Software

It is that time of the year when Adobe reveals the latest version of its graphics package for those on a limited budget.

From their base inGermany, the people at Nero have been busy developing the latest version of the company’s multimedia software which is the subject of the review.

Abbyy Finereader Professional 11 is the latest incarnation of a very effective OCR (optical character recognition) package. It is easy to use in its basic form as it comes ‘out of the box’ and is readily configurable to meet particular needs.

Many more years ago than I care to admit or can even remember some of them, I came across a piece of software that had been released as unprotected Shareware. The software had been developed by somebody whose main interests were jet planes and developing software which explains why he named his company JASC – that software was Paint Shop Pro.

As you browse through your collection of digital images stored on your computer, you can sometimes notice blemishes and other features that you wish could be removed or enhanced in some way. It is for times like these that a product such as Serif's PhotoPlus has been developed.

While I have been a long-time user of WinZip, both prior and after its integration into the Corel family, this is the first time I have come across WinZip System Utilities Suite.

As we approach the final quarter of a year, it means the release of titles bearing next year’s designation will begin to pick up speed. This is especially true of titles that provide protection against the various malware threats that attempt to take control of our computers.

Serif’s PagePlus X5 is the latest upgrade of a well-established DTP program that already meets a great many user needs ranging from business and Christmas cards through to multi-page documents. A large number of individual improvements have now been made in this new version that, overall, enhances its versatility and ease of use.

While a product that I use on a regular basis, this next title does have a feature that annoys me from time to time. That time being when I install a new version.

It is about that time of the year when software packages begin to appear bearing next year’s date as part of the title.

DrawPlus X5 is the latest version of Serif’s design and illustration software. As with the other titles in Serif’s stable of products, this software is aimed at users who want reasonable levels of functionality but without the price premium demanded by other products such as those available from Adobe and Corel.

While Windows comes with its own built-in media player, it does not support the full range of media options by default. For example it fails to perform when faced with Blu-ray and 3D. A possible alternative is…

This is the latest version of the excellent voice recognition software from Nuance. Dragon were at one time a competitor and some years ago they became a Nuance purchase, now it is not only the best speech software but the easiest to use.

Prize won for the first to mention 2012 not in terms of the Olympic Games, however when people launce 2012 versions half way through 2011. Second a different approach from Viper offering whole (PC) life cover for a single fee.

While not as well known as some of its other products, Serif does have a website design package for those looking to create an online presence.

A lot of software products are now in their mature stage especially when the number gets to double figures. In the case of OmniPage it probably means it’s been around for around twenty years, so surely it should do things right?

They saw the camera never lies but some assistance a camera’s images can be edited to change the scene.

Do you defrag? If not then maybe your hard disk will not be performing at its full capability. This next product could help.

Dragon speech recognition software has been around for many years and is increasingly able to take advantage of faster processors and larger amounts of memory. The latest version Naturally Speaking 11.5 appears to have the same recognition engine as version 11, and so is also able to take advantage of today’s multiple processor cores and 64-bit systems, but has been enhanced to make it this more user-friendly.

A package that by its number you know has been around for a while. However what was first important for one job – file size reduction – is now less so now it has three other uses that make it a product still useful today.

Rather than retype text from a printed document, you might prefer using current technology to scan the original document before converting the results into editable text.

One reason I like Corel products is that they are intuitive another is they give you printed documentation. To be fair it’s a Getting Started Guide but as that is a 124 page hard back book you start to see this is not a trivial package.

Once upon a time we used a projector and slides to show off our favourite memories of family events and holidays. Now we can use our digital images to produce a slideshow that can be burned to optical media or posted in an appropriate website.

Apps stores are becoming a popular means of supplying software. Nero has entered this particular market sector with some free-to-download software.

Now part of the MAGIX family, Xara continues to produce a range of graphics offerings including a tool for producing eye-catching titles.

I think the last FREE software package I reviewed was Skype in October 2004, while this may not be as all consuming as Skype was in those days, for a manufacturer who produces paid software to release a free version…

Over the years I have been one of Norton’s fiercest critics. In fact I could not even manage to complete a review of an earlier version. Windows still warns of incompatibility but with this version I have yet to find them.

Acronis has a well-earned and long-established reputation for developing disk imaging and back-up software. Recently the company has brought out a new version of its Backup & Security title which, not surprisingly, is identified by its 2011 suffix.

One of the first names that spring to mind when considering the subject of computing security is that of Norton with its range of anti-virus and Internet security titles.

This was one of the few interesting items to emerge from this years BETT show. While it of course has its use in education in schools and colleges it could well have a use in the workplace as well as providing a fun use in the home.