Microsoft Office for Macintosh 2001 Review

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(More customer reviews)As a dedicated Mac user, I approach new Microsoft products with a healthy skepticism. However, I must have cross-platform reliability since I use Windows NT, too. So I took what I needed from MS Office 98, and I disabled the rest. Then I upgraded my Mac OS from 8.6 to 9.0 to 9.1. While Word 6.01a and PowerPoint 8.0 still worked, Excel 5.0 would not work with Mac OS 9x. Thus, I had to purchase MS Office for Mac 2001 in order to get an Excel program that would work with Mac OS 9.1 (and that I hope will work with the new Mac OS X). This software comes in a cute round plastic box, but there is no written manual included. I have found that it takes about a week or two to complete the usual de-bugging processes.
As with most "Value Packs" or "CD Extras," one needs to do a "custom install" because some of these "free" applications might be earlier versions than those which one is already running (if one has kept current with updates). As another example, I have been running Internet Explorer 5 for some time. I did not need to re-install it and re-configure my plug-ins and preferences. Also, I have Outlook Express 5.02; I did not need to re-install it. I did not like the way the these two programs "interfaced," so I have tweaked them so they that do not grab information from each other. (I highly recommend Aladdin Systems "Spring Cleaning 3.5" software's "Internet Cache Remover" feature to assist with this issue.)
With MS Office for Mac 2001, PowerPoint documents can now be "saved as" QuickTime Movies, which is a timesaver for creating presentations. This feature is quite an improvement over Office 98, even if it does grab a considerable amount of RAM. (Do check to see if you need to add more RAM to your Mac before installation of this software.) I have been keeping Virtual Memory turned on, with which I boost my RAM by 150 percent, with only a slightly detectable slowing of processing speed.
My vote is still out on the new Entourage program. I need to test it more to see if I like it, and if it will work efficiently with e-mail applications with proxies and with those behind firewalls. One bonus for Mac users has been the relative immunity to most e-mail generated viruses, worms, and trojan horses, so I plan to make the transition to Entourage with all due discretion. The ability to integrate with Palm OS is nothing new for Mac users; however, Entourage may simplify the process. ...
The instant access to "Encarta Dictionary" through Word may appeal to some users. I do not like "Encarta Dictionary" very much, although it is an improvement over the dictionary that was included in Word 6.01a. I prefer to use the only CD-ROM dictionary that I believe works with Mac OS at present, which is "The Oxford English Dictionary" 2nd ed. (However, it still seems necessary to keep it as the resident CD-ROM for it to work with the Mac OS.)
Finally, the main drawback to MS Office for Mac 2001 is that there is no manual in print now for users who run Mac OS 9.1. So be prepared to do your de-bugging, tweaking, and navigating without much written help until the various "after-market" print manuals are updated and reissued.

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Microsoft Office 2001 was created specifically for Macintosh and designed to give you all the tools you need, simply and effectively. Office 2001 contains Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the new Entourage e-mail and personal information manager. With these four tightly integrated programs and innovative Mac features, Office 2001 makes everything you do--from completing common tasks to managing information to communicating--easier than ever. Use Word to create stylish, innovative, professional documents for print publishing or the Web. Use Excel's comprehensive tool set to create, analyze, and share spreadsheets. Easily analyze your data with charts, PivotTable views, and graphs, then post your data to the Web for universal viewing. With PowerPoint, you can create powerful presentations quickly. And with Entourage, you have a personal e-mail and scheduling manager. All are designed for the Macintosh and its innovative and familiar functionality.

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QuickBooks Pro 2006 for Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)I really wanted to like this product. After one year, summarily, they've added Address Book syncing. Great, that's fine. It sounded like it had most of the modern features of its sister Windows product, except two fully functioning features that are critical:
Payroll and online banking.
As for payroll, you can either sign up for a monthly service, or if you have a recent PowerBook, use the included Aatrix's highly confusing and outdated TopPay software package (with expensive yearly tax-table updates).
Online banking is NOT well implemented here. Some folks can use Direct Connect, others cannot. Though this is no fault of Intuit, but rather the banks' lack of web services, Intuit could still open up their QuickBooks format to CSV, or QIF. Worse, there's a transaction "purgatory" register. Yes, that's a SECOND register for your banks' downloaded QBO file. You then manually go through each transaction to add it to your corresponding register. There's no command-key equivalent to add all, or even a single one: you have to select an item, then click a button. COMPLETELY INELEGANT.
There are some overpaid product managers out there. They would do well to hire interface designers/art directors/graphic designers (NOT decorators).
A major disappointment.

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QuickBooks: Pro 2006 for Mac helps you easily and accurately manage your accounting tasks, so you can save time and focus on your core business.New and improved features in 2006 will help you boost your efficiency and accuracy.

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had it for a couple of days now, but there are a number of things about PE4 that make the transition from version 3 to 4 needlessly difficult, not to mention if you get PE4 first.
The main change involves the use of "Bridge" to handle what the Browser function did previously. Unfortunately, it seems there are some missing planks in their Bridge, as it's like having 2 separate programs attempt to talk to hand off files to each other. It is clunky, not intuitive at all, and often doesn't work in a consistent way, even when you figure it out.
According to Adobe Technical Help [when you can reach them through 3 or 4 layers of sales beforehand], there is no "Organizer" for Mac that comes with the Windows version, and they were surprised at a number of missing elements in this version as a result. It also seems that they've tried to piggyback an existing full Photoshop program--Bridge--onto the back of Elements, which despite appearances, is a completely different program.
Another example: the Adjust Shadows/Highlights--which allows you to correct for things in shadows, or too bright...buried in a 3rd level menu...has been changed from the PE3 default of "50% lighten" to a "25% lighten" with no ability to change that preset. So everytime you want to adjust your picture, you have to push the slider back to 0% and start out there to see what's best for your photo. Clearly Adobe recognized their 50% preset was too much for most, and changed it--but left off the ability of the user to preset what works best for us. What's the solution to this or any other inflexible/confusing issue? I was told several times that if I wanted things to work better, I should buy the full Photoshop.
That is simply unacceptable, especially for a company of Adobe's size and history of working primarily on the Mac platform. I would rather have fewer features that work more reliably and straightforward, especially involving putting our most used features on a toolbar instead of being forced to grab them out of deep menus everytime.
In Bridge, they are trying to combine a number of features found in iPhoto, such as rating photos by stars, making it more flexible. However, they don't allow you to customize your displays or views enough to be efficient, much less easy to deal with. The speed of Bridge, and especially interacting with 4, is slow. Also particularly irksome is the lack of sensitivity/responsiveness of the sliders within PE4, i.e. brush size and opacity.
So far, I'm not impressed with the Magic Selection Tool, one of the main reasons I wanted to upgrade. It doesn't seem to grab things as efficiently as advertised, although it is better than just the Magic Wand 3 had. I'm also less than impressed with another new feature: Adjust Skin Tone, something that could be a big time saver while offering the improvements most people care about.
The combined Help program is overly detailed in some regards, yet leaves out big chunks of the program for you to guess at solutions. They have virtually no tutorials or overviews of the program specifically for the Mac version.
I will update this review as I use it more, but I would caution against jumping at this upgrade until they work out more of the kinks in the interface, unless you are a virtual pro and don't mind spending a lot of time figuring things out that aren't quite Ready For Primetime yet. What I look to PE for is something that allows more extensive editing than iPhoto6 has, and yet doesn't have the complexity or cost of the graphics standard Photoshop.
Whether because of the Mac platform changing to Intel chips, or friction between the companies, it seems Adobe is heading in the wrong direction on the Mac platform, making us seem once again like the red-haired stepchild in the computer world, while still charging the same as the Windows versions.

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 software for Macintosh combines power and simplicity to help you do it all. Edit and enhance your photos by fixing common flaws instantly or using advanced options for more control—you can even fine-tune the raw files produced by your digital camera. Keep every photo at your fingertips with intuitive search and viewing options. And show off your creativity to family and friends in entertainingways, including cards, calendars, and more.

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Photo Objects 50,000 Vol 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)If you think that the claims made by the manufacturer actually come through and you are purchasing high quality images, think again. Although they offer a money back guarantee if you don't like the collection (shipping is on you), all too many images are blurred by an "artistic" coating that makes them unusable. Then they show you the real image in tiny slides. If you really want the "good" picture, you have to go to their web site and buy it... There are some images you can actually use in the package, but not nearly as many as they claim! I found some 350 variations of ONE picture (1 easter egg). The search engine is really buggy, but they offer an update online.

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Give your projects more life and variety with Hemera Photo-Objects 50,000 Volume II, the follow-up application that contains more than 50,000 new royalty-free photo objects in more than 90 categories. This new collection of photographic objects can easily be inserted into many graphics, Web, presentation, and word processor applications, giving projects a professional edge. The product features an easy-to-use search engine and drag-and-drop export to simplify finding and using the photo objects you need.
Premasked photo objects are useful design tools because you do not have to create transparencies; the images are precut from their original context, making it easier to drag and drop the images into any design in seconds. Since the object is professionally masked from the initial rectangular background, the photo object maintains the quality of a photo but has the flexibility of clip art. In addition to the 50,000 new photo objects, also included in the package are more than 200 new PhotoFont textures accessible in PhotoFont Maker. PhotoFont Maker allows users to instantly fill their fonts with photo-realistic textures.

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FileMaker Pro 8.5 Win/Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)FileMaker Pro [FMP] is without a doubt the best and easiest database software for home or small business users -- far easier to learn and use than Microsoft Access, and great flexibility. Constructing a relational database (tying together, for instance, client names, invoices, expenses, etc) is a snap and the Help files really are helpful. Lack of a printed manual [rather than just a scanned file] is a downer.
As for upgrading from previous versions [like FMP6] is a bummer however, in that the recently introduced [with version 7] security change is utterly frustratirng. Yes, the old *.fp6 files do convert easily and swiftly, but if you can't open your old 'flat' unsecured Rolodex people files because you don't know the proper password to use, you won't be happy. Took me hours to figure it out -- for upgraders at least, the company should have included printed instructions in plain words so you can go right to work. As to upgrading from ver 8.0 to ver 8.5: the company charges nearly a hundred bucks for the multi-megabyte download, forget it. On-line support is good, with an active user forum.
The software itself rates five stars - but the needlessly complex transition from prior file structure, the lack of a decent printed manual in the box, and the ludicrous charge for an intra-version upgrade take away some of the luster. Still, all considered, FMP beats the Microsoft product by miles.

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Now with FileMaker Pro 8.5, there is a database smart enough to link information from your database to the Web. Simply add the FileMaker Web Viewer to any layout, point FileMaker to the Web information that you want to use, and FileMaker will automatically deliver it all on one screen.

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Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)My installation of Office for Mac 2008 upgrade moved along smoothly. I was concerned at first about whether the installer would remove my previous version of Office (Office 2004), since there was no message displayed, but the prompt did come later. The installer did not remove my previous Office Open XML converter, however; and of course I needed to remove the old aliases in the Dock (which were now non-functional). The installer was kind enough to add new icons to the Dock, however.
The upgrade software found my previous version (Office 2004) promptly, and didn't hassle me with product activation, which I was glad for. It also stored duplicate fonts in a separate folder and told me where that folder was located, rather than just overwriting or deleting them - another politeness.
The printed "Install Guide" that was included with the package, however, was pretty well a waste of paper and a no-brainer, as it offered nothing above and beyond what the average user would already know; i.e. stick in the disc and follow the instructions. I was pleased, however, that Microsoft trimmed down the packaging - Office 2004 was shipped in a huge and bulky plastic bubble case, with a hard-shell plastic CD case inside of that, and all wrapped with more plastic, whereas Office 2008's more modest paperback-sized lightweight box shows more environmentally-friendly (and space-saving) thinking.
It goes without saying that a full install of Office 2008 for Mac does require 1.1GB of hard drive space and a DVD drive, as opposed to the 630MB/CD-ROM install requirements of Office 2004. (These MS apps are really packing on the pounds...)
As for Expression Media, which is an image and photo management app that is bundled with this upgrade set, the installer worked fine, but the app was not added to the Dock, and I had to find it myself in the Applications folder. Expression Media asked me to import my iPhoto library as an Expression Media catalog, but the photos were not imported and I heard several hundred Mac warning sounds (seriously) that indicated the operation was unsuccessful. Expression Media didn't seem to understand what was going on, and thought that the photos had been catalogued, which they were not. (Admittedly, not a good first impression.)
Upon opening the Project Gallery, I found that Office had forgotten my recently used Office files, unfortunately. I also had to manually change the default application that runs the new .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx formats as well. I suppose that this is a non-intrusive decision on the part of Microsoft, but it is a bit time-consuming to make the changes.
Running Office 2008 on a Mac mini (Intel Core Duo 2GhHz, 2GB of RAM) under OS X Tiger, I found that the overall performance of the Office apps are noticeably faster than Office 2004, which ran under Rosetta on Intel Macs. Startup time for each Office 2008 app is very good, and response times are generally snappy. The font menu, for instance, used to take considerable time to display all of the dozens and dozens of fonts I have installed, but Office 2008 now fairly well breezes through them.
The compatibility checker, which verifies and addresses possible problems in using PowerPoint presentations across the various PowerPoint platforms (Mac and Windows) and versions (97-2008), is thorough, if not time-consuming.
As Office is such a detailed program, and there are so many people from all walks of life who use its individual applications, it's hard to say in one go what the possible benefits and disadvantages of moving up to Office 2008 for Mac would be. The "My Day" floating calendar and task management tool, for instance, might be useful for people who want a PDA-like approach to desktop time management. I upgraded to Office 2008 this time because (1) the cost was inexpensive, and (2) I was getting tired of using the Office Open XML converter each time I wanted to open an Office 2007 for Windows file in Office 2004. However, for the user who just needs to create a few bread-and-butter documents, bang out some basic spreadsheets, or draw up a simple product or school presentation to show to an audience, there may not be a compelling reason to move up to Office 2008. In short: if you're happy with what you have, then why change it? (And why would you be here, if you weren't thinking of upgrading? ;-) )
This having been said, I can see that Microsoft's Mac BU has been hard at work on this, and it was about time for an upgrade. (I would recommend also checking out special offers for this upgrade product on the Mactopia site as well.) As for Expression Media, however, if you already use Adobe Bridge or iPhoto, you may not find much added value in Microsoft's Expression Media, although concept-wise they do differ, and Expression Media clearly has some strong points (the ability to catalog and preview media without actually moving it into a library, for instance).
All said, it's safe to say that Microsoft Office 2008 is a product to grow on.


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MicrosoftOffice Mac Media Edition 2008 English Version Upgrade DVD

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Adobe Photoshop CS (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's all about control. Now you have the photo editing control power in your hands with Adobe Photoshop CS.
Raw format allows photographers greater latitude in how they want their pictures to appear. Open the camera raw image files. Next, quickly apply adjustments such as exposure compensation or tonal adjustments without compressing the image or losing any of the original image data.
Shoot photos in your digital camera's raw format when image quality is the most important factor. Raw format saves all related image data with no in-camera processing.
Photoshop CS allows photographers to:
Control their raw camera images
View live histograms as they work
Create lens blur effects
Simulate photo filter effects
Easily correct exposure problems
Quickly replace color
Automatically crop and straighten photos and Create Adobe Photoshop CS panoramas
The 'Inner Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS
Most of my Photoshop CS work is done in the Browser. I single-click the photos that I need for my Photoshop CS project. Now I have a group of highlighted photos that can be used in the Browser's Automated menu.
The inner core of the Photoshop CS Browser's Automated menu contains: Batch, PDF Presentation, Contact Sheet II and Online Services. Also, Automated menu contains Photomerge, Picture Package and Web Photo Gallery. Running these automated menu tasks from the File Browser saves me a lot of time. I can avoid opening each photo file separately in Photoshop CS.
The Photoshop CS Browser has Sort capabilities that contains the Filename, Flag, Rank, Width and Height. Also, Sort capabilities that contains File Size, Resolution, File Type and Color Profile. Finally, the Photoshop Browser's Sort contains Date Created, Date Modified, Copyright and Custom. You can sort them in ascending or descending order.
Photoshop CS Photomerge and PDF Presentations
In Photomerge, I can make a collage of photos and move them in any order. Also, I can take several sections photos of a large bridge using a tripod. I then take the section photos and join them together with Photoshop CS' Photomerge. I still have to edit the new Photomerge photo for length, size and contrast.
In PDF Presentation, I can turn my photos into Acrobat PDFs and stitch them together. The fun is turning my new creation into a slideshow with various transitions. The PDF Presentation is cross-platform that can be used on a Mac and Windows computers.
The 'Outer Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS
The epiphany moment for me was using Adobe Photoshop Toolbar's one-key letter shortcuts. During an SIG (Special Interest Group) meeting on how to use Adobe Photoshop, the SIG teacher showed the club members the basic one-key letter shortcuts.
Keyboard Commands
The one-key letter shortcuts that I use quite often is M for Marquee, V for Moving objects, T for Text,  I for Eyedropper and C for Crop. There is a multitude of Toolbox one-key letter shortcuts that you can use or change.
Toolbox uses the Shift bar to get to related tools on the same pop-out menu. For example, to cycle through the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic Lasso tools, hold down Shift bar and keep pressing "L" key.
Change Keyboard Commands in Photoshop CS
This means that missing Photoshop CS Menu keyboard commands can now be added. For example, I am constantly making changes to my images by changing the photos' contrast and brightness.
Now without using the computer mouse, I use the Command, Control, and C keys in unison. Like a piano chord, I can now change the contrast and brightness in my digital photographs. I use Command, Control, and letter keys for adding keyboard commands. This works well within the menus and plugin filters that I use in Photoshop CS.
Pro Reaction
Photoshop CS offers flexibility and nondestructive editing. Photoshop's Welcome screen and improved Help ease the learning curve for new users. The Help menu is changeable. I find Photoshop CS' Help menu an excellent way to learn the various functions of Photoshop program. Photoshop CS comes with a paper, hardcopy paper manual.
Con Reaction
You have to read and work with hardcopy paper manual. Photoshop CS is not compatible with older Mac OS. Photoshop CS requires Mac OS X 10.2.4 or greater.
Final Words
Photoshop is the industry standard for professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital imaging. Adobe Photoshop is considered the industry standard. Photoshop skills are required for employment in the graphic design field. 
Digital photographers will benefit from Adobe Photoshop with its strong digital-camera raw workflow. Adobe Photoshop is made for Jaguar (Mac OS 10.2) and Panther (Mac OS 10.3).

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Photoshop CS combines the professional standard in desktop image production with new features for Web designers and video professionals. Design your own typography by placing text on a path or within a shape. Customize keyboard shortcuts to keep your favorite features at your fingertips. Full support for Flash(.swf) files -- create them in ImageReady, along with vector art & variable text.

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Punch Home Design Studio Pro (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am sorely disappointed. Let me first say that I am a graphics professional, with image, video, and 3D modeling and animation background. So I did not expect incredible quality or even an easy to use program. But this thing is ridiculous.
First off YOU CANNOT IMPORT YOUR OWN TEXTURES. We are doing our kitchen and I was hoping to visualize materials, but even with a pretty extensive library of materials (I found the granite we wanted to use for counters), I could not import our tile options for the backsplash, and other things. Don't get me wrong you can import image files...as image planes, but not as textures!
Object library is stupid. 3 types of cabinets, categorized under lt cabinets and dk cabinets. Funny though not all cabinet shapes and sizes are there in all 3 colors. For example there may be a dark raised panel base cabinet, but not a light colored one. So then I use the custom workshop pro, where you can place any material on any object, and I think cool I can just texture each size and shape I need as needed. Yeah if you want to manually drag the texture to each shape (about 30) that make up each cabinet. Then I try the cabinet assistant, this should work for me right...wrong. The assistant has 4 steps, 1 pick cabinet type, 2 pick the direction the cabinet should face, 3 pick sizes and door style (shaker or raised panel) and your done! What about wood type and color? What about the other 10-20 styles of cabinet doors? Sure I can manually "paint" each cabinet but it seems to me that you should be able to layout the basic cabinets in your layout, and then globally choose a style/color for the entire kitchen.
moving in 3d "live view" is difficult at best.
you cannot move objects in a 3d view, only over head
measuring is by default done by measuring to the center of walls, not how I would measure my real space (wall to wall)
lighting and shadowing in rendered scenes is not even close to accurate (based on how objects are drawn from what I can tell)
I haven't even began to try and use any of the other "features" but I'm sure most of the program is as obtuse as the features I did try.
perhaps the pc version is better but overall this product sucks

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This all new design software, Home Design Studio Pro, for the Mac, makes your home design experience more powerful than ever!

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Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 Business Edition Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)I installed Office 2008 on my 1.25GHz G4 iMac, running System 10.5.8 . Since many reviewers have thoroughly discussed the features of each Office application already, I am focusing this review on my experience of upgrading from Office v.X to Office 2008 on a PowerPC iMac. Background:
*I have experience with several versions of Mac Office, beginning with version 4.2 . I also have used Office 98, Office 2001, and as mentioned above, Office v.X before upgrading to Office 2008.
*The way I use Office has changed over time. I made extensive use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in graduate school and in various professional settings through Office 2001. Now I mostly use Excel to do basic financial analysis and Word to write personal documents.Installation:
*Installation is straightforward, using Apple's familiar Installer mechanism. I prefer this method to the old drag-and-drop installation method because OS X is so sensitive to where things are installed.
*The installer program automatically finds older versions of Office and allows users to delete them easily.
*Many customized settings can be transferred from previous Office installations, including dictionaries, autocorrect lists, and proofing tool settings.
*Once Office 2008 is installed, several updates must be downloaded and installed. Microsoft should have made this process more user-friendly. Users must manually shut down other applications, including the Office 2008 Installer, before running the update installer.Pros:
*Office is now a Universal Binary so the same program will run on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
*An Uninstaller is placed in the Office folder automatically.
*Office will check for updates automatically on a schedule chosen by the user. No more messing around on the Microsoft website, hoping you didn't miss a Service Pack or Critical Update.
*Users can now turn the feedback sounds on and off. If hearing a chime, a popping bubble, or some other "cute" noise every time you did something drove you crazy, you will greatly appreciate this long overdue feature.
*Speaking of unnecessary cuteness, Clippy the Paperclip is gone! Yesssssss!Cons:
*All the applications startup and quit slowly on a G4 machine. Office v.X applications started and quit virtually instantaneously (yes, I realize v.X was written specifically for PowerPC processors). Saving files is slow as well.
*Office 2008 uses a new file format that is not compatible with other versions of Office. If you send documents to people who are not fully up to date, you have to save a second version or limit yourself to working with the older file format.
*It's good that Microsoft no longer just ports Windows Office to the Mac. Nonetheless, there are user interface inconsistencies both within and across the applications which keep Office from feeling 100% Macintosh.
*Silverlight, Microsoft's attempt to compete with Macromedia Flash, is installed by default.
*WARNING FOR POWER USERS: No macros in Excel! Bad, bad, bad move. And no support for Visual Basic.Bottom line: Office 2008 doesn't hold any surprises for experienced Office users. For the most part, everything still operates in the way to which you are accustomed. If you own a PowerPC Mac and use an older version of Office, you should carefully consider whether you want to upgrade or not. The benefits of the new features may be outweighed by the inconvenience of the slower performance and/or the need to adjust your workflow.
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 due to the removal of macros and Visual Basic from Excel.

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Your business is everything to you--an extension of your life, an expression of your passion. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition is packed with all the tools and features you need to make your vision a success. Get core Office applications to help you manage your business, organize your data and present a professional image; plus new Exchange Server support and reliable Office for Windows compatibility that take productivity and collaboration to the next level.


Upgrade and save. You may be eligible to upgrade to Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition at a special discounted price. Licensed users of any Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition suite or application, or any Office for Mac 2001-2004 suite or application, are eligible for the discount. Plus, get Business Edition extras like Exchange Server support and Office Live Workspace to help you manage, create and collaborate more effectively and easily.

Our best Office for your best business.
Only Office gives you this much compatibility. Confidently share files with colleagues and clients no matter what version of Office they're running, even if they use Office for Windows.
Choose software that grows with your business. Get a powerful suite designed to keep up with your company's growth. Find what basic users need and advanced users demand in one comprehensive package.
Save time and money with the world's most familiar software. Choosing familiar software can be a great way to reduce time and money on training. Get up and running faster, and allocate the resources you save to other important areas of your business.

What's New About Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition?
Microsoft Office Live Workspace Support Share files and collaborate on projects from virtually anywhere.
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Store and share documents, contacts, calendars and tasks in a single secure location.
Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition Stay in sync on all your devices with Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition. Unlock the power of Microsoft Exchange Server (2007 or later versions) so you can sync your email, calendar and notes, between your desktop, laptop and Windows-based mobile phone.
Business templates, themes, and clip art Look your most professional with customizable business templates that can make brochures, newsletters, and flyers stand out from the crowd. Apply your personal brand to any document with themes, then add the finishing touch with business-right illustrations and clip art.
Remote Desktop for Mac 2 Connect from your Mac to your Windows-based PC quickly and access files, applications, devices and networks with advanced security technology.
Free product training Build your skills with beginner to advanced video based training from Lynda.com.

Highlights and Features
Collaborate and Connect Your ability to share and communicate with others--regardless of Mac or PC platform--is critical to your success. Reach customers, prospects and partners more effectively with Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition.
Stay in touch while on the goSync your email, calendar and contacts via your in-house Exchange Server with ActiveSync.
Count on cross-platform compatibility Use the same file format as Office for Windows and rely on a sophisticated graphics engine to help ensure accurate, consistent file sharing and printing.
Access and share your files onlineMicrosoft Office Live Workspace is a security-enhanced "virtual headquarters" where you can share work and collaborate online. For more complex projects, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services support enables you store and share documents, contacts, calendars and tasks in a single secure location.
Drive your Windows-based PC from the comfort of your MacWith Remote Desktop for Mac 2, you can quickly connect to your Windows-based PC to access files, applications, devices and networks.
Take your show on the roadExport presentations to your iPod or iPhone with PowerPoint 2008. Share your ideas or hold impromptu rehearsals wherever life takes you.

Create Effectively Bring your ideas to life, put more of your personality into your projects and represent your brand exactly the way you intend. Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition gives you the design, marketing and communication tools to help you create professional-looking business materials you'll be proud of.
Print-ready documents are a snapSave money, time and paper. Simple desktop publishing features in Word 2008 let you create high-quality newsletters, brochures and flyers. With Publishing Layout View, you can proof and edit your documents precisely so they print without surprises.
Discover the flexibility of Word 2008Use the Outline view to organize all your information into a convenient, flexible format, or choose Notebook Layout View to capture text and audio notes on multiple topics.
Work faster with your favorite toolsWhether you're working in Word 2008, Excel 2008 or PowerPoint 2008, the Elements Gallery puts your most commonly used tools and functions at your fingertips so you can create documents more quickly.
Quickly create and customize common business documentsStart with updated templates in Word and Excel 2008, then get creative with easy-to-use Document Elements, Word Art and SmartArt tools. Add your personal brand to any document with Themes, using fonts, colors and graphics you choose and apply with a single click.
Personalize mass mailings easily and efficientlyThe Mail Merge feature in Word 2008 lets you efficiently create materials for all your clients, so you can send a personal touch every time.

Manage Your Business Growing a small business can be more than a full-time job. That's why Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition has updated programs and features that are ready to go to work immediately to help you save time and operate more professionally.
Keep every day on trackMy Day in Entourage 2008 provides a real-time snapshot of your schedule and to-do lists so you stay on track and on time.
Stay in sync, anywhere, anytimeWith Entourage 2008, your team can access and manage their email and calendars from any web connection--via Mac, PC or a Windows-based mobile device. With Office Live Workspace, they can quickly launch online folders tailored to the unique needs of each project. Now it's easy to co-author documents and share feedback anytime, online.
Take control of your business financesExcel 2008 can help you manage your business finances like a pro. Clear, accessible templates, plus enhanced calculation and analysis functions, make it easier to monitor sales and billings.

Included Applications
Word 2008 enables you to expand your creativity with confidence. Create high-quality marketing materials like brochures, newsletters, flyers and more with professionally designed, customizable templates. Even add cover pages and bibliographies. Add polish with business-right illustrations using SmartArt and hundreds of specially designed, business-oriented graphics.
PowerPoint 2008 makes it easy to present like a pro. Give more polished, creative presentations. Save time and manage presentations better with Presenter Tools. Move about easily with Apple Remote and engage your audience while keeping your presentation running smoothly. Enhanced features like animation paths and animated GIFs are sure to make an impression.
Excel 2008 helps you manage business today while you plan for tomorrow. Business growth requires financial planning, and Excel 2008 can help you reach your goals. Updated sorting, formatting and charting tools, together with improved formula-builder and error-finding functions, help you track your progress.
Entourage 2008 empowers you to take control of project details. Project Center lets you quickly create, customize and track project-related emails, files, contacts and other important details, in one convenient location. Save your project on your server, and share the information through Entourage 2008.

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Reunion 9 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've used Reunion since version 6, I think, and it is the best genealogy software I've ever used. I've tried Family Tree Maker on Windows and Reunion blows it away. FTM is just ugly, where Reunion has a nice interface and is easy to use. You can export your family tree to the GEDCOM standard and upload it to Geni.com, or import your old Windows family tree file into Reunion, though you'll have to import all the media files separately, as GEDCOM doesn't seem to support media.
I considered other Mac genealogy programs, but decided to stick with Reunion. One of the great things about this software is the fantastic personal support that leister.com gives you. BTW, this is a universal app, in case you're wondering. A lot of genealogy applications seem to be lagging behind in that respect.
All in all, I consider this the best genealogy software available, on mac or Windoze. You can't go wrong with Reunion!
It's 2009 now, and I've owned this application for quite some time, and I still agree with my review. Get this software! You won't regret it!

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Reunion is a genealogy software program -- a "family tree program" -- for the Macintosh.Reunion received the highest rating for genealogy software in MacWorld, MacAddict, and Mac Home Journal magazines.Reunion helps you to document, store, and display information about your family -- your ancestors, descendants, cousins, etc. It records names, dates, places, facts, plenty of notes, sources of information, pictures, sounds, and videos. It shows family relationships in an elegant, graphic form -- people and families are linked in an easy-to-understand fashion.Reunion makes it easy to publish your family tree information -- even if you want to share it on the Web or carry it on your iPod. You can automatically create common genealogy reports, charts, and forms, as well as birthday calendars, mailing lists, questionnaires, indexes, and other lists. Reunion even creates slideshows, calculates relationships, ages, life expectancies, and statistics.Reunion also creates large, graphic tree charts allowing complete on-screen editing of boxes, lines, fonts, and colors. Wall charts for family reunions are one of its specialties.

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The Print Shop 2 for Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this for my son to use on his Intel iMac (2007). Very easy installation. First launch went seemlessly with no bugs and very compatible with iPhoto and standard Mac commands/interface. Easy to grab photos from multiple sources like chip reader, CD, iPhoto, even cut and paste from internet. Many good features from design templates and editing to special effects and photo retouch. Let's face it, this is not a professional tool or full graphics suite, but for the money it offers a good array of features for the student and home user who wants a little creativity in their collages, albums, or photo editing & printing. This is a hard to find product (low production runs or very popular??)

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Create professional quality greeting cards, banners, CD Labels, stationery and much more with this all-new Mac OS X Edition. This award-winning new version includes easy-to-use layout tools, iDVD-theme templates, and a bonus Art CD. 2 CD set.Import your own photographs directly into The Print Shop from Apple's iPhoto and then fix, edit and enhance them using The Print Shop's built-in Photo Workshop. Crop in shapes such as circles, hearts and stars. Adjust color, brightness, contrast, and sharpness. Fix flaws and get rid of red-eye and scratches. Apply custom effects such as pixelate, noise, emboss, antique, and more

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Punch Home & Landscape Design Studio for the Mac with NexGen Technology Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Honestly, I bought this to replace it's bigger brother -- thinking it would be easier and more intuitive and friendly with their new nexGen technology. This product has a steep learning curves and a thick, but useless user guide that explains each tool but not how to use it. I've tried (in vain) to design my upcoming remodel. In both programs, I stopped, just plain overwhelmed and discouraged.

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Punch! Home & Landscape Design Studio with NexGen Technology takes home, landscape, and interior designing to a new level--it's a new way to easier home design for the MAC! With our revolutionary NexGen Technology you can build a new house or replicate your own house in just minutes! New Intelligent Design feature, walls, paint, flooring, and more are moved, changed or updated with a click of the mouse. Building Green--click the feature, scroll over your design and the screen will highlight areas where you can apply environmentally friendly, energy or money saving tips and options. Web integration can add to the already thousands of objects provided in the program's custom library. With thousands of objects, planting materials, and interior options including decorator palettes and room templates your options are endless! Punch! Home & Landscape Design Studio with nexGen Technology, the shortest, most enjoyable learning curve you'll ever have.

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Dreamweaver MX 2004 Upgrade from Dreamweaver 4, MX, UltraDev 4, ColdFusion Studio 5.0, JRun Studio 3.x Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been designing with DW for a while now. The 2004 upgrade remains essentially the same, except for a few changes:
[1] The default is now CSS. If you want a tables based layout, you can still work with it but a change needs to be made in the preferences.
[2] The previous Dreamweaver MX supported CSS-P to a degree but editing it wasn't always easy. MM were obviously aware of Dreamweaver's rendering problems and for the new version, have borrowed upon Opera's rendering engine to do some of the hard work and it's now several magnitudes better.
[3] Secure FTP built in
[4] Microsoft Word and Excel copy and paste. Earlier version would lose the formatting when text was pasted inside DW. In this sense, DW now equals Frontpage
[5] On-the-fly cross-browser compatibility checking
[6] Some simple image editing like cropping and tonal adjustments without leaving the program
All this is fine and dandy, some of these features are also a god-send, but the CSS handling is a bit quirky yet. Surely, there must be a simpler and more intuitive way to do all this? There's far too much jumping around the interface required. Instead of providing one really inspired WYSIWYG way to do things, it seems to offer a multiplicity of mediocre alternatives, almost as if the programmers couldn't make their minds up and say, 'Hell, we'll put it all in'. That is a recipe for camels, not thoroughbred racehorses.
If you know your way around Dreamweaver already, you might welcome the new CSS editing facilities but 50% of the full price for an upgrade seems grossly excessive. I'm a bit disappointed that after all this time, Macromedia have produced something that is okay, but not great.
Besides, in the rush for an upgrade (now that GoLive is getting its own feet too) MM seems to have settled for some degree of bloat. My DW updated to 2004 MX is even more of a RAM hog than before.
Net net: I'd wait for the next version upgrade, by when hopefully MM would have tied in all these loose ends.

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Punch 5 In 1 Home Design Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is software that you have to spend some time with to understand. But if you spend the time, the software delivers and leaves the competitors behind. Most of the negative reviews I have read point out shortcomings that really don't exist if you understand how the software works.
I initially thought that the program lacked certain features or had some of the same shortcomings mentioned in other reviews. A few minutes on the phone with their Tech Support people to supplement the manual and the help feature and I was pointed in the right direction. In most cases the software could do what I was trying to accomplish, the problem was that I was not far enough up the experience curve. One thing I did do was upgrade to the Professional Home Design for another $20 dollars. It is worth it. My overall experience with home design software is that you have to be patient as it is not simple or intuitive as gaming software.
Two shortcomings - No strong undo feature so you need to save before you try something new. Also, there is a limit to 3 floors, so if you have a finished basement, a finished attic and two floors, you can only show 3 of the 4 floors; although you can complete the remaining floor in another file.

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General Information - Manufacturer: Punch Software- Manufacturer Part Number: 20100- Manufacturer Website Address: www.punchsoftware.com- Marketing Information: Power tools for serious home design PLUS Ultimate Deck for the perfect outdoor addition to your living space.5 Powerful Programs in One That launch from the same easy-to-use interface, including our unique RealModel software that lets you build a 3D scale model of your home design! Product Information - Software Sub Type: Architectural- Software Name: Home Design- Complete Product- Features & Benefits: 3D Interior & Exterior Home Design: There"s no other software like it! ALL program components work from the same simple interface, so all design tools and 3D capabilities are always at your fingertips. The LiveViewtm window continually previews your work, in real-time 3D, as you draw.Ultimate Deck: This feature includes powerful tools to give you complete control to design the perfect deck for your home plan. Multi-level or multi-story decks with 3D photo-realistic textures, stairs, railings, object placement, and color capabilities give you the ability to design exactly the deck you want. Deck Wizards walk you through railing, baluster options, and more. Choose a basic shape or create one and watch the program create a beautiful 3D rendering of your deck design.Ultimate Deck automatically calculates square footage so you can easily develop your materials list. And, since Ultimate Deck works seamlessly with all other parts of the program so can walk and fly-through your entire property. Your deck and landscaping come to life with photo-realistic 3D, complete with shadows, giving you an accurate representation of your design.3D RealModel: Only Punch! software lets you build a professional-looking 3D scale model of your homeplan. Our RealModel technology takes your home design and creates the components needed to produce a model...directly from your design file. All of your chosen

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Printmaster Publishing Suite 7.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great cd for someone just starting out, it makes you want MORE. I get great artwork. for beginners like myself, its a great introduction to Printmaster. Lots of pictures,cards etc.

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BRAND NEW SHIPS IN ECO-FRIENDLY WHITE PAPER SLEEVE. Over 10 years in business - huge software selection, excellent customer service! Windows 98/2000/ME/XP

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Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been a heavy Office 2004 Excel user for the past two+ years. I was severely disappointed when I installed Office 2008. Microsoft elected to omit functionality that is core to being productive in Excel - solver support, data analysis, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and more. If you rely on Excel to do any type of business analysis or are a student that will require access to data analysis tools (regression, histograms, distributions, etc.), you will be SOL with 2008. I highly recommend that you avoid Office 2008.
Office 2008 is so incomplete and unsuited for professional work that it prompted me to write this review, which is my first.

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Simplify your day at work. Achieve more with the power of reinvented Office for Mac. Easy-to-use, powerful tools make it easy to create fantastic looking documents--from dynamic presentations to stunning reports and engaging communications. Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage, Microsoft Server Exchange Support, Automator Actions for Workflows in Microsoft Office.

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Quicken Personal Finances 2007 for Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've used Quicken for Windows since 1994 and have been quite pleased with it. I've updated every few years, and am currently using Quicken 2005 Deluxe for Windows XP on my PC. I have no major complaints about the Windows versions that I've used.
Last year, I bought my first Mac (the last of the G5 iMacs). I fell in love with it and I now use it for everything except finances. My Mac came with a free version of Quicken for Mac, and I assumed that I'd just be able to start it up and have instant access to the Quicken data on my PC over my home network. However, Quicken for Mac would not recognize my Quicken file, nor would it restore the backup files. So I assumed that this was because it was some sort of free stripped-down trial version that had expired, or something like that. I therefore recently purchased the latest and greatest version of Quicken for Mac (2007), assuming that this would do the trick and that I could finally junk my rusty PC.
WRONG.
The full-priced "full-featured" 2007 version of Quicken for Mac wouldn't read my existing Quicken files, either. So I looked in the instructions and found a blurb about converting a Quicken for Mac file to a Quicken for Windows file, but found nothing about converting from Windows to Mac.
I had to search the Quicken website to find a document explaining how to convert a Quicken database from Windows to Mac. It quickly became very clear that if you're a long-time user of Quicken for Windows and you want to convert to Quicken for Mac, you're basically screwed. Unless, that is, you've only been using Quicken for a few simple tasks such as balancing your checkbook. If, like me, you have multiple investment accounts of various types with records going back many years, you might has well forget about converting to Quicken for Mac.
For starters, it turns out that there are a lot accounts and reports that simply won't convert at all, so you'll just have to lose those. For example, Quicken for Windows handles 401(k) accounts (a fairly common type of account). Quicken for Mac does not. So you can kiss your 401(k) data goodbye. Same with Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable (fairly common things for those of us with home businesses). Same with Memorized Reports, Security Price Histories, etc.
If you decide that you can live without such things, you can proceed with the adventure of converting your Windows data to Mac data. Note that no conversion utility exists, so you have to do an enormous amount of hand-editing of the database.
The conversion process requires that you go through all transaction categories supported by the Windows version and look for those with names longer than 15 characters. The instructions don't make it clear whether a blank space counts as a character, but I assume it does. You're supposed to rename these categories to bring them within the 15 character limit. Quicken 2005 for Windows has at least one such category that cannot be renamed (Quicken simply won't let you do it). The others can be renamed, however.
Then you have to rename any accounts that are longer than 15 characters.
Then you have to edit your securities list to make sure every ticker symbol is all-caps.
Then, if you have a mutual fund account that contains any RtrnCapX transactions, you have to change that mutual fund account to a regular investment account.
OK, now you've done all that. The next step is to go through all your accounts one at a time, look at each transaction, and manually change the categories for certain transactions. There are 7 transaction types that exist in the Windows version but not in the Mac version. For example, MargInt (margin interest expense) does not exist in the Mac version, so you have to find every single margin interest event in your records and manually change it to a miscellaneous expense, with a note in the comment field that it's for margin interest. Then you have to do similar conversions for the six other transaction types that aren't supported. For example, every MiscIncX transaction has to be manually changed to a combination of a MiscInc and an XIn. If you have multiple accounts containing more than a decade's worth of transactions (as I do), this becomes a formidable task.
There's more to do after this, but this was the point at which I threw up my hands and decided that it's just not worth it. I'd have to hand-edit hundreds of transactions in my Quicken database and hope that I got them all right. Then I'd have to live with a version of Quicken that lacks many of the features to which I've become accustomed over the years.
Quicken offers an option where you can send them your file and have them convert it for you, but they won't convert the non-supported transactions to supported ones. So, for example, you'd simply lose all records of your margin interest expense. They claim, however, that they'll arrange things so that the correct balance is preserved in each account even though all those transactions will be missing. How nice. And if you want to use their conversion services, you have to go through a lot of rigamarole just to get them to do it.
So, I'm stuck with a useless piece of software that I downloaded from Intuit's online store for $60.
Looks like I'll have to keep my PC running until I get an Intel Mac that will allow me to use Bootcamp. Also, rumor has it that the Leopard version of OS X, when running on an Intel Mac, will allow you to run Windows XP applications directly under OS X (without rebooting and without emulation), but this is still just a rumor.
This experience has left me with a very low opinion of Intuit.

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Intuit Quicken Mac 2007 Optimize your investments. Maximize your return. Enlarge your smile with Quicken Mac 2007. Quicken for Mac gives you all the most powerful tools for your personal finances, designed specifically to work with the Mac operating system. Also runs on Mac OS 10.5 ("Leopard"). You’ll enjoy software designed for – and by – Mac users with special Mac exclusives. You’ll get immediate access to all of your accounts from one place, and be able to organize your tax information so you can easily find the tax deductions you deserve. And with Quicken Mac 2007 you can plan investments, monitor your portfolio and download directly from your financial institution. You’ll also be able to keep your files safe and secure with encrypted back up to Mac. Tax deadlines are approaching fast. Make filing easy and get the most out of your investments with Quicken Mac 2007.

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