIN Upgrade

UPG AUDITION 3 WIN 1U

Click here for more information about Audition 3.0 WIN Upgrade

Read More...

Starry Night Enthusiast 6.0 Win/Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The previous review tagged "Enthusiast" with a single star, understandably because the owner couldn't get it running on Vista, but Vista must share in the blame - since its release, there have been all manner of compatibility issues. I'm successfully running it on a Mac with OS X, and it's truly remarkable. If you're interested in astronomy, this is a fabulous program that lives up to its advertising copy. I am amazed at what it brings to your desk/laptop for such a relatively low price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Starry Night Enthusiast 6.0 Win/Mac

Explore a vast array of astronomical wonders, both natural and man-made! Replay spectacular fly-bys of Voyager, Galileo, and other famous space missions. Never miss your chance to witness celestial events, such as Jupiter satellite shadow transits, with the powerful Events Finder. Easily navigate around the cosmos using SkyGuide as your tour guide. Starry Night Enthusiast gives you the freedom and resources to explore the night sky on your computer or with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars.Browse a library of over 100 Starry Night files that demonstrate events such as eclipses, planetary alignments and close-ups of galaxies and planetsAssign horizon panorama to a specific location on or off Earth with your choice of 11 photorealistic horizon panoramasPinpoint the exact location of historical events, such as the Apollo moon landings, with Location MarkersAccess up-to-date local observing conditions through online link to Clear Sky Clock (requires Internet connection)Click on any location on Earth while hovering and select a Google Map for that precise location (requires Internet connection)Create your own automated guided tour of the universe with AppleScript, which helps you run a list of Starry Night files in sequence (Mac only)Ambient environment sounds enhance the digital observing experienceExplore without limits 700 million light years of spaceView 2,500,000 starsNGC-IC Catalog of 13,000 deep space objectsTravel in time from 4713 BC to 9999 ADDeepen your understanding of the universe with over 70 interactive SkyGuide toursSimulate the view through binocularsView how the Earth and Sun look like right now with images from ground-and space-based observatories

Click here for more information about Starry Night Enthusiast 6.0 Win/Mac

Read More...

OEM WIN VISTA BUSINESS SP1 32BIT ENGLISH Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)i did not get a product key for this windows vista and the costumer servies is very bad no one emials you back or anything do not buy from this store!

Click Here to see more reviews about: OEM WIN VISTA BUSINESS SP1 32BIT ENGLISH

1 pack of Microsoft Vista Operating SystemBUSINESS on DVD with SP1 for OEM computers ONLY.

Click here for more information about OEM WIN VISTA BUSINESS SP1 32BIT ENGLISH

Read More...

Native Instruments KOMPLETE 7 UPDATE Software (from previous version of KOMPLETE) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Native Instruments are putting the pieces together. I first bought version 3, just as version 4 was coming out, many years ago and have since upgraded to versions 5, 6, and, now, 7. Version 6 was somewhat pointless: they didn't entirely deal with 64-bit operating systems; even though the price was radically reduced they left off so much that it should have been called in-Komplete.
This time around they've kept the price low, they've gotten everything to run well within the 64-bit environment, they've added a ton of extras, and they've even created a fix for Kore 2 to fully integrate with Komplete 7. Is it any wonder I'm so happy?
Komplete's core programs are: Absynth, Battery, FM8, Guitar Rig (software only), Kontakt, Massive, and Reaktor. This should be enough that you can do just about anything within a computer to make music. Even though it's a great package version 6 dropped the emulations of acoustic and electric pianos, Hammond and other electric organs, and the Prophet V synthesizer (Pro-53). Many of the sounds were still in the sample libraries to be played within Kontakt but the dedicated instruments were gone. Earlier versions had redundant samplers like Intakt and Kompakt but also some pretty crazy processors like Spektral Delay and Vokator. All gone.
Now they've really thrown in the goodies: sample sets like Scarbee's bass guitar and electric pianos, the return of Vintage Organs (each of these instruments has a much improved GUI), top quality acoustic pianos, and '60s Abbey Road Drums; there are several new synths, playable within Reaktor (which itself has received a major overhaul)--Prism, Spark, and The Finger; several effects sets such as Rammfire guitar effects, Reflektor convolution reverb, and Traktor 12 DJ effects (all operating within Guitar Rig); and a beautifully twisted set of instruments for the Kore player by sound designer Jeramiah Savage, Acoustic Refractions. There is so much to play with you might forget the real reason for buying Komplete is to create something new.
Probably my personal favorites are the sample-based instruments by Scarbee. The sounds are lush and the interfaces are easy and attractive (though many of us will have a long, steep learning curve to master the bass).
Best of all, it's been working very well within my Vista 64-bit system.
I have a few freeware instruments and G-Force's M-Tron Pro, all working within ACID Pro, but, really, I don't have much of a need for any other software instruments. This time it does feel Komplete. (Take the time to explore all the features at Native Instruments website.)
A word of warning for the meek: this is a 90 GB package which takes hours to load (and a lot of hard drive); and you'll need to download fixes to several of the programs when you get the Service Center running, if you want everything at optimal performance. If you have Kore 2 it's a must to download the update.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Native Instruments KOMPLETE 7 UPDATE Software (from previous version of KOMPLETE)

Click here for more information about Native Instruments KOMPLETE 7 UPDATE Software (from previous version of KOMPLETE)

Read More...

Cadpro Platinum Bundle Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My husband and I talked about putting up a barn next to our house for years, but the commitment of hiring a professional architect seemed intimidating - as well as expensive.
CADPro is not just a listing of standard house plans that maybe you will like (or maybe not), it's a real blueprint design program. Yes, it does have some ready made plans, including a pretty cool tree house and outdoor kitchen - but this was not what I wanted. I started by installing the program - with so many buttons and features (over 8,000) I was not sure where to begin. Luckily, CADPro includes a separate training CD (with sound and video) in the box. I watched the individual video lessons while I had the CADPro program open on my computer so I could go back and forth to practice. This is not a program you will fully master overnight.
I still have not used all the features, but I was able to quickly access the tools I needed to design my barn in detail. One of my favorite features is the pop-up photo. By dragging and dropping the camera icon from the toolbar onto the floor plan the program automatically opens My Pictures. Since I wanted a post and beam look on the inside I took a digital photo (taken while eating at my favorite restaurant) and saved it in My Pictures. I also scanned in some photos from a post & beam brochure and popped these in too - there is no limit to the number of photos you can include. The photos show up on the floor plan as little camera icons - by clicking once on the tiny camera the photos open.
Although my intent was to just design my barn using CADPro, I found I could redesign my great room (or other rooms) by using the existing dimensions of my house and creating images of the furniture I already have (with their size to scale). I can now rearrange my furniture to see if it will fit - before I move my sofa 10 times.
I am still waiting to see if the town will approve the building permit for my barn, but I feel better knowing I only invested 70 dollars, and I know exactly how it will look, and what the materials and estimated labor will cost, before they pour the foundation. I would highly recommended this program for anyone who wants to design their own renovation (or house) exactly the way they want, with blueprint results that a contractor can work from.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Cadpro Platinum Bundle

Click here for more information about Cadpro Platinum Bundle

Read More...

QuickBooks Standard Payroll Subscription Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If your new to payroll give in and buy it. I bought the standard payroll and it was much easier than doing payroll manually, especially since I'm still trying to figure what I'm doing. But like all the other Quickbook products, no support and every other page is a way for you to spend more money. Does not support Workman's comp , not even a place to build your tracking and if you void a check it screws up the YTD and it won't let you delete a check. I have to call and pay to find out what's wrong.

Click Here to see more reviews about: QuickBooks Standard Payroll Subscription

QuickBooks Payroll saves you time when you are processing payroll by eliminating steps and preventing costly mistakes, every payroll cycle and tax filing period. QuickBooks Payroll works inside QuickBooks – so there is no double entry and nothing new to learn.

Click here for more information about QuickBooks Standard Payroll Subscription

Read More...

Final Draft Version 7 Academic Win/Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a writer, here's my story. I bought Final Draft mainly because I felt I needed to upgrade from Microsoft Works or get left behind. Well, I've worked with Final Draft for a while, and to be honest I do not think it was worth the $150.00 dollars + postage. It's very hard to format scripts, especially ones that had been saved in other formats - it adds all these extra spaces and it's terribly time consuming to remove them. Also, it sometimes adds in a character heading when one isn't needed and it's very difficult to get rid of those showing up all the time.
I cannot figure out how to use the Tagger part at all. The most disappointing part for me was that it DOES NOT read the scripts back - it does however save your script in a new format that you cannot add to. And finally my last complaint is that the disk explaining how to use it is NOT INCLUDED and sells for $30.00 extra bucks. Now, maybe it's just my computer - it's an Everex with Microsoft Windows XP that's not even a year old. Maybe it's just my bad luck.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Final Draft Version 7 Academic Win/Mac

Use your creative energy to focus on the content; let Final Draft take care of the style. Final Draft is the number-one selling word processor specifically designed for writing movie scripts, television episodics and stage plays. It combines powerful word processing with professional script formatting in one self-contained, easy-to-use package. There is no need to learn about script formatting rules - Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards as you write. Final Draft 7 combines powerful word processing with professional script formatting in one all-purpose screenwriting tool. Use your creative energy to create the story that burns inside you. Final Draft handles the technical details - all you have to supply is the heart. Format Assistant checks for and fixes common errors - missing dialogue, extra spaces, blank elements etc. Break down your Final Draft scripts to their fundamental components and export them with the Tagger tool No more retyping your scripts over and over -- export them to PDF format and share them with anyone Built-in Script Registry - online WGAw registry service helps you protect your scripts Import/Export from any word processor New Index Card functions new stand-alone application that enables you to ?tag? elements of a script [cast, costumes, props, etc.] and export the results into any movie scheduling software. Created with the help of veteran assistant directors, producers and unit production managers, Tagger means no more going over a paper script again and again with highlighters. Over 2 Dozen new templates Customizable Reports Format Assistant Improved Final Draft Courier Font

Click here for more information about Final Draft Version 7 Academic Win/Mac

Read More...

Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Home Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this product needing to work on a personal legal (nonbusiness) matter, so the noncommercial license was fine for my "home" use. Good thing I checked with Corel after buying it and seeing the "Home Edition" captions not only on the total suite packaging but underneath the "WordPerfect" and "Quattro Pro" components (inside front box folding cover with velcro). Corel ultimately confirmed to me that "certain components that are designed for the business customer, such as Legal Tools, MetaData Removal, Document Compare, Quickfinder to name a few are not included in the Home Edition version." Corel needs to make this clearer in their marketing of the "Home Edition." I focused on the word processing application, but the Quattro Pro application is also captioned as "Home Edition" so it may be missing some features available in the Quattro Pro included in other Suite versions (Standard, Pro, Student/Teacher, etc.). The Home Edition may still be suitable for some users, but I'm a strong believer in "full disclosure." WordPerfect itself is a great program. Try setting point sizes with decimals in Word -- you can't. Try changing the size of the font in legal pleadings in Word -- there's no direct control of it (the Microsoft site instructs you to change margins and number of lines per page to attempt to get Word to adjust the font size) [but remember, you need any WordPerfect version other than Home Edition to get Legal Tools].

Click Here to see more reviews about: Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Home Edition

WordPerfect Office X3 is everything you'd expect from an office suite -- and more -- for less. Enhanced compatibility ensures that you can work with people who use Microsoft Office or other office suites. Each application in the suite has been updated with stylish new buttons and toolbars to provide more familiar and easy-to-use environments. Plus, groundbreaking new features and enhancements make this the most enticing and innovative WordPerfect Office yet. With the WordPerfect Office X3 Home Edition you also get great photo, video, DVD creation, and security software.
Great Compatibility WordPerfect Office continues to break down compatibility barriers for its users. These days, who has time to figure out which product works with which file format? You want to simply and easily open, edit, save, and senddocuments and spreadsheets. To that end, WordPerfect Office X3 provides improved support for Microsoft Office file formats. In addition, the suite's built-in PDF publishing capabilities have been enhanced, making it easier than ever to exchange information.
Incredible Ease of Use WordPerfect Office X3 provides exciting new features that are designed to reduce the need for software expertise. The user interface for each application has been refreshed, providing more intuitive, familiar environments. Context-sensitive toolbars make it easy to identify tools and features. You can copy HTML and paste clean, unformatted text. The unmatched Corel RealTime Preview lets you see how potential formatting changes will affect your work before you commit to them. To help new users find their footing, the Workspace Manager can simulate the keystrokes and menu items of other office suites, such as Microsoft Office. The unobtrusive PerfectExpert is a handy guide and consultant for virtually any project. Plus, two free hours of training videos by lynda.com are included on CD.
Home Edition Applications Designed with the specific needs of home computer users in mind, WordPerfect Office X3 Home Edition provides eight leading home PC tools in one complete package. It includes WordPerfect X3 Home Edition for word processing, Quattro Pro X3 Home Edition for spreadsheets and charts, two WordPerfect OfficeReady template collections, Corel Photo Album 6 Standard Edition for managing digital photo collections, Pinnacle Studio SE for editing home videos, Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD LE v8 for burning CDs and DVDs, and Norton Internet Security 2006 for protection from viruses and other threats. This compatible, feature-rich, value-packed suite is sure to make your entire household's computing experience more enjoyable, creative, and secure.
On top of all that, WordPerfect Office X3 includes 9,500 clipart images, 175 photos, and 900 TrueType fonts.
WordPerfect X3: WordPerfect X3 provides exceptional ease of use and complete formatting control for producing newsletters, articles, reports, proposals, books, and other documents. The popular Reveal Codes, Corel RealTime Preview, and Legal features help reduce the amount of time you spend on document formatting, freeing you to focus on creating content. WordPerfect X3 also provides enhanced compatibility with Microsoft Word, the new ability to import PDFs, and robust PDF publishing capabilities, ensuring that you can freely exchange information with colleagues and clients, regardless of the software they use.
Quattro Pro X3: Quattro Pro X3 is a powerful spreadsheet application that helps you organize, analyze, report, manage, and share important data and financial information. Improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel ensures that you can smoothly exchange information with Excel users. Quattro Pro X3 also includes outstanding tools for creating tables, financial forms, lists, databases, charts, reports, or any other type of data-oriented document. In addition, you can easily present your spreadsheet data in charts, and you can apply advanced rendering to your charts to give the information a professional, polished look.

Click here for more information about Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Home Edition

Read More...

Norton Internet Security Dual Protection 4.0 (Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Edited to add info on REMOVAL instructions. Symantec keeps this a secret. Amazon does not allow links, so search Google for the "RemoveSymantecMacFiles removal utility". It's on Symantec's Enterprise site.
I was finally able to remove every trace of the Symantec "bloatware." The uninstaller does not do this. Make sure you back up your entire system (I recommend SuperDuper) to a Firewire drive prior to doing this. I also recommend booting into Safe Mode to run the removal operation.
====
I am a long time Mac user.
Reportedly in development for 5 years, this software does protect from viruses, including protecting your Mac from being a carrier of Windows viruses. However, there has never been an "in the wild" Mac virus.
My cable company is offering the Mac part of this suite as part of their service. I installed it, and discovered it was too intrusive, and blocked some programs from accessing the Internet. Unfortunately, there is no customizable firewall. It's either off or on. Virus scanning is too intrusive, too.
The only real reason for an AV on the Mac is to protect Windows users from files other Windows users may have sent you. That said, there is a much better, less intrusive product called Intego VirusBarrier that catches Windows viruses, in combination with the NetBarrier firewall which is extremely customizable. UPDATE: I've switched to the free Sophos AV software, and recommend it highly.
The problem: After testing Norton and deciding I didn't care for it, I uninstalled it. However, as I dug deeper into my system, I found the software did not completely uninstall. As with their Windows applications, Norton for Mac puts hidden files all over the place. After the uninstall, I found invisible Symantec files and deleted them.
On the next start-up, the Mac wouldn't start: gray screen of death. It would start up in Safe mode, and once after restarting from Safe mode, but not again. So, I reinstalled Norton, and it works again. This is shameful.
I do not recommend this software. Go with Intego or Sophos instead. Or, if Windows viruses are not an issue with you, then you're probably safe not running any AV. The Mac's built in firewall is excellent, too. If you really need to feel protected, go with the free version of iAntivirus which protects only against potential Mac threats (which really don't exist for most Internet users).
If you have a dual boot system, I suggest using Microsoft Security Essentials, Online Armor firewall and Threatfire (all free) on the Windows partition, especially if you use Windows more with VMWare Fusion or Parallels, due to their effectiveness and small footprints.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Norton Internet Security Dual Protection 4.0 (Mac)

Click here for more information about Norton Internet Security Dual Protection 4.0 (Mac)

Read More...

Windows Vista Business with SP1 Upgrade Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Microsoft Vista Business came bundled with a Lenovo laptop. Various glitches prompted numerous calls to my Microsoft Certified IT expert. Most recently, the system would just lose contact with the Internet for unknown reasons, then just as mysteriously regain contact several days later. Sometimes a "route print" at the administrator command prompt would show two "0.0.0.0" route entries, and deletion of these would sometimes (but not always) remedy the problem. Anyway, my IT expert finally just took Vista off and installed XP. I'm guessing my final outlay on this headache will total $700, not to mention my time.
Absolutely avoid the Vista operating system. I loaded Linux Ubuntu on a spare machine while the laptop was in the shop, and got instant browser, email, and Microsoft compatible word processing and spreadsheet. No flash, just functionality.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Windows Vista Business with SP1 Upgrade

Microsoft Windows Vista Business Service Pack 1 Upgrade

Click here for more information about Windows Vista Business with SP1 Upgrade

Read More...

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 - Kontrol Version Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There's not much I can say that isn't already covered by professional testimonials, video reviews, and product demos.
In short, Guitar Rig 3 is an extremely versatile, powerful effects system. The hardware is extremely solid-- I've carried this thing around to live gigs, stuffed it in a backpack as carry-on for a plane ride, even spilled a little bit of beer on it (not recommended). The worst I've done is dinged it with a falling mic stand. It put a small scratch on it (similar to scratching the paint on a car door), but that's about it.
There's definitely a slight learning curve for the software itself, but you can download the demo from their website to see if it's too much for you to handle. All the help and tooltips are plenty to keep you moving along-- and spending more time playing music and less time twiddling knobs. However, the cool part is that if you like twiddling knobs and settings, you can spend countless hours dialing in all kinds of vintage, modern, or never-heard-before sounds. My friend, (a lead guitarist who owns an analog guitar pedal company), despite being a bit of a sound purist, was really impressed with the sheer number of tones I can emulate. Sometimes, the sounds have a tendency to be a little bit 'digital' sounding if you don't adjust them properly, but the software upgrade to Guitar Rig 4 supposedly improves some of this. (I haven't tried it yet myself). My solution was to add an analog pedal (Philosopher's Tone) to the front of my effects chain.
I use an Intel-based Macbook Pro and a Peavy KB3 amplifier.
PRO TIP: a keyboard amp is the way to go since they have a higher frequency range that allows you to get the full range of tones out of the software. If you go with a specific guitar amp, you may severely limit the variety of tones the software can produce. The software itself effectively mimics all kinds of vintage amps--more than most people could ever afford to own. This may seem unintuitive, but if you spend a little time on the Guitar Rig forums, you'll find this out from others' experience too.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 - Kontrol Version

Click here for more information about Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 - Kontrol Version

Read More...

Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0 Upgrade from Standard V5+ Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I love the product. I especially like being able to type text onto scanned pdf documents. Extremely helpful for filling in government or preset forms. I should have checked the nnumber of licenses with the upgrade (only 2). I use on my office, home and laptop computers. A single license is not available so I had to buy two full upgrades.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0 Upgrade from Standard V5+

Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard software enables business professionals to reliably create, combine, and control Adobe PDF documents for easy, more secure distribution and collaboration. Combine files from multiple applications, such as text files, spreadsheets, presentations, and web pages, into a single, polished Adobe PDF document. Protect sensitive information with passwords and permissions, and conduct collaborative document reviews by e-mail or server.

Click here for more information about Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0 Upgrade from Standard V5+

Read More...

ScanSoft PaperPort 11 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, let me be specific, I am reviewing Paperport 11, not Paperport Pro. Why do I think Paperport 11 is a scam? Because it's like a demo version of Paperport Pro (which is the full product). The use of this non-pro version is super limited.
Problems:
1) I can't create a new scanner profiles (I am limited to the 4 they supplied initially) for scanning.
2) They claim to support most scanners, but unless yours is a popular scanner, it's treated just as a generic plain paperport scanner. Nothing special.
3) I bought the product hoping it can create searchable PDF files so I can use my desktop search engine (like google desktop) to search my scanned documents. No such thing! To do it, you have to: a) buy Paperport 11 Pro, b) buy OmniPage (I presume). Which totals more than 300 bucks!!!
4) Very very limited customer support. You have ONE free technical support call (which I used up during installation because the installer crashed my system). After that, it's 20 bucks per phone call. There is no free email support. The first and every message you send them will cost 10 bucks each. What a scam: crash the user's computer upon installation, force them to call you so they burn up their "free" support. After that, any questions you have will cost you $$$!
I so want to return this product, but I already mailed in the UPC code for the rebate so I cannot return the product anymore. Another trap!!! Unbelievable!!!
Final words: STAY AWAY!!! I will never buy anything from Nuance, EVER!

Click Here to see more reviews about: ScanSoft PaperPort 11

ScanSoft PaperPort 11 is the easiest way to turn piles of paper and photosinto organized PDF and JPEG files that you can quickly find, use and share.PaperPort produces excellent scans with the push of a button. Your documentsare displayed as small thumbnails on a unique visual desktop for fastbrowsing. The exclusive All-in-One Search™ ends the frustration of lookingfor paper or digital documents by searching for words inside your files. Savetime and have the security of knowing that important documents and photoswill never be lost. PaperPort is perfect for your home or small office.

Click here for more information about ScanSoft PaperPort 11

Read More...