Software

Arriving with the promise of containing “your 10 most wanted new features” is Nero’s latest version of its multimedia product. Now up to version 2015, this product is available in either Classic or Platinum editions with my review being based on the latter product.

As I get older, time seems to pass by at a quicker rate. This thought occurred to me with the arrival of Paint Shop Pro X7. It hardly seemed like a year had passed since I had unwrapped and reviewed Paint Shop Pro X6 and now the all new version of the Corel package was occupying space on my desktop. Actually when I took the trouble to check on the dates, rather than rely on my flaky memory, this revealed that the gap between the two prod

A product I have reviewed a couple of times in the past. The ‘15’ in this case refers to 2015 and not to the version number. So for anyone owning an earlier version what does this version have to offer that earlier versions did not?

No sooner do I reacquaint myself with the ArtRage graphics software than Ambient Design brings out a new version of this realistic art product for cross platform systems

If, in the early part of 1991, you were looking to purchase Desktop Publishing (DTP) software then your choice would have been limited to xPress from Quark or Adobe’s InDesign. In both cases a price tag of several hundreds of pounds would have been involved. However if you had waited a few months then a third option would have entered the marketplace in the form of Serif’s PagePlus product. The launch of this product caused quite a stir as it came with a sub £100 price po

Nuance’s market leading speech recognition software is now up to version 13 with the latest edition of Dragon Naturally Speaking. As with the previous versions of this package, Nuance has developed offerings aimed at different sectors of the market. With this version 13 of the product, you get the choice of Premium, the software used for this review, or that of the lower priced Home offering.

While perhaps not as well known as various titles from Adobe and Corel, Xara Designer Pro has a long standing and well deserved reputation for its performance speed when completing different tasks. In fact several years ago Corel licensed an earlier version of Xara software because its speed of performance made its own software look a little like a tortoise.

The latest version of Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) speech recognition software, Version 13, is more accurate, easier to train and works with a wider range of applications than previously. Consequently, an even wider range of people should be able to benefit from its use.

Yes it’s true, the oh so vital tool we all hate doing is now available for FREE from Paragon Software. The most important thing on your PC is your data. If your hard disc crashes money can replace it, can your unbacked up data be replaced?

Whether stored on your computer or mobile device, MAGIX’s latest audio product offers to provide cleaning facilities.

I was first introduced to the product known as ArtRage back in 2007. Our next meeting was not until three years later with the appearance of ArtRage Studio Pro. Now a further four years have gone by and it is the turn of ArtRage 4 to renew our acquaintance. My memory being what it is and considering the four year gap, my look at this version of ArtRage 4 will be more like a first contact meeting rather than one of catching up with an old friend.

Every year Cyberlink find new features and enhancements to add to their products, these are enhancements which include faster working internally and extras added externally like Mobile Apps, Free Cloud Storage and much more.

Yes I am aware Backing Up is boring but if it is fully automated and at times you are not doing anything with your PC then it can be just another task that takes place. Then of course when the worst does happen you are prepared.

As the household computer system takes over the task of hosting your entertainment content consisting of digital images, music and video/movie collections, so the need increases for software to supply the functionality in order to make best use of this data. Management and playback features plus the ability to reach out for additional information and purchase new content are all issues that need to come under consideration.

As regular as clockwork, new versions of its software arrive from Serif. The latest such offering targets image management and editing.

Although applications are increasingly able to save files directly as PDFs, there is much more to PDFs and Nuance's Power PDF in particular. While the Standard version will meet the needs of the home and small business user, Advanced is targeted at corporate users with features such as redaction – the ability to black out specific names or other pieces of information.

While Nuance’s OmniPage is the dominant force in the field of OCR, it is not the only option as this next offering clearly indicates.

It was nearly three years ago that I first encountered CrazyTalk Animator at the BETT Computer Show and wrote my review of the product. While many titles tend to be updated on an annual basis, it is not until now that Reallusion, the product’s developer, has released a version 2 of this particular title.

These are both mature products and for not a great deal of money give you lots of control over your data. Both packages work with music and give the best output available from the data input. They are Samplitude Music Studio and Music Maker both from Magix and both 2014 versions.

Arriving looking like a drowned rat, due to one of the heavy downpours that occurred recently, I was introduced to this next makeover product. Unfortunately it only worked on digital images and not bedraggled reviewers.

Serif WebPlus is a software package that offers to ease you gently into creating your own web-based presence.

Two software packages, first one to do backups and even duplicate your hard drive. Second one that works with your Web Cam lots of notebooks and laptops come with version 3.5 which was fun, this however is version 6 that does far more.

According to popular conception, every picture tells a story. So why not use your collection of pictures or photos to create a story of your own. Offering to help in this respect is MAGIX’s Photostory software in its latest 2014 Deluxe edition.

This is probably the best hard disc full duplication software on the market. Currently on offer with an amazing 250GB of free Cloud storage available, available for the same price (as a special offer) as the more normal 5GB offering.

CyberLink are one of the main video and audio companies in the PC field. Director Suite is a very comprehensive package. You can buy online and download, or be a Dinosaur like me and install from DVDs and get printed manuals.

A long time resident on my various hard disks over the years has been different versions of WinZip. The latest version of this software now supports add-ons.

While “familiarity breeds contempt” might not totally be the appropriate comment, in some respect it could apply in this situation. After all the more we use our Windows computers, the less responsive they become when reacting to our needs and commands. Often we are kept waiting for a boot-up sequence to be completed and programs, which previously loaded speedily, now appear to crawl as if they are spending time admiring the innards of the computer and its operating system. Of course we could

A flip book was the method use to create moving images when I was a child. Now modern technology can be used to create a similar effect.

As part of its family of protection software, Norton has released the latest version of its popular Norton Internet Security product.

In its various versions, Paint Shop Pro has been a regular resident on my computer systems dating back to its Shareware days. This product is now a popular member of the Corel family.