Expression Studio 4 Ultimate Upgrade Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Expression Web Fails to run.
I have sent the message below to the Manufacturer. There is no place to report malfunctioning software without paying them. The told me the Expression web forum is the only place to report program failures. I've made two reports there. No one has responded. The failure of this program really hurts my business, and there is no way to report this to the manufacturer.
Expression Web 4 stops running and runs too slow to be usable. My computer runs all other programs well including Expression Web 3. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the .Net Framework. This program is defective and I need to know if it is going to be a supported product, and where I can report it as defective.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Expression Studio 4 Ultimate Upgrade

Microsoft Expression Studio 4 Ultimate opens up a new world of creative possibility. Its professional design tools give you the freedom to make your vision real--whether you're designing for standards-based Web sites, rich desktop experiences, or Silverlight. Includes Expression Web, Expression Blend, SketchFlow, Expression Design and Expression Encoder Pro.

Upgrade to Microsoft Expression Studio 4 Ultimate
You must be a licensed user of one of the following products to be eligible for this upgrade version:
Any Microsoft Expression product
Any Adobe Creative Suite product
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or later

Quickly create an effective prototype to present ideas, user interface flows, screen layouts and application functionality to your clients. Click here for a larger image

Click here for more information about Expression Studio 4 Ultimate Upgrade

Read More...

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 is a nice follow-up to the 2004 version. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the title, here is a brief summary:
Create your own golfer and take him from the ranks of the amateurs to the PGA tour, or play as one of several PGA Tour personalities included in the game, including up-and-coming youngsters Adam Scott, Charles Howell III, battle-hardened veterans like Colin Montgomery and Jesper Parnevik, multiple major winners Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, LPGA hottie Natalie Gulbis, friend of Tiger Notah Begay III, and the man himself, Tiger Woods. Play on close to a dozen real courses (Pebble Beach, TPC at Sawgrass, Harbortown, etc.) and two fantasy courses.
Here's where 2005 improves on 2004:
1. More licensed equipment and clothing
2. More detailed character construction ("Game Face")
3. Sharper graphics
4. Legends Tour, where one can climb the ranks to challenge all-time studs Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player, as well as Seve Ballesteros and new legend Tiger Woods.
Here's where 2004 is better:
1. More well-known courses (Plantation course at Kapalua, Princeville, Poppy Hills, Spyglass, Sahalee, Coeur d'Alene, Bethpage Black, TPC at Avenel, etc.).
2. Driving range for practice.
3. Less-buggy.
I found one particularly irritating bug -
When I was playing against any legend on any course that was comprised of a compilation of holes from the included courses, there was one hole from St. Andrews (Old Course) in which the computer player would tee off on the par 4 with a lob wedge! Then, they'd putt about 20 feet. So, basically, I would tee off, hit the ball 275+ yards, and pretty much be up a stroke right off the bat.
Another irritating bug -
The commentary doesn't match the situation or outcome. For example, I'll hit an approach shot from 200+ yards away to within 8 feet of the cup, and David Feherety's voice will say something like, "That's not the worst shot in the world, but its not the best, either." Or, you could make a putt, and he'd say, "That's going to be way short," right when the ball drops into the cup. There are other silly mismatched comments, too.
The game ran well on my terrible MSI GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB video card, but I did run into a little lag from time to time. I upgraded to an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, and I can pretty much play the game at the highest quality levels now. I also tried the game on my same computer (P4 2.8c, 1 Gig of Corsair XMS RAM) with an ATI Radeon 9550 card, and it ran extremely well. Both Radeon cards were big time upgrades over the GeForce FX 5600XT.
Although 2005's courses aren't as great as 2004's, you can load 2004's courses into 2005, although they won't be available for tournament play, but you can still play matches on them. Check out any of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour forums online for more information on how to play 2004 courses in the 2005 game.
This is a really fun golf game with terrific graphics. I found the improved graphics, better "game face," and more licensed equipment a worthwhile reason for purchasing TW2005 even though I also own TW2004. I really don't think there is any other golf game out there that can match TW2005. MAKE SURE you have a PC and Video Card that MORE than meets the minimum requirements if you want to see graphics that will make you drool. I've seen what TW2004 looked like on a PC with only 16MB of Video RAM (the minimum system requirements) and a P4 2.0Ghz, and it wasn't pretty!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005

Click here for more information about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005

Read More...

Serif WebPlus X4 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I always dreamed of having my own website but never had the courage to start learning how to do this.
One day i bought an excellent learning video on DVD about creating websites using Adobe Dreamweaver CS4.
After 12 hours of listening to these learning sessions i asked myself if there is no other way than programming houndreds of html-tags and css style sheets and making more cryptic manupulations only to get a first homepage.
I asked myself how long it would take to build a complete site using these tools ...
I decided to look a little bit around and i found Serif webplus x4, an all in one package for a very cheap price.
After running webplus x4 and reading some small online tutorials about it i told myself that this is the way i want to build my website by using this fantastic graphical toolkit.
The whole website was finished in only one day !
With webplus x4 you can now also insert html ond javascript code on your pages.
What is also very important is that you can have "Master pages" as a basic layout for the rest of the pages.
Publishing your site via ftp to the hosting server is also completely handled in a differential way by webplus x4.
Integration into the most popular search engines can also be done with some clicks and by inserting some authentification html code on the homepage.
If you want to build easily a website where graphical design is your focus and not spending days of coding html and css styles then this is your product.
I cannot imagine using another tool than webplus x4 in the future and therefore i give 5 stars.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Serif WebPlus X4

WebPlus X4 is Serif's amazing website creation software that combines power, flexibility, and intuitive ease of use, so you can create attractive, engaging websites--with no HTML or prior experience. Perfect for businesses, organizations, clubs, schools, and personal sites, WebPlus X4 includes everything needed for professional-quality results. This release brings together an easy visual page designer, forms, free online tools and services, PayPal and other e-commerce, search engine optimization, graphics tools, photo editing, analytics, publishing, maintenance, and tutorial videos.

Everything You Need
NEW! Photo Editing Edit photos for your website without leaving WebPlus X4 using the new PhotoLab. Remove backgrounds using the Image Cutout Studio or enhance images by adding one or more of over 70 effects and adjustments.
Professionally adjust and correct photos
Easily add amazing effects
Quickly remove blemishes and scratches
Apply adjustments with single clicks
Edit or undo changes at any time

IMPROVED! Site Navigation Use one of the customisable Flash navigation bars and impress visitors with the look of your website.
IMPROVED! Graphic design Create tailored graphics for your website with the built-in drawing tools, shapes, effects, styles, and more.
IMPROVED! Word Processing Not only can you create and edit text just like a word processor but you can now import Word documents too!
Incredibly Easy to Use
NEW! QuickBuilder Bar It's now even quicker and easier to build websites with the new QuickBuilder Bar. Easily drag and drop a text frame, image, Flash photo gallery, and more from the QuickBuilder Bar onto your page for fast website design.
Easy as 1-2-3!
Create websites from professional templates
Design and edit with the QuickBuilder Bar
Publish pages instantly with Quick Publish

No HTML or other programming required The desktop publishing-style approach allows you to design your website to look exactly how you want it. All the coding is done for you behind the scenes!
IMPROVED! Video tutorials and learning Get support easily. Videos, PDF tutorials, our online knowledge base, and active community forums can all be accessed from the new Learning Zone.
Powerful Web Gadgets
Forums, Blogs, Forms & More Make engaging and interactive websites by adding forums, blogs, polls, online forms and more--all provided and hosted for free by Serif.
NEW! Online bookings Your customers can book rooms, tables, sporting facilities, services, or anything you can think of using the new interactive Resource Booker.
NEW! Google Maps Put your business on the map--literally--with Google Maps. Ideal for Find us or Contact us pages.
NEW! Content management Edit the content of your site from any computer with an internet connection. Fantastic for quick updates and news.
Secure members' areas Create individual login details for selected users and grant them access to specific areas on your site.
Secure e-Commerce Stores
IMPROVED! Sell securely online Using e-commerce to sell online has never been easier. Not only can it display an unlimited amount of products but now you can have up to 10 options (like size, colour, etc.) for each item. We've also teamed up with the top shopping cart providers so you can be sure that all your transactions are 100% secure.
Easy wizard to setup your online store
Choice of providers including PayPal
Security for you and your customers

NEW! Google AdSense Increase your revenue by placing targeted ads by Google on your website, earning you money whenever your visitors click on them
$50 Google AdWords included Attract new customers using our free gift to you--$50 of free Google advertising. Promote your business and reach potential customers. Terms and conditions apply.
Media-Rich Websites
IMPROVED! Animated photo galleries Show off you pictures in all their glory in one of the 36 highly customisable animated photo galleries. There are 12 new Flash galleries plus all the old favourites so there will always be one that's perfect for your pictures.
The photo galleries in WebPlus X4 can now handle 1000s of images, multiple albums, and link to RSS image feeds (from sites like Flickr) so your latest photos can appear online without updating your site.
IMPROVED! YouTube videos Your friends, family, and customers can now enjoy high definition YouTube videos on your website--now with extra features like autoplay for instant viewing.
Audio & podcasts Host or stream music on your website and get your fans to subscribe to your podcast updates via iTunes so they never miss out on what's new.
News feeds Create your own RSS feed for people to subscribe to or show feeds from other sites and make your website a place with up-to-the-minute news.
Flash animations Easily add Flash animations to your website to engage visitors and give your site a more professional look.
Perfect Websites--Fast
IMPROVED! Professional templates With over 40 professionally-designed, fully-customisable templates and themed layouts included, there's plenty to choose from to create your perfect website.
NEW! Quick publishing Make updates to individual sites pages with just one click thanks to the new Quick Publish option. It's great for speedy updates and adding news to your site
NEW! Google Analytics Discover who your customers are, and a whole lot more, with Google Analytics. WebPlus X4 makes it easy to integrate this industry-standard tool into your website.
Search Engine Optimisation Make sure your site can be easily found by popular search engines like Google and Yahoo! by taking advantage of the simple SEO tools in WebPlus X4.
New Feature Highlights
QuickBuilder Bar The QuickBuilder Bar makes creating websites faster by providing commonly used web elements.
Photo Editing Now you don't need a separate photo editing program thanks to the powerful photo editing features.
Online Bookings Take customer bookings for rooms, tables, events and more with the new Resource Booker.
Google Gadgets Add cool Google gadgets including Maps, Adsense and Analytics to any site with just a few clicks.
Flash Navbars Navigate around your website in style with one of the new animated Flash navigation bars.
Pro Photo Galleries Your pictures will be beautifully displayed in one of the high-quality Flash photo galleries.
Quick Publish Update sites instantly! It only takes one click to update a page with the new Quick Publish feature.
New Learning Zone Watch video tutorials, print PDF guides, or view the knowledge base from the new Learning Zone.
Colour Scheme Designer Create a unique colour scheme for your website to make it stand out from the crowd.
Content Management System Make quick edits and updates to your website content from any PC with an internet connection.

Click here for more information about Serif WebPlus X4

Read More...

Serif WebPlus X5 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)With a little basic knowledge of working your way around a computer I created a 26 page web site in two days. Once it is hosted and on the web i will post it here so you can see what you can create. I know I am scratching the surface and the site could be cleaned up to look and opperate better, but a multi-layered web site was pretty easy to create.
The help feature is great. No matter what my question I found a very imformative help section that guided me through the process. Many questions I had were answerable through a very helpful video, no more than 2-3 minutes a piece, on the subject in question. Serif has made the process of designing a website as painless and easy for novices as possible.
I was worried that since they did not have religious templates to guide me or work from, the church web site I designed would not look right. I was wrong. The predesigned templates on the program were a good starting point and were quickly edited and redesigned to make my site look professional and original. In most of the 26 pages I never used a template and just designed on the fly. It was easy and a lot of fun.
I highly recommend this product.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Serif WebPlus X5


Serif WebPlus X5--Professional-Quality Web Sites Made Easy
WebPlus X5 is the ultimate web-site design software for small businesses, organizations, and home users. You don't need to know any HTML--drag-and-drop simplicity, an intuitive interface, and powerful tools help you design sites easily, even if you've never done it before.

Setting the standard for web-design software!
See how WebPlus X5 compares to other packages. View larger.

Click here for more information about Serif WebPlus X5

Read More...

WebEasy 8 Professional Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this software after reading product reviews as I currently use an online WYSIWYG web company that I'm not happy with and I wanted to have more control over my site design. Having now worked with WebEasy Pro 8 over the past two weeks here are my observations:
1. The manual is useless, so unless you're already familiar with graphics programs you will probably find the product frustrating -- I AM graphics savvy and I'm finding I have to dig and dig around the program to achieve what I want (I`m designing from scratch, not using a template). However, if you stick to the templates you'll probably have an easier time of it.
2. When using a Flash video, unless you have it set to looping, it will not freeze on your final frame; it switches to some god-awful image from one of the software's videos. This is a bug in the WebEasy software as this does not happen with a Windows Media File (but that had others issues).
3. The company's email help is slow and WAAAAY longer than their stated time of a 48-hour turnaround (if they answer at all: easy questions are answered promptly, more complicated ones appear to be ignored). It's better to phone BUT they don't publish the number on their website; you have to call their sales department first and then the number is given in their automated answer.
4. There is no easy and immediate way to replicate items from page to page except by copying and pasting. For example, if you create a website header with a website menu, it would be great if you could simply tell the program to repeat the items, including their links, on all pages or selected pages. No can do. I suspect you have to create your own style sheet to do that, which just complicates what really should be an obvious option.
5. The program does not distinguish between website background and page background. This distinction is important: the website background is an image or color which tiles to fill the viewer`s web browser, regardless of size; page background is fixed. So one way of eliminating that annoying box around your webpage is to have the website background and page background the same color BUT this only works in WebEasy if you use solid colors: if you set your background to a gradient or one of their stock patterns, it only fills the webpage: it doesn`t tile. This also means that you can`t create your own cool website background on which your page will sit. So if that is your wish, look elsewhere.
6. Despite their marketing suggestion to the contrary, you CAN NOT embed photo galleries in your webpage. What the program does is create separate webpages of galleries which you must then link to your site by creating a folder in your index. And how do you do that? The manual doesn't tell you and neither does their help file; you'll have to call them and hope they can explain it, or have someone who knows CSS adjust the code for you (which is possible in WebEasy if you know how). Also note that their web gallery is really AWFUL: it looks terrible and all the thumbnails are squished into the same TINY square format which renders them useless and ugly, and many of the thumbnails were corrupted, presenting as pixellated garbage. So if web galleries are your aim, you will need to look elsewhere, like Photoshop or Lightroom or Flash, or even something like Firestarter by Coffee Cup, or look into WebPlus X4 which may have a better web gallery module and the linking code already embedded (I can't speak directly to the latter; I'm simply reiterating what I've read). Note that ALL these web gallery modules and programs create Flash-style galleries that must be linked, not embedded, to your webpage; AND Flash galleries cannot be "read" by search engines. So if you want your pictures to be searchable by title or content, Flash is not an option. Also, the fight between Apple and Adobe over Flash abilities may result in your galleries (or any Flash content) being unreadable on an iPhone or iPad (though in my opinion Apple is unlikely to win this since so many existing websites use Flash modules and Apple may simply lose their customers over the frustration).
7. Another bug in the software is that Jpegs, when reduced in size to around 150 pixels or smaller, sometimes don't present properly when you check the page in your web browser. I found that I had to switch those images to the PNG format to fix the problem.
8. Another bug is that your page size sometimes arbitrarily changes. Meaning, for example, that I set the page size to 1500 pixels long but every once in awhile the program cuts off the bottom. I check my page size, it still says I have 1500 pixels, but I have to reset it to get my pixels back. Not sure if that's going to happen once the site is live. I hope not or I'm going to be seriously, seriously annoyed.
In summary, the program is "buggy," I`m not entirely happy, and the product is certainly not as easy as they make out: you will need to make good use of the Help tabs to get into the deeper details, you will need to play around A LOT before you`ll feel comfortable with the program, and you will have to be savvy enough to work around the bugs if you encounter them.

Click Here to see more reviews about: WebEasy 8 Professional


Web Easy Professional 8
Top-Selling Web Design Software for Windows
Free! 3 months of hosting included
Create a Web site with drag-and-drop simplicity
Choose from hundreds of professionally designed Web site templates
No programming required with automatically generating HTML code
Easy-to-use tools for Search Engine Optimization
Free! $50 Google AdWords credit for new accounts

Why choose WebEasy Professional? Build a great website in one hour with WebEasy. WebEasy guides you step-by-step with built-in templates and e-commerce tools--no programming or HTML knowledge are needed. Everything you need to create an impactful website is included in every WebEasy package. In just one click, WebEasy publishes your website in minutes for the world to see.

Features
Select from 500+ Detailed Website Templates
Choose from over 500+ professionally designed website templates for business, club, team, organization, school and home use or create your own completely unique look.
Templates for business Web sites.

Click here for more information about WebEasy 8 Professional

Read More...

Xara Web Designer 6 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Xara/Magix software is a well kept secret in designer circles - competing against the vast Adobe juggernaut at a fraction of the price.
The software focuses on the generation of static web pages/sites by the use of a WYSIWYG design interface allowing the user to concentrate on design, without the need to know very much (nothing really) about HTML.
The software is far easier to use than HTML-based editors and when the design is complete, the software generates the html for the web pages/site and can transfer the whole site to your web host.
The software currently includes a free hosting offer from Magix.
Primarily designed for the consumer/small business market, many professional designers that use far more expensive software also use Xara software for rapid prototyping and/or small web projects, so it has a wide appeal.
The software generates HTML rather than edits it, so it's not the software of choice for a HTML coder (there is limited scope for editing the generated HTML or controlling appearance with CSS), but even for HTML coders, it is one of the fastest prototyping/mockup tools around and better still you can post those prototypes directly to the web.
This edition of the software is designed to be a low cost entry-level solution to those who don't wish to purchase the "bigger brother" to this software - Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6 which has more design capabilities and is also highly recommended.
The manufacturer has an extensive website to demonstrate the capabilities of the software and a vibrant user community at talkgraphics.com.
The software is a bargain and almost a well-kept secret.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Xara Web Designer 6

Xara Web Designer 6 is an innovative all-in-one solution combining the advantages of a template-based building block systemwith a number of unique features for a flexible design process. Therefore, it's suitable for professionals as well as hobbyistweb designers who want to create their own websites or simply improve existing ones. It comes with an extensive number ofuniversal design templates, integrated image optimization features and offers text layout, graphic design, flexible customizationand FTP publishing in a single product. It also allows for fast and easy creation of flash animations from scratch and helpsto integrate already existing online shops or partner programs like Google AdSense. As an additional bonus, MAGIX offers 500MBfree online storage and individual web addresses (http://yourname.magix.net) which can be accessed via FTP directly fromwithin the program.

Click here for more information about Xara Web Designer 6

Read More...

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)OK I have to admit right up front. I am prejudiced. I am a professional graphic and website designer who has eschewed the standard Adobe product line for Xara. I use Xara Designer Pro 6 which is almost identical to Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. The biggest difference is Designer Pro 6 has a few more website creation features (and costs a bit more).
I use Xara products, because they are lightning fast, they are not slowed to a crawl with bloatware that nobody needs, and I can produce professional quality work. The tools are interactive as opposed to menu driven. You can apply a gradient transparency to a photography by simply dragging the transparency tool across a photo in the direction you want it to go. And Xara has 7 different gradient fills and transparencies. And all work on vector or bitmap objects, or groups of both, interactively. It is a fast and efficient way to work.
I know there are a lot of people out there who will tell you that Adobe products are the industry standard and what the professionals use. But the truth is, and I have been a professional advertising art director and currently a graphic and website designer since 1967. I have used a computer for design and illustration since 1989. And I have used Xara products since 1995. And not once, has a client asked me what product I used!
Xara is not going to make you a better graphic or website designer. You have to supply the talent. What Xara provides is a top quality set of well thought out interactive (vs menu driven) tools that allow you to create quickly and professionally. And even if you are not a professional designer, there are a goodly amount of graphic and web design templates that you can use off the peg or modify as you want.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6

Click here for more information about Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6

Read More...

Expression Studio 4 Web Professional Upgrade Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a fairly newbie web page creator. My previous editor Hot Dog from Sausage quit working with Windows 7 and I needed a new one. Since I had Microsoft Office I took advantage of the cheaper price you get for having both products.
It's a nice product for the price.
The installation and the licensing were flawless. My download was from the Microsoft site for the evaluation copy but I bought my final copy from Amazon and the licensing was no problem.
Documentation
The editor was not real intuitive I thought. There are lots of web resources to help including some nice videos and the Help pages that come are nice but there is no manual with the editor either printed or online. But then my old (and I mean real old) editor didn't either, but this editor has lots more features.
I ended up buying a copy of Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 4 in 24 Hours from Barnes and Noble. I'm only half way through and am not working on my own pages yet but the book is great and I love Expression Web 4 now that the book has shown me the way. Expression Web 4 looks like a great product.
Couple of glitches so far
I did have a few issues with the editor. I was looking at a large web page (19,000 lines) that gets generated by some software on my PC and it was not letting me click on a tag and show me the end tag (The tag i.e. the whole page). The page had a couple of errors on it, like no and no tags and the code view page just takes forever to update and locks up and stuff like that. It seems to run much better after I fixed a few of the obvious errors. And it did not report those missing tags, I had to look for them.
But I still like the program.
Panels
There are various command/menu panels you can put up to help you and they can stack next to each other side by side or on top of each other or be tabbed together in the same window. Just drag and drop them to move them. They can be very tough to drop where you want them. I want them on top of each other and I end up side by side, and so on.
Multiple Browsers
I love the ability to click and have the web pages come up in all the different browsers I have on my PC

Click Here to see more reviews about: Expression Studio 4 Web Professional Upgrade

Microsoft Expression Web 4 gives you the tools you need to produce high-quality, standards-based Web sites, with built-in support for today's Web standards, sophisticated CSS design capabilities, and visual diagnostic tools. Whether you work with PHP, HTML/XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, ASP.NET or ASP.NET AJAX, Expression Web makes it fast to create and maintain exceptional Web sites. With a professional code editor, visual & CSS diagnostic tools, cross-browser debugging features, broad Web standards support, and SEO compatibility reports, Expression Web makes it easy to create modern standards-based Web sites.

Upgrade to Expression Studio 4 Web Professional
You must be a licensed user of one of the following products to be eligible for this upgrade version:
Any Microsoft Expression product
Any Adobe Creative Suite
Any Microsoft Office product

Powerful vector drawing and editing tools for creating compelling graphic designs and illustrations. Click here for a larger image

Click here for more information about Expression Studio 4 Web Professional Upgrade

Read More...