Avid Liquid v7 Video Editing Software -Academic Version Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been editing video for nearly 10 years, starting with Pinnacle StudioDV, progressing up through the Pinnacle DV500 (with Adobe Premiere) and finally to the Liquid family of products, I feel that my abilities (as an editor) have grown as I advanced my technological infrastructure and and upgrading from Pinnacle Liquid Edition to Avid Liquid was no exception.
I have to admit that the initial release of Liquid 7.0 by Avid was a misstep, they were extremely quick to remedy the situation with a Service Pack 1 which was soon followed by the (very stable) release of Liquid 7.1.
What sold me on Liquid was it's INSTANT SAVE feature. Thirty times every second your project is saved. In the likelihood your PC crashes (and they all do), as soon as you reboot your system and launch Liquid, you'll be amazed to see your project, perfectly intact - just the way it was when your PC crashed. That single feature alone is worth the price of admission! Add to that a simply brilliant multicam function that allows you to seamlessly edit between 16 different video sources, background rendering, professional color correction, dynamic time-warping (slo-mo/fast-mo) plus a ton of REAL TIME special effects, Avid Liquid is (by far) the most product you can get, for the money.
Avid Liquid was made for the Wedding and Event videographer. It's interface, while not initially intuitive, is easily understood and navigable within a weekend. And with a plethora of independent video-based tutorials and instructional books on the market, anyone can become a master of this superior NLE within a month.
Perhaps the biggest assets of using this product is its intensely loyal and growing user community. While telephone technical support could stand some improvement (and what software company can't), online forum's dedicated to Liquid is the fastest and most direct way of getting answers to your questions.
Regardless of whether you are new to editing or a seasoned professional, Avid Liquid 7.1 (and beyond) is designed to make your editing tasks efficient, accurate and a whole lot of fun.

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Digital Video And Audio Production Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)First off this product is BOTH a 163 page spiral bound booklet WITH companion DVD. The DVD contains images and files used in the lessons in the booklet. It has an easy to follow format, is well written, and uses images when necessary. Even a first timer should find this booklet easy to use.
Cheers,
Greg

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Windows Vista Business with SP1 Upgrade Review

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(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.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Business Service Pack 1 Upgrade

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Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War Review

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(More customer reviews)I got Rise of Flight about a week ago and I liked it just fine, but now they released two additional planes for FREE, the Albatros D.5 and the Nieuport 28! Now I really like this simulation and the developer posted a very nice statement about future plans and I like what I see. Plus they recently rolled out a patch that fixed issues with joystick inversion and TrackIR. Also, I've never seen a product like this generate such passionate and harsh comments amongst us flight-simmers. Weird.
Anyways, here's what I like and dislike about it.
Likes
- Very pretty visuals. 3D Models, lighting, explosions, clouds, weather are all top notch.
- Awesome damage model. Canvass did not stop bullets very well. The best damage model in the genre by far in my opinion.
- Fantastic Flight Model.
- Good sounds.
- Animated pilot with hand signals.
- Once in cockpit a very high level of immersion.
- Dogfights are a ton of fun. You're sweating by the end.
- Flexible view system with TrackIR 6DOF support.
- Many tweakable settings and cheats to make it a little easier.
All these positives combine to make the flying and fighting experience in ROF one of the best I have ever had.
Dislikes
- Activation scheme. Seems excessive, but I see why they did it. Hope they lighten up a bit.
- Multi-play is not that popular yet. Maybe now that they added more planes it will pick up.
- Hard to hit targets. Maybe the flight model is too real?
- Can't adjust stick sensitivity.
- GUI needs tweaking.
- Missing good mission de-briefs.
The negatives make some of the outside the cockpit experiences not as fun or as polished as it could be, but all this can be fixed.
Overall I really like flying ROF. Most of the complaints I see are about things outside of the cockpit. I do most of my flying in the cockpit not in the GUI, so personally I am happy with my purchase of ROF and recommend it to my simmer friends. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I like the direction the developer is going. Just like many other flight-sims the best is yet to come, but this one should get there pretty quick. I respect those that disagree though.


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Ableton Live 5 Music Recording and Performance Software Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're new to multi-track audio sequencing, I recommend Ableton Live! above every product on the market. It's user interface has been appropriately descibed as "revolutionary" by Mix Magazine and Electronic Musician, take the power of Pro Tools, shave away the most daunting and complex functions and add the simplicity of Sony's Acid loop sequencing software, mix the two togeather and provide an entirely fresh user interface that is instantly approachable, one that yields instant results and you have Ableton Live. I've abandoned Sonar, Cubebase and Vegas Audio in favor of Ableton Live this software is a joy to use. Here's what you get:
PROS
- Multitrack 16-bit/24-bit recording
- About a dozen popular effects
(Reverb, Compression, Noise Gate, EQ effects, Amp Sims, etc...)
- Powerful control over enevelops
- Timewarp feature without pitch alteration.
- Snap-to grid layout allowing recorded tracks to syn effortlessly with loops (works uniquely with time wrap feature, has to be heard to be believed)
- Track freeze
- Smart processing (the software optimizes memory and CPU performance quite well, but allows the user to take control of sample quality and quality of effects if desired)
- Solid VST plug-in support. (I've tested with AmpliTube, Korg Legacy Collection, Groove Agent, all at the same time! no problems! I've had many problems using VST's inside other non-Cubase sequencers)
- MIDI support goes well beyond the basics, you can set up loops as samples and play Live! like an instrument in real-time, it's actually designed with stage use in mind, but works equally as well in a studio as the heart of a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
- Use computer keyboard as MIDI controller option (compose a melody on a plane or in a hotel room! :)
- Works extreemly well on Laptop PC's, was designed to be played Live! on laptops.
- ReWire support lets you hook-in to Reason, Cubase and other sequencers to use Ableton as a remote or a host.
CONS
- No support for DirectX Instruments (DXI)
- Limited support for loop types, Live supports WAV, you'll have to convert everything else.
Another reviewer mentioned cost of this product, it's priced competitive, don't compare Live! to Sonar or Acid, those products cost about half of what live does, but they are not in the same category. Live! is in the ranks of Reason, Pro Tools and Cubase, which it is priced well against thos products. If you are a student you can purchase the full version of Live for about half the retail price. You can also upgrade from the Lite version of Live (packaged with many M-Audio products) to the full version for the same price.

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Norton Partition Magic 8.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)If you have a Sony Vaio this review is for you. In the past Sony has created small C:\ drives and large D:\ drives. So C:\ quickly fills with additional programs and then you need PM to fix it (move some from D:\ to C:\). But I kept getting errors with PM running in Windows. Sony was no help, and Symantec (who makes PM) had one suggestion - run it in DOS. That solved the problem and then PM works well.
Want details? start PM in windows and select "create rescue discs". These boot the computer in dos. Next (this will all make sense when you actually do it) select D:\ and tell it to shrink that partition by, say, 10GB AND specify that the 10GB be located IN FRONT of the new, smaller D:\. This places the "set aside" space before D:\, but right after C:\. Then select C:\ and tell it to make C:\ larger by 10Gb. If you don't do these steps in this order the program doesn't detect any extra space to give to C:\.It took me hours of "playing with it" to figure this out, so I hope this saves someone some grief.




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Symantec Norton Partition Magic 8.0 makes it easy to organize your Hard Drive.

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Code Weavers Crossover Mac (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)Update: 4-11-11
I used this product for about a year and it worked well as I described below. However, as the Mac OS was updated and Codeweavers waa slow to update their software I eventually stopped using CrossOver For Mac, uninstalled it and moved over to VMWare Fusion. And, I never looked back.
For what it's worth. I haven't used nor had any experience with any of the upgrades that they've made with this product in almost 4 years and so I'm not clear on if this product reflects the upgrades or is this still the first "old" edition.*Is there a way to get around upgrading to Vista?
**What's available?
***Review of CrossOver
**** New version, 7.0 available as of 6.17.08
*I'm a Mac-owner and proud. With that said, there are several ways of keeping current with technology without needing to buy every product that Microsoft puts out. This is accomplished by several programs that have been created where software (created solely for the Windows platform) is fooled into thinking that the operating system installed is Windows.
CrossOver is a "Wine" -based open-source software, you install it and it automatically (without needing a copy of Windows) fools many current and many more older versions of PC-only software into thinking that there it is being installed on either Windows 98 through XP Pro. The CrossOver sets up the software in what they call a "bottle" and once you engage it-the bottle- or a desktop icon, the software opens.
You can install many of the current Windows-only software and many, many more older versions by having CrossOver. CrossOver also, instantly, installs windows-based downloads otherwise lost on a non-Windows platform and stores it on the desktop.
** I own the recent upgrade of CrossOver For Mac 7.0 (as of 6.17.08). Recently I just got rid of Parallels Desktop For Mac, a program that creates a "virtual (Windows) environment" I'm very sorry, now, to had to buy Parallels last year as I've had to reinstall it several times. The difference is that with CrossOver you're limited to the softwares that CodeWeavers makes available for their CrossOver product. Which, by the way, is very significant, although many current releases are not supported at the moment. With Parallels, once installed, you'd need a legitimate copy of Windows and register before it will allow you to install any current or older versions of your favorite software. CrossOver is $60, Parallels is $70 plus the cost of a Windows. Either or will save over buying a separate computer for Windows. By the way, Apple Computer's own, proprietary, "Virtual environment" producing software, "Bootcamp" is still in its beta-version. I installed Bootcamp, and believe me, it's no walk in the park. Albeit free, Bootcamp segregates the Mac harddrive into two one for the OSX and the other for Windows (that you still have to provide). Plus, with Bootcamp, you can't drop-and-drag pics, articles, forms from the virtual-Windows screen to the OSX and vice-versa.
***CrossOver will be a stellar program that I suspect most Mac and Linux-based pc owners will want to own, it works well and allows you the freedom to have software and downloads installed without the hassle or expense of having to buy another computer for Windows. If you have old window-only software and you've got a Mac, now you'll be able to use that program with the help of CrossOver. The only drawback is that Codeweavers is still trying to develop the software to allow for the most current versions of more visually based software.

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Bassmasters Classic Tournament Review

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(More customer reviews)This game was pretty good. On the box they say you can only catch a fish by skill and they mean it. This Game is much diffrent than other fishing games. This one you have to have the right lure comb. And that can be hard seeing as their is only over 3,000! You can even get in game tips from diffrent fish Ledgens like Roland martin,Shaw Grigsby ECT. This is the best fishing game so far I Have ever Played

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This software is BRAND NEW. Packaging may differ slightly from the stock photo above. Please click on our logo above to see over 15,000 titles in stock.

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BitDefender Internet Security 2011 Value Edition - 3 PC/2 year Review

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(More customer reviews)So here's the deal. I've been using computers since the TI-994a (actually had one called a Timex Sinclair before that)and have been "online" since the Prodigy days and 300 baud modems. So I've been around the block when it comes to computers, internet and security software. I know how to install, uninstall and tweak my way through most issues without having to contact support...until this security suite.
I was previously using Norton 2011 and when this came up on Vine, I'm always looking to try new security suites. I fully removed Norton and during the BitDefender installation, it confirmed that no other security software is installed that would conflict with it (nice feature).I'm running a Windows 7 64bit Toshiba laptop with 3 GB memory and pentium processor so this shouldn't be a problem I thought. The installation went fine and I did a full system scan (took upwards of 6 hours), the product updated, requested a reboot and I thought we were off...
Unfortunately, although it initially recognized registration key, it appears to have lost that or not worked correctly. I can't get the services to start and I'm supposed to contact BitDefender support directly from within the program...well that's great IF the program will run. So off to the website, go through my account I was required to establish with BitDefender and have already left a tech support ticket within 12 hours of installation. I can't say as though I've ever had to do that.
I'm keeping my review 'neutral" at 3 until I hear back from support and determine if this is fixable. I'll keep you updated on any resolution they find.
**UPDATE** 9/22/10
Support contacted me within 36 hours asking me manually run a support tool that was to capture information and then I was to send the file off to them. I did all of that and while I've been waiting, I uninstalled and reinstalled. This time all went as before, but it took my account information for good. Maybe it was something you need to do first, actually create your account online, then install...not sure but it has worked fine since the reinstall. It's doing a full system scan which it estimates will be done in 2 hours +
**UPDATE** 9/29/10
So I thought I would take advantage of the additional licenses and install on my laptop upstairs and then use the "network" feature. This feature allows you to create the server and client pc and run all updates, scans etc from the server to the client. Sounds nice doesn't it. So, I installed the product upstairs, rebooted and went to my server laptop to begin. I enabled the network with a password (the client also has a password) and if you choose the same password for both, the server pc is "supposed" to recognize it and add it automatically...didn't happen. So I thought I would add it manually. It shows up in the network space, has the pc icon with the bitdefender icon on top of that which lets you know this computer can be added. Click on it and select and..."Can't add computer as it is not running BitDefender or can't be added"...Really?? Even after your program is telling me it sees that it is running BitDefender? So off to technical support again. I have to give them props as I have gotten very timely responses. This go around however, the list of items they wanted me to do (including stopping certain services within the product) just wasn't worth the effort. Shouldn't antivirus/network control truly be set it and forget it? My Norton 2011 was that way, and I've had to fiddle way too much with this program already.
All in all, I've been disappointed in the product and happy with tech response time. Not many people are willing to go through support ticket after support ticket just to get their virus protection working.
UPDATE 10/1/10
Well, I've gone back to Norton. Too many issues with BitDefender even with a 2 year license key. Particularly annoying was the fact that my pc kept registering problems with security (bitdefender out of date and antivirus scans) I just wasn't going to put up with it anymore.

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BitDefender Internet Security 2011 Value Edition provides 3 PCs with two years of protection against viruses, hackers, spam, and identity theft… without the slowdown! Includes: Firewall; iPhone-friendly Parental Controls, to monitor and control what websites your kids visit and who they IM with, 24/7; IM Encryption, for private chatting; QuickScan, to detect viruses in just 60 seconds; Video Tutorials, to keep you in the know about your security; a customizable dashboard that lets you choose how much or how little you want to see; Home Network Management; Laptop Mode, to prolong battery life; Gamer Mode; automatic hourly updates; and more!
Get advance warning of risky websites.

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Madden NFL 07 Review

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(More customer reviews)After playing this Madden, I am impressed with the improvements they made from last year. In the last years game, you probably remembered the gameplay being a bit unrealistic. For example in punting, none of your special teams players would block for you. This year the players do block for you and sometimes you can get some nice returns. However, I haven't been able to run it back for a touchdown yet. Also the pancake problem has been fixed. In last years game, all of your offensive lineman would rack up many pancakes and all of them would head to the pro bowl. This has been fixed and the game accurately depicts offensive lineman to their actual ability. Another improvement is the tackling animations. You can see recievers and runners carry their momentum for more yards and real life physics type tackles. The only drawback is the computer kicking. Many of the pro bowl kickers like Vinateri kicked for 55 yards and more sometimes. I know they are good, but 56 yard kicks don't happen all the time. Also the EA soundtrack is always going for more rap and rock, which I don't really care for. Some of the songs can be a bit annoying. I did enjoy the many songs from NFL classic music in the Madden 2006 version.
There is a key feature they always add for the Madden game. Since it is Shaun Alexander on the cover, they focus on the running game. Now you are able to control blockers and lead blockers toward defenders. This makes it easier to run the ball. Also I have noticed that you need to choose plays more carefully. Dime and quarter packages won't work for the run and could add up to a lot of yards for the offense. This has been a nice feature to add for the game, however I have noticed that the computer players would run for 40 carries and just abandon the pass game.
All of the features like the francise mode has been given more depth. Along with the usual features like storyline central and owner mode, there is better depth in the off season. Free agency is before the draft and you can actually have the rookies do workouts with the team. Also you can scout rookies in the All star game for rookies. Much more off season things make francise mode even better. The graphics mainly look the same except the grass is much more realistic looking.
A thing that I really don't like is the exclusive license in the Madden game. It doesn't make EA compete against other brands so they are not adding many new features which are extraordinary or amazing. The features in last years game and this year is pretty small compared to before the license. It is still a good Madden game and well worth a purchase though.


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Sonar 8.5 Producer Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a Cakewalk user for years, starting with their Pro Audio software and dating to when the company was known as 12-Tone Systems. Their software has only become better and better as the years have gone by. Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level.
Be warned - if you are not heavily into audio, audio for video, MIDI, recording, sequencing, effects, looping, mastering, mixing, etc. - and possess the audio domain knowledge that all that entails, as well as a good understanding of the complexities of running full-on audio software from a technical standpoint - you can find yourself overwhelmed by this software, and you will be MUCH better off with Cakewalk's Home Studio version of Sonar. Sonar (particularly Producer) can be enormously complex, but that's not due to any design issues - quite the contrary! Rather, that's because it covers a vast array of audio activities, options, and capabilities. It is possible to use it simplistically, but I'd direct anyone with only those types of needs to simpler software suites.
On the other hand, if you do have the audio and technical knowledge, you'll find Sonar Producer is flexible, powerful, configurable, and responsive. It is also very stable and has been so for many versions now. Be aware that this type of software by its nature (high processing loads, need to control latency, timing control and issues among multiple devices and interfaces, etc.) can be compromised by PC setups optimized for multipurpose use.
The software comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins. I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
I do have one issue with Cakewalk, though I'm not knocking down the rating because of it as the software itself is too good. The problem is that Cakewalk hits their user base pretty hard on upgrade fees. You can pretty much count on having to spend a few hundred dollars per year to keep the software up to date if you take every version and keep your plug-ins up-to-date. I've always felt that companies should upgrade customers from the most recent versions for little or nothing if they have paid for a recent upgrade, at least for a download. There is some price tiering depending on what version you're running, but it's insufficient, in my opinion. At one point I unknowingly purchased an upgrade weeks before a new release - but Cakewalk still charged me the full upgrade price for the new version. That kind of pricing policy doesn't encourage customer loyalty. I understand that this is a minor issue for a pro or a studio, but Cakewalk also has a large installed base for Sonar Producer among non-pros.
My preference would be for Cakewalk to adjust their release approach to one of more incremental releases between major versions. It's far more disruptive to install a new version, taking on the setup and learning issues than it is to install incremental upgrades (Cakewalk does release some patches.). You do get what you pay for, however.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a lot of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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Frets on Fire - Guitar Game - Alternative to Guitar Hero Review

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(More customer reviews)As previous reviewer said, this is a free download from the guys who designed it. They even have the Guitar Hero songs available for it. I have not yet gotten it to work on Vista, only XP, and I did have a problem with it crashing or hanging sometimes, but that might have been my crappy old PC. It is, simply put, a way to play Guitar Hero if you don't own the game...or to decide if you want the game. Or, in my case, to practice at home before a tournament at work. ;) You use the keyboard, and can either pick it up to hold it, or redefine the keys to use the keyboard normally. I used A,S,D,F and [space] for the notes, and [Enter] to strum, and it worked pretty well.

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3D Hunting 2010 MBX Review

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(More customer reviews)The moment I put in the disk I knew I'd been screwed! I run most of this type of game on a laptop, and it wouldn't even install! Reluctantly I switched over to my desktop, and after fooling with the files for awhile, it finally played. The first fault of the game is that nowhere, I mean nowhere, does the company think to mention that you are a poacher! I don't mind slight gaps in realism, being able to shoot more animals than legally allowed, etc; but poaching? I bought this game to be a hunter, not a criminal! Even putting this aside, the game has horrible gameplay, it's 3rd person, and not just that but a horrible third person. You are in the middle of a hunt and you can just magically teleport back to your base camp. The guns are poorly modeled, and out of 16 weapons, there may be 4 different sounds for them. 26 animals? Only if you count the male, female, and young as 3 different animals! The missions are nearly impossible too. The game is simply a bad looking game from an amateur company. It plays bad, is overpriced, and will do nothing but dissapoint you. For the same price you can get a Hunting Unlimited or Cabella's game. You'll be much better served by either one. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this!

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Windows 7 Home Premum 64 Bit System Builder 1pk Review

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(More customer reviews)As background, I'm a heavy personal computer user but certainly not a techie. I'm an insurance and real estate broker in Houston, TX. I would rate my technical knowledge as medium.
I bought the 64-bit builder pack to install on a new MacBook Pro. Followed the Apple Boot Camp instructions and was up and running in less than an hour. Couldn't have been easier. Love the MacBook Pro but one critical business web site only supports IE Explorer and several others have issues with Safari (plus Chrome, Firefox and others as well). The builder pack has all the features and is sold for a clean install on a new computer. It was exactly what I needed.
Running both Windows7 and Snow Leopard for me is the only way to go. There's some keyboard differences but nothing significant. I may try Parallels 5.0 down the road but Boot Camp works fine for now.

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Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Do you use your PC for work, run Windows XP programs, or require enhanced security? Consider Windows 7 Professional.


The best entertainment experience on your PC
Easiest Windows to use ever

Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap.
Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs.
Setting up a home network and connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever.
Windows 7 Home Premium supports the latest hardware and software.

It's faster

Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker.
Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory.
Connecting to wireless networks is fast and easy.

Best PC entertainment experience

Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center.
Blu-ray read/write support for data files.
Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs.
Offers large screen support.

Simplifies Everyday Tasks
Simple to use
Windows® Taskbar Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.

Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click.

Jump Lists Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar.

Snap Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen.

Aero® Peek Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop.

Windows Search Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search.

Easy to connect
Wireless setup With Windows 7, setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks, whether those networks are based on Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, dial-up, or corporate VPN.

HomeGroup Connect Windows 7 PCs on a home network in just four clicks and easily get to the photos, music, and files on each one--even share printers--with HomeGroup.

Easy to browse the web
Windows® Internet Explorer 8 Visual search helps you quickly find the information you want by adding visual cues and previews to search results from top search providers including Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, and others.

Use Web slices to conveniently keep up with changes on frequently updated websites, like eBay auctions or traffic sites, directly from the IE8 toolbar.

Easy to communicate and share
Windows Live Photo Gallery Windows Live Photo Gallery makes share your photos to your favorite photo site easy.

Windows Live Mail Windows Live Mail makes managing multiple email accounts easy.

Windows Live Family Safety Keep your child safe by managing what sites they can visit and who they can send/receive emails and im communications from.

Works The Way You Want
Faster and More Reliable
Resume from sleep We designed Windows 7 to help PCs sleep and resume from sleep more quickly by improving the way Windows 7 manages drivers, programs, and power.

Faster and more reliable We reduced the amount of memory your PC needs for open windows and to execute commands to help it be more responsive to commands.

Fewer clicks and less interruptions

Makes New Things Possible
Media on your terms
Windows Media Center Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center Watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV.

DirectX 11 DirectX 11 technology delivers breathtaking game graphics so real, it's unreal.

New ways to engage
Windows Touch Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use.

Media on your terms
Windows® Media Player More and more consumer electronics, from TVs to digital photo frames, can be connected to home networks. With Play To in Windows 7, you'll be able to easily send music, photos, videos from your PC to a networked device throughout your home.

You can enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming.

Work anywhere
Location Aware Printing Windows 7 will automatically pick the right printer for you when you move from home to work networks.

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James Bond 007: Blood Stone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After just finishing the game I decided to write this review with the game still fresh in my mind. I decided to buy this game after constant temptings that came from the utter confusion of IGN's and other reviews that didn't seem to add up, which I will comment on later in the review.
First off, like many people said on Amazon...If you a 007 fan you'll love this game more than others, and Daniel Craig's presentation through the game will please fans of both the newer takes as well as those who were fond of Brosnan. There is no doubt about it that the game retains a more "classy" feel than maybe what you remember in some of the post-1990 movies, and this holds true since the game uses several rendering effects that bare tribute to the "film-quality" of pre-1990 takes.
Second, the game is almost perfectly fluid with the new CQC, vaulting(also featured in the new Goldeneye), and the Focus Aims that are practically "one-hit-kills" you earn from CQC takedowns. The game emphasizes stealth but not requires it unlike games like MGS where being spotted is almost insta-death. There is also a variety of weapons that range from silenced pistols to boom-bang grenade launchers, with the only frustration being the not-so-obvious-and-tedious "boss battles". That and you'll need a good gaming rig if you are aiming for the PC version(lag is scarce but its definitely there).
Third: The graphics are AMAZING, the art team did well in what seems to be "Mo-scanned" versions of the likes of Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and others that the game has a very movie-like feel to it even in-game. I think it's a great competitor to the likes of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, FFXIII, and Soul Caliber IV in terms of how much detail is being produced. As theatre buffs would call it, as long as you're not "doing bad" the game does seem(at least to me) to produce a "Suspension of Disbelief" at times and you just think it's your typical James Bond flick, but in video game form.
Fourth: While the game does end in a cliffhanger and the MP is not as "powerful" as Goldeneye...I'd say it's better if not as good when it comes to this due to it's amazing Single Player that Goldeneye seemed to lack at times.
In My Opinion?
9.0 out of 10

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Plant Tycoon Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I like this game. I can play it while cleaning the house and if one of my kids need me i dont have to pause it to see what they need. I think this game is great for parents to just play if you like seeing what you can make by mixing the plants. I think some of the plants look beautiful...wish I had them in my garden. Over all it can get a little boring if you play it too much but it is still fun.

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Rallisport (Jewel Case) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Great Racing Game! Graphics are great, configurable, controls work, drives very realistic. Best game to have force feedback. Audio is good!

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