Product Description

Project 2003 ... Read more

Features

• Move information easily between Project 2003 and other Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel
• Updated interface and new templates available for downloading, make this version of Project the most user-friendly ever!
• Organize your work more effectively with new scheduling tools -- Track schedule and resource changes to yourproject plans quickly
• New display options lets you show individuals the project information they need to review
• Increase your impact at work and create better presentations to print compelling and succinct copies of schedules and goals

Reviews (1)

No other project management software comes close
One could say that this is the standard by which all other project management software is measured ... but there are no others that compare. For better or for worse, Microsoft dominates this software segment like no other.

However, instead of resting on its market share, MS keeps improving its product. In more than 5 years as a professional project manager at a Fortune 500 company, I have never seen another software product in daily use other than Project ... although I'm sure they are out there somewhere.

If you require others to share your files and for your project plans to be backwardly compatible years into the future, you really shouldn't consider anything else. But don't be dismayed, this is well-designed software that is surprisingly easy to learn, use and an immediate, out-of-the-box time-saver.

The bottom line is still incredible value, even more so if you qualify for the low-price Academic Version, as I did while taking a continuing ed project management course. ... Read more

Product Description

ACT! 2005 ACT! 2005® organize your data for quick and easy access, manage and grow your business relationships, stay on top of your schedule 24/7, forecast and track sales opportunities, and share customer information securely. ACT! 2005 program code has been rewritten. ACT! now is using Structured Query Language (SQL), which provides a relational database (instead of dBase code which provides a flat database). This will give ACT! the ability to accommodate many more records in both a single and multiple user settings with more flexibility and stability. In addition, less frequent database maintenance is required with this new relational database structure.Create new Company and Division records to get a more complete picture of the entire relationship with any company, including all Notes, Histories and Opportunities. Link contacts to companies so that when core company information changes, the changes push to each contact for easier updating. Easily convert Groups into Companies. And create Companies from Contacts (or vice versa). ... Read more

Features

• Link to Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds
• Forecast, track, and report on sales opportunities
• Easy-to-use contact and customer-manager software
• Access, organize, and manage contact details
• Stay on top of schedule 24/7; share customer info securely

Reviews (94)

Don't Do It!
Please do not buy this software. This rush to release VERY bad software should not be encouraged. It is virtually unusable as it now is. I am an ACT user since the DOS days and have always upgraded when avaialable. I'm cured now. I have a new Dell Pentium IV 3.3 GHz Computer with 1 GB of RAM. Even with all that this program is a DOG! Any stars associated with this product is laughable.

Extremely disappointed
I'm a New Jersey real estate agent who needed a product to track prospects, transactions and clients. The features in Outlook where limited and I wanted a complete depository of letters, faxes, documents and pdf's.

I was familiar with ACT's past reputation as a solid business tool and hoped that this new release would be the answer to my CRM needs.

I downloaded the trial version, experienced difficulties from the get go, (slow load, crashes, freezing), and I foolishly assummed that the full product would perform as advertised.

I am soooo sorry I did not come to this forum before purchasing ACT! 2005 at CompUSA. I've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to transfer Outlook records to mediocre results. The Outlook integration has never been totally resolved. The program is incredibly slow to load and react. I never got beyond loading contacts so I can't attest to any of the other glitches expressed here.

Bottom line: I'm still using Outlook and have almost given up on ACT. I'm afraid to rely on it for my business. I agree with all those who have enumerated the severe problems and limitations of this program. It is not a program that I would recommend to any of my colleagues.

Best Software should go back to the drawing board

ACT needs to get its ACT together
This version of ACT is full of bugs. For example, 1) It could only print labels for a max of 50 people with some of the printers, 2) The export CSV function is buggy and the exported data columns are not in the order specified but they end up in some random order.

Just about every function I tried using is buggy. I am just amazed they got this product out like this.

Whereas the USER fields modification on 6.0 was intuitive this one requires a 4 year college degree to master. Every time I use it I need to beat my brains out and try remember what I did before. It is bad.

Stick with 6.0 or earlier versions of ACT

What a mistake!
I am a long time Act user and after enjoying last version (6.0) I was extremely dissapointed with the bad performance of the new version.
I spent two weeks on the phone with the technicians and if you are patient, Best Software has great employees that take ownership and do the best they can. Unfortunately, the technicians can't overcome products limitations:
1. RAM HUNGRY. I had 512 MB and upgrated to 1 GB and still is slow.
2. Does not link with Palm OS. I was promissed several times that "it's comming". Not delivered. They have a new "link" that performs extremely poorly.
3. If you use Earthlink and have Total Access installed on yourcomputer (for your safety), Act will not be able to send emails through Outlook.
I am so upset that I will delete this software from my computer and go back to Act 6.0 which was great. Unfortunately Best Software will not pay me for the expense of the software and my time.

Don't do it
We tried to use this product, bought a 3 license package, we are a small sales company.The product became Unusable.We have 3 fairly new Dell computers, all with pentium 3 or 4 and the system slowed to a point where you could not tolerate it.The Sync by email feature which we liked is gone.You have to open a port in order to sync now.The amount of work that would have been required to figure this out not worth it.Next upgrade may be GoldMind. ... Read more

Product Description

For the busy Mac user who needs access to PC-only files and applications, there's Microsoft® Office 2004 for Mac Professional Edition. Boasting all of the breakthrough productivity features of Office Standard Edition, it also includes Virtual PC for Mac Version 7 with Windows XP Professional. It’s the easy way to manage, create and share your brilliance with anyone, including those in the PC world.

For professional users running Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later who need Virtual PC for Mac to run PC applications on their Mac.

Innovators cross-pollinate ideas and information, and so should their tools. The new features in Microsoft® Office 2004 for Mac aren’t constrained by boundariesin fact, many of them are designed to give you access to your ideas and information from every program in the suite. Thanks to input from thousands of Mac users, Office 2004 contains tools that are more integrated and intuitive than ever.



Features:

Unicode Support:Now you can display most non-Roman fonts with ease and take advantage of the long file name capabilities built into Mac OS X.

Save Image to File:Save embedded graphics to a separate graphics file in GIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, PNG, PSD or AppleWorks Graphic format.

Formatting Palette Transparency:Make the Formatting Palette translucent so that it no longer obscures your underlying document.

Error Reporting:Automatically generate and send an error report to Microsoft for analysis if an Office 2004 application crashes. ... Read more

Features

• Spend less time managing info and more time using it
• Includes Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac Version 7
• A productivity suite with a host of ground-breaking new features
• Easily share ideas across platforms and around the globe
• Confidently create stunning documents with impressive new tools

Reviews (2)

VP 7.0 is SUITE now that i finally got it installed!
A great bargain - you get full office Professional, VP and full version of Windows for under $300 dollars. After waiting for months and months for Office 2004 Professional to be released, when it finally came out I was ecstatic. One problem: VP 7.0 wouldn't install on my G5, only on my laptop. I called Microsoft support and within minutes they told me that they were working on a patch for machines with over 2.0 GB of ram. I downloaded the update a week later when it came out and everything is now golden. The moral of the story is that Microsoft underestimates the needs of Mac users because they are used to wimpy PCs that have no ram!

Nice suite, but Virtual PC 7 disappoints on my G5
I purchased the upgrade since I'd already bought both Office v.X and Virtual PC 6.1 last year.

The biggest letdown is that Microsoft's promised support for the G5 is nearly non-existent.I have a dual processor G5 with an ATI Radeon 9800 card (Apple), and after trying to install Virtual PC 7 three times, I cannot get a VM to work.It did install (and work) flawlessly on my G4 Powerbook.Googling for reviews finds it's very hit or miss, but if (when) it misses, you'll regret investing the extra $$$ in an immature product. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Project 2003 Professional.Microsoft Office Project 2003 is used by project managers who need a desktop tool to manage their projects independently but who do not require strong coordination with other project managers or the ability to manage resources from a central repository. Project 2003 is designed to improve your ability to organize work and communicate effectively and succinctly through familiar, easy-to-use tools. Organized Work:Better organize and manage work and people to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget. Compelling CommunicationsConvey your project plans and status effectively and succinctly. Ease of UseEnhance your productivity and effectiveness by learning and applying project management practices easily. ... Read more

Features

• Use for portfolio management, modeling, resource management, and project collaboration
• Microsoft's desktop enterprise project management program
• Used with Project Server 2003 and Project Web Access
• Offers all the tools found in Project Standard
• Provides powerful enterprise project management capabilities when used with Project Server

Product Description

Microsoft OneNote 2003.OneNote 2003 is a new program in the Microsoft Office System that enables you to capture, organize, and reuse your notes on laptop computers, desktop computers, or Tablet PCs. It gives you one place to store all your notes and the freedom to work with them how you want. OneNote 2003 also helps you capture information in multiple ways and then organize and use it according to your needs.OneNote 2003 combines the freedom and flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency and power of digital organizational tools, enabling you to work with your notes and information more productively.Capture Information in Multiple Ways Take notes and collect information the way you want. Organize Information Easily Organize your notes the way you want and be more productive. Access Information Quickly Have one convenient place to capture all of your notes and information. Reuse and Share Notes Easily OneNote makes it easy to reuse and share your notes after you have captured them. ... Read more

Features

• Great for in meetings, classes, phone conferences, and more
• Capture and use notes on laptop or desktop computers or Tablet PCs
• Versatility of paper notes; efficiency of digital organizational tools
• Capture info in multiple ways; store in one place; easy to use
• Be more productive anywhere you work with notes

Reviews (11)

Great Product! Does exactly what it promises.
This is an outstanding product. If you check out the Microsoft Office site, you'll see a tremendous amount of support and information.

It does what is promised. You can take virtually any kind of information, arrange it any way you want to, and come back to it later, finding precisely what you're looking for. One of the best feature is Side Note; it stays open with any other application, letting you take notes or paste information. There is even an Explorer add-on that lets you paste whole web pages, or selected material to your notebook, citing where the information came from.

You can move information anywhere you want to, instantly e-mail it from Outlook, or create a Word document from it.

I don't understand the reviewer who says that you can do this with Word and "special" folders. You could do try to do it with a pen and paper, too, but the product is all about efficiency and organization.

In my opinion, this is one of the bes MS Office products--maybe they'll include this in the standard edition next time.

Excellent Product!
Think of this as a tabbed notepad program that can take input from just about any source, index all the words and allow you to search them.(though searching could be beefed up - with that improvement, it could blow away infoSelect or AskSam)

The tabbing has two levels.Across the top are the tabs for different projects. down the side are different pages for each project.

For instance, I am studying for the Teradata Physical Implementation certification test. I created a project tab for the test.I created page tabs for each chapter of the study guide. on each page, I type the learning goals for each chapter (posed as questions) and answer them.I scan in any diagrams that I feel are important.with my Wacom graphics tablet, I write notes and impressions on the charts.I also scan in the chapter test questions and then answer them.for me this has been a very productive study method.

I know it got off to a troubled start, but the 2003 version is VERY good, so don't let old impressions steer your buying decisions.

Very Cool Product for Organizing
Contrary to what some people say, this product is very useful and does exactly what its is advertised to do. I use it to keep writing notes and ideas together. I took 81 pages of Microsoft Word documents and consolidated them into my notebook.It lacks the ability to create a completely separate notebook and does not save one notebook into a complete section rather saves in files and sections.Those two are the only downfalls of the product. Hopefully Microsoft will fix that next time.

so so quality but very bad service
I bought one , but it is not convinient for those that with the touch pad, it is hard to write unless you have pen.
also I bought hope there will be a rebate, but they said the coupon must be original, but they did not send me the one, which means they give you better hope but not real result.
that is bad feeling!!! very bad!! since then I willnever buy one microsoft product privately.

Very efficient and easy to use
This is a very well thought out program, that makes it much easier to stay organized and take notes quickly. I find that I am able to type far quicker than I can write, so taking notes is much easier on the computer. Plus, afterwards, it's a lot easier to reorganize or rearrange digital notes than paper notes. You can click anywhere and start typing, just like you can do in a "real" notebook.

One of the best features (that makes this surpass Word for any type of note-taking situation) is that you do not need to save, EVER. I have accidentally lost power on my PC and not lost any information. It's quick to load, and loads to the last "page" in your notebook that you were using, which makes getting started fast really easy.

The only thing I have trouble with figuring out how to incorporate drawings or mathematical formulae easily, since I do not have a tablet PC. I find that I can do well with a science class like Biology, which isn't all that Math intensive, but for Math I haven't found a good solution. (I'm still using paper and pencil for Calculus.)

All in all, however, this is a sleek program, that runs swiftly and is a great tool for note-taking. ... Read more

Product Description

SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 by Primavera systems is a project planning and control software product, which provides a corporate solution to the changing face of project management. SureTrak is an exceptional tool for creating schedules, managing resources, analyzing goals and updating projects. SureTrak enables users to view, organize, sort, query, compare and evaluate project data. This power is embedded into every facet of SureTrak through its use of activity and work breakdown structure codes. This indispensable flexibility provides for pivoting project data into more options and solutions.

Reviews (3)

Best single-user PM software bar none
SureTrak was designed with features that practicing project managers need, not glitzy fluff.Although the two previous reviewers have made strong cases for SureTrak there are a few details that I'd like to add.

(1) Multiple calendars - you can have up to 31 base calanders per project, giving you absolute control that is not possible with other PM applications in this price range.This feature allows you to model different resource baselines, which is powerful.Also, unlike MS Project, SureTrak does not assume it knows better than you and change the project in strange and mysterious ways after you've made an adjustment.This alone makes SureTrak worth using.

(2) Earned Value project management is built in and works correctly.If you're a PMP you'll not only appreciate the solid implementation of earned value, but should also know that the earned value portions of the PMBOK were developed by members of the Primavera team--Quentin Fleming and Joel Koppelman--who also authored Earned Value Project Management, second edition.This adds a high level of trust in the way SureTrak works.

(3)Project resource leveling works (it's somewhat 'challenged' in MS Project), and the ability to automatically forecast resource shortages, trace PERT logic, use precedence diagramming method if you so choose, and the ability to jump from WBS, resource, activity or PERT views with a mouse click shows your project from any perspective.Another nice feature is the 'cosmic' view of the PERT view that shows the entire network in one window and details in another.

(4)The reports, profiling and analysis options are too many to list.Suffice it to say that if there is a view or report that isn't shipped with SureTrak (and I cannot think of any), you can easily create one.

Although it has serious features, it also has glitz:publish in HTML, add graphics to your schedule and customize bar legends.It also has team features, such as email management, the ability to manage multiple related projects simultaneously, and the ability to exchange files with MS Project via MPX files.Note that there are some losses when you exchange MPX files because SureTrak has features that Project doesn't have and they will not import correctly into MS Project.

If you make the leap from MS Project to SureTrak I strongly recommend investing in Planning Using Primavera SureTrak Project Manager Version 3.0 by Paul E. Harris, which will get you quickly started.

Professional Tool for Professional PMs
If you are planning, scheduling and controlling projects in accordance with the process laid out by Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) then you will appreciate this program's power and features.

The features that align to the PMBOK are:easy planning using a work breakdown structure, correct computations for earned value and resource leveling that works properly.

Features that I particularly like are:direct import of data into an Excel pivot table (this feature has been in the program since version 1.0, and takes a mouse click to accomplish), wide array of reports, and the ability to switch among Gantt (schedule in bar graph format), organizational view, work breakdown structure view and PERT view, and the ability to export and import between Microsoft Project using the MPX file format. While MS Project is not my tool of choice I have to adapt to what clients are using and it is a common application.

How does SureTrak compare to Microsoft Project? It depends on your approach to project management.If you consider Gantt charts to be a project plan and you can get away with it, then stick with MS Project.However, if you begin your planning and estimating with a work breakdown structure, analyze dependencies and find your critical path using an activity diagram, and are managing to deliverables using earned value, then SureTrak is the way to go.

Here are a few other facts that commend SureTrak:Primavera is a widely respected brand for high end project management software, such as their P3 product. Nearly every major engineering and construction project on the planet is managed with P3. They also played a key role in defining the earned value project management portion of the PMBOK 2000, which is not an international standard for project management.The makers of MS Project, on the other hand, is known for missed product releases.To me this means that they either do not understand project management or the tools they use to manage their development projects are possibly flawed.

Sure Trak Tracks All Types of Projects
The latest version of Primavera Sure Trak, version 3.0 improves an already great project scheduling product.Primavera's lead as the premiere author of professional scheduling software is bumped up another notch with thislatest version. Project managers in all fields, not just construction ortechnical fields will find the Project Kick Start Wizzard a breeze to setup a project.Updating the progress of a project has never been easierusing the progress spotlight feature. The built in tutorial walks any newuser through the many new and useful features for formating and for settingup project schedules. As a construction professional with 25 years ofvaried project experience, this scheduling software is easy for even afirst time user to quickly learn.As an instructor of constructiontechnology for the last 10 years at a junior college, this software is mynumber one recommendation to all my students in the construction managementprogram. ... Read more

Product Description

Project 2003, Upgrade ... Read more

Features

• Move information easily between Project 2003 and other Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel
• Project 2003 is the a powerful new tool for project leaders who need to manage projects independently, but still stay on top of what's going on!
• Organize your work more effectively with new scheduling tools -- Track schedule and resource changes to yourproject plans quickly
• New display options lets you show individuals the project information they need to review
• Increase your impact at work and create better presentations to print compelling and succinct copies of schedules and goals

Reviews (1)

Fosters Team Integration
This upgrade is worth its price.

Used in conjunction with Project Server and Project Professional 2003 the program now allows project tasks to appear in Outlook calendars and messaging.As a project manager, I find this feature eases communications with team members and fosters greater team participation.

This ease of communication saves time and money.If you have doubts over this upgrade, my unequivocal recommendation is to proceed.The software's tight integration with other Microsoft Office Products, including Outlook, enables you to focus on project goals, not the technology that supports them. ... Read more

Product Description

Macromedia RoboHelp Office X5 - Document Management - PCRoboHelp is the fastest, easiest way to create professional Help systems and documentation for desktop and web-based applications, including .NET and Rich Internet Applications. RoboHelp is the industry standard in Help authoring and has won over 55 prestigious industry awards. Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theMacromedia OFFX50100ND - ROBOHELP OFFICE X5and all other Macromedia Software - Security ... Read more

Features

• Create professional Help systems and documentation
• Work with built-in or popular HTML editor or Microsoft Word
• Create Help systems that run on any browser or platform
• Easy to use; automated wizards and project templates
• For desktop and Web-based applications

Reviews (4)

Functions like a Beta release
Want support for JavaHelp? Forget it. RoboHelp claims to support JavaHelp, but only supports some of it.

For example, I had to write a utility to "massage" the resulting JavaHelp build xml files because RoboHelp does not recognize multiple controls pointing to a single JavaHelp topic. (No, aliases do not work for JavaHelp.)

Also, neither JavaHelp 1.x nor 2.x recognizes all the formatting codes inserted by RoboHelp. For example, plain old HTML bold tags display properly; RoboHelp's bold style does not. What's the use of using a style then?

Did this company even test the product? I don't think so. In fact, when I used one of my two "freebie" support tickets to force the issue about the multiple control/single topic issue, Macromedia admitted, after sending me a lot of irrelevant material about using aliases, that this was a known bug and there were no plans to fix it.

Want frustrating error-prone version control? Just use RoboHelp's built-in crash-a-rama RoboSource, the program that continually provides errors. Oh, I can get it working, sometimes even for days at a stretch; then it'll start its crashing again, where I have to repeatedly reboot my server, a machine we've had to dedicate to RoboSource. RoboHelp doesn't work with CVS, the version control system we use inhouse, though Macromedia claims it works with SourceSafe. I'll never know, though, because I've learned over the years not to trust Macromedia.

Want support for Eclipse? Forget about it. Doesn't exist.

Perhaps for users who only need to single-source a simple documentation set, such as a WinHelp system coupled with a Word document, this product would work just fine. I'll never know, because the documentation community should be heading in the same direction as the application community: cross-platform compatibility.

I could list other problems and workarounds, but what's the point? I recommend looking elsewhere, depending on your documentation needs. I know I will.

The next sound you hear will be the installation CDs hitting my trash can, and the tapping of my keys as I take this opportunity to find another product....

Don't listen to the naysayers
For those of us who were three versions behind, RoboHelp X5 makes my job a lot easier. You can purchase just what you need but I recommend getting this version or you may regret getting "just" this or "just" that & may end up having to get the whole enchilada anyway. Makes no sense. Older versions of RoboHelp, for me, caused topics to get overwritten. Also, this version has conditional text built in. Thanks for those of you who wrote reviews & provided tips, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. I highly suggest the RoboHelp author forum at http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/forums/wbpx.dll/~robohelp.

I also like the Flash Help feature very much. You can easily go to Project Manager and set your preference for the type of Help output you want. Flash Help makes the Help for our product look very slick. My coworkers agree. I highly suggest that you upgrade if you haven't already.

Another reason you should purchase this product (and no, I don't work for Macromedia) is that eHelp no longer "owns" the product. Macromedia supports it. Sure, you may not get a break on the price but guess what? Unless you're a registered user, you won't be able to access free skins online anymore. Macromedia has made the product more proprietary than ever. So, with improvements formerly via eHelp Corp. comes disappointments. They want you to upgrade, yes. You will have to pay, yes. Pirated software? If we all did that, you'd probably be paying an even bigger price for the prized software.

Good luck, & if you want to create your own Help project by hand, then don't buy the product. RoboHelp X5 literally saves weeks of work and if it has a few bugs, what software product doesn't? I personally would not want to be slaving over Help files all weekend doing them manually.

That's MY six hundred or so bucks' worth...but I got my company to pay for my version. So what are you griping about? Cut a purchase order and get reimbursed or use your company's credit card!

Overpriced and very disappointing.
There is very little that is "robo" (i.e., automated) about RoboHelp. Sure, it will auto-generate things when you ask it to, but its output is so erratic and incomplete you might as well do it all by hand.

As a manual Help creation tool, it's got a nice complement of features, but let me tell you about a couple of little quirks or bugs...

You're supposed to be able to switch the type of output you get from RoboHelp at any point in your project. We started out with the goal of producing WebHelp, then switched to MS HTML help. Well, the part where you define what's available in your final output (Window definitions) did not come along for the switch. It took some time to realize that we had to delete the window definitions and define new ones in order for RoboHelp to actually produce the output we wanted.

Another little quirk is that when you add a hyperlink to existing text in a bulleted list, RoboHelp throws in a bunch of space characters (from 3 to 10) between the bullet and the text. And the WYSIWYG editor is not really WYSIWYG, not that that's any surprise, but it won't allow you to do everything you want to do. There is a TrueCode editor to let you get around that, if you know your way around HTML.

A new quirk that I've been wrestling with this morning is that any edit to an existing topic changes the style for that topic, and RoboHelp will not allow me to change it back, even when I edit the HTML directly!

Workarounds, more workarounds, and living with things you can't work around--expect to spend a lot of time developing your project's Help file with RoboHelp.

Highway Robbery
This is nothing more than the basic RoboHelp with many more bells and whistles. It's not worth a grand; not now, not ever.

Reminds me of automobiles: they're all the same, four wheels and a horn. They all do the same thing. But start adding features and the price starts climbing.

I think it's the height of arrogance to charge a grand for this software. Just so long as this type of arrogance marks the software industry, then just so long will I in my secret heart cheer on the software pirates. ... Read more

Product Description

Best Software Act! 2005 - Upgrade - Organizer - PCFrom the #1 selling contact and customer manager, more powerful, easy-to-use ACT! 2005 helps selling professionals and small businesses make contact, build relationships and get results.ACT! 2005 allows you to instantly access key customer information, better manage your time, easily prioritize tasks and build stronger, more productive business relationships. Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theBest Soft ACTS2005UP - UPG ACT! 2005and all other Best Soft Software - Office ... Read more

Features

• Easily share and synchronize contacts and calendars
• Helps connect selling professionals with small businesses
• Easily access, organize, and manage contact details
• Time management tools; track sales opportunities
• Integrates with Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds

Reviews (5)

ACT 2005 Disaster
Being a user of ACT since 1990, I thought I would continue to upgrade as I have in the past. What a mistake. 6.0 (was no IS) a good product.2005 has a long way to go.
I would like everyone to know when you transfer your 6.0 database to 2005 there is no way to revert back to 6.0 and bring your notes with.
What a joke.

Don't see the value
I just installed ACT! 2005 after using previous versions of ACT for 10 years.I was very disappointed.My custom layouts were not imported, system ran slow (hard drive ran for a very long time) and there just did not seem to be anything new or innovative.I don't think this version is a step up or sideways, but in fact a step down.

I think users on ACT 6.0 should stay on it.I have read other reviews and found nobody who thinks it works well.

Best software needs to go back to the drawing board, start with version 6.0 (which is very good) and only upgrade when they have something new and better.

Integration Problems
I am an avid fan and user of ACT! 6.0. My database is integrated with ACT! for Palm and WinFax Pro and worked nicely since June 2003. Then, I upgraded to ACT! 2005. First, the software simply ran like it was on a 4 year old system with 64 megs of ram. Luckily, Best Software provided an update the 2nd week of Feb. Then, my ACT! for Palm stopped working. Best Software promises that fix is on its way. But, the real kicker was the refusal by both Symantec and Best Software to provide some solution for WinFax's inability to integrate with ACT! 2005. I contacted ACT! first and was told that because Microsoft is updating to the Longhorn OS, Best Software had to stop integrating with WinFax Pro. Right. They then sugested I call Symantec and ask if they planned to offer an upgraded link to ACT! 2005. After speaking with 2 represenatives who's names I can not spelll nor pronounce, I was directed to call ACT!. I explained I had already called ACT! and she assurred me it was Symantec's division that dealt with ACT!. She lied. The third represenative told me to revert back to ACT! 6.0 and at that point I asked for a refund. WinFax Pro advertises its product as an integration solution for ACT!. I was then handed to a fourth person who said they would call back in 2 days. Right. The real hardship of this situation is now ACT! 2005 only integrates with Faxrush (...). Or, you can continue using WinFax Pro by purchasing an additional piece of software from yet another company (...) which will integrate ACT! 2005 with WinFax Pro. I will be doing the same as the above reviewer and adding this to my 2005 tax write off and looking into Microsoft's contact manager.

Buggiest program I have ever used
I wrote an earlier lukeware review of this product, but after using this now for a month, I'm growing so dissillusioned with this software I'm inclined to uninstall it and write it off as a loss. I've used ACT in various versions since it first came out. I still have ACT 3 which I'm thinking of trying to see if it runs on WinXP because it was tons more stable and less buggy than this release. In fact, as far as I can see there has been little by way of feature enhancement between the two, so all this company has done is introduce massive amounts of bugs into the software. There are too many examples to list but here's one that really annoys me. When I import a text file with my contact names into this product, by default the program puts a country code of +256 in front of every number, which is the country code of Uganda!

You won't see this though until you sync the database to a handheld device. I use a PocketPC phone. When I open a contact on the phone, low and behold every number starts with Country Code +256! So, to fix the problem, you need to go back through each and every record in ACT and specifically define it as US Country +1, now how fun is that???

Another littel gem happens when you use the product in conjunction with Outlook, which the company says is its strong point. Hmmm. Here's what happens. Lets say you use Outlook calendaring to schedule internal or external meetings. It works great. But, at the same time, you want to use ACT calendar to schedule tasks, to-dos an make note of the fact that you have a meeting or call scheduled with one of your contacts. You do this to keep a record in the history database. Now, when you sync, ACT is too stupid to simply merge the two meeting types onto your handheld or into Outlook - no, it completely wipes out your outlook calendar, replacing it which your ACT calendar. So you have to choose between using one calendar vs antother. Seems to me they should give me an option to merge the two together.

I could go on, the list of bugs is almost endless but you get the point. I've ordered an upgrade to Office that includes Contacts Manager. I'll check it out and if it works better - I will indeed remove this program from my machine, write off the expense from my taxes and forget about it!

Good Software, HORRIBLE SUPPORT FROM COMPANY
I purchased this software as a longtime user of ACT.I used ACT 2000, Act 6.0 and now have upgraded.Not only did I have a ton of problems with installing the software but the first update Best Software released, completely annihilated my machine and erased my existing database.I had to wait for over 2 hours for support.Thank goodness this problem happened within 30 of originally installing the program with otherwise they would have charge me $300 to by a support package so they could help me to fix a mistake of THEIR update.The program is good once it is up and running however my customer database is the lifeblood of my business.I will not trust this company and their apparent gross negligence to quality control, as well as their disregard for supporting the very products they release for general sale.If your business depends on a solid customer database program, don't look at this company to fit the bill! ... Read more

Product Description

Franklin Covey PlanPlus v.3.0 for Microsoft Outlook - Utility - PCPlanPlus for Microsoft Outlook doesn't replace Outlook, rather, it enhances Outlook by seamlessly integrating the FranklinCovey Prioritized Daily Task List, an all new Project Task List, Weekly Planning Tool, PowerNotes, and much more. The result is a powerful partnership of the group scheduling advantages of Outlook and the proven planning methods of the world leader in planning tools and training. PlanPlus version 3.0 is our fastest, most powerful, most reliable solution yet for those who want to transform Outlook into a true planning application. Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theGlobal Marketing 30000 - PLANPLUS 4.0 FOR WINDOWS XP FRANKLIN COVEY WIN XP and all other Global Marketing Software - Business ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft Project Standard makes it easier than ever to manage schedules and resources, communicate project status, and report project information. With more intuitive tools and built-in project management assistance, you'll get productive quickly; even novices can start project planning and reporting immediately. Microsoft Project has the fundamental project management features that you need to stay informed, so projects stay on track and within budget.

Quickly and easily create and manage project plans with the new Project Guide. Step-by-step interactive instructions walk users through the key areas of their projects--tasks, resources, tracking, and reporting--so they can be productive immediately. In addition, the Project Guide can be customized to effectively promote an organization's best practices from within the application.

New wizards have been added to reduce time and complexity in setting up projects, while smart tag indicators give users feedback when they make certain changes to their project plans, especially those that may affect scheduling. In addition, the familiar Microsoft Office XP interface--complete with informative task panes and adaptive pull-down menus--makes learning and using Microsoft Project more intuitive than ever. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good, but integration requires a little more work...
One of the reasons that Project appealed to me was the emphasis on the integration with Microsoft Outlook.However, without running Project Server, the integration effort is a bit klugey, at best.

As a new user, I can offer only minimal comments on the project management aspects of the software; seems to work fine for me, allowing me to plot out my development activities over the next few months, and allocate resources (and time) to those efforts.The interface is intuitive, and I was developing my project list within minutes after installation.

Powerful program, but nasty to learn
I got a trial by fire, or rather, immersion, in this software. I got a copy at work and had to immediately set up a project. Oh, the pain, the pain.

This software has just about everything you could ever need to set up a project, including GANTT charts, PERT charts and schedules. Project set-up parameters such as identifing objectives, scope, stakeholders, costs, resources, risks, etc. are available.

What this software won't teach you is how to use MS Project 2002 to fullest advantage. For that, there are text books, courses, computer-based trainings. If you intend to reap the full benefits of this powerful package, you need some kind of intensive tutorial. The good news is that there is so much power here that you will be likely to grow into the software and find more and more things you can do with it. But the beginning can be rough going.

In summary, a lot of software power for the money, but to fully use that power, you'll need some kind of guide or course.

A great program but not for the average user.
I have had the privilege of using this product and to be honest, it is truly amazing. With a very concise, easy to use and intuitive interface, MS Project is the number solution for any large company. What Project does is to organise how events in your company is scheduled, example if your releasing a product or scheduling how workers operate in your organisation. About the easy to learn part, compared to other project managament software MS Project hands down is the easiest, with the usual Microsoft Office interface, your on way to learning this product. You might have to go to some lesson classes in Project management first, because this product is not for the ordinary user, it for big businesses that need to have their company on time and in order. The price is a little bit scary, but if you are a company that has to always be prepared I recommend it. If you have just purchased version 2000, please wait two to three years, spending $300 to $600 is not a nice thing to do. This version is even more integrated with web services, so for those companies that have Intranets good opportunity to purchase. Project 95 and 98 users, this is recommended upgrade. For the average user who wants a scheduling program, buy Microsoft Outlook.

A great program but not for the average user.
I have had the privilege of using this product and to be honest, it is truly amazing. With a very concise, easy to use and intuitive interface, MS Project is the number one solution for big businesses. What Project does is to organise how events in your company is scheduled, example if your releasing a product or scheduling how workers operate in your organisation. About the easy to learn part, compared to other project managament software MS Project hands down is the easiest, with the usual Microsoft Office interface, your on way to learning this product. You might have to go to some lesson classes in Project management first, because this product is not for the ordinary user, it for big businesses that need to have their company on time and in order. The price is a little bit scary, but if you are a company that has to always be prepared I recommend it. This version is even more integrated with web services, so for those companies that have Intranets good opportunity to purchase. For the average user who wants a scheduling program, buy Microsoft Outlook. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Project 2002 Professional.Microsoft Project Professional 2002 is the new Microsoft Office project management program intended to be used with Microsoft Project Server 2002 for enterprise project management. It has all the core project management features found in Microsoft Project Standard, so you can manage your project plans, communicate project status, and report project information quickly and efficiently. When used with Microsoft Project Server, it also includes enterprise resource management capabilities and portfolio management features, such as real-time reporting and scenario analysis tools. These tools enable project managers and business decision-makers to view project and resource information across their department or entire organization. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Would be great except ...
If the core (Microsoft Project 2002) didn't have so many flaws this would be a major step forward in PM software. It certainly has excellent collaboration features and attempts to glue together an enterprise-wide PM system, much like industrial strength applications such as Team Results (Niku) and Primavera's P3 product do.

However, what continues to hold this back as a slick looking, but not so useful, tool is the fact that it still cannot correctly compute earned value, and the lack of emphasis on planning and estimating.It's a wonderful GANTT chart creator if you don't mind it doing what it wants instead of what you want, and comes close to Lotus Notes as a project specific collaboration tool.

If you want to actually plan and control projects though you'll be disappointed.Also, if you are in a large company the chances are you are either mainframe, midrange or Unix centric and the sharepoint server and other MS platforms may raise your total costs of ownership (not to mention wreaking havoc with availability and security vulnerabilities). ... Read more

Product Description

AE PROJECT PRO 2003 INCLUDES 1 SVR CAL ... Read more

Features

• Organize your work more effectively with new scheduling tools -- Track schedule and resource changes to your project plans quickly
• New display options lets you show individuals the project information they need to review
• Increase your impact at work and create better presentations to print compelling and succinct copies of schedules and goals
• Move information easily between Project 2003 and other Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel
• Updated interface and new templates available for downloading, make this version of Project the most user-friendly ever!

Product Description

Nova Business Plan Writer Deluxe 2004 - Complete Product - Business - 1 User(s) Complete Product - Standard - PCBusiness Plan Writer Deluxe 2004 is the most complete and powerful business plan software available. It uses industry-proven methods to guide you through the development of your business or marketing plan. The software takes you all the way from testing your idea to printing your plan - or publishing it on the Internet. Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theNova BRW - BUSINESS PLAN WRITER DELUXE 2004 and all other Nova Software - Business ... Read more

Features

• Easily build a professional business plan, step by step
• Formats preferred by banks and investors; audio and video help
• 15,000+ industry profiles; 400+ marketing campaign case studies
• Import financial data from QuickBooks Pro
• Kiplinger's Business Attorney with 75+ essential legal documents

Features

• Academic Price - Not For Use In Commercial Environment

Features

• Improved Schedule management, more timely and accurate updates of the project schedule means improved coordination among all team members
• Save money, pays for itself and device it runs on in less then a month
• Recover time, frees up at least one hour a day for the job site manager
• Improve vendor management, creates a paper trail for every task whether included in the original project plan or not
• Improves quality, better control of multiple job sites means things get done right the first time

Product Description

ACT! 2005 Premium for Workgroups From the #1 selling contact and customer manager, ACT! 2005 Premium for Workgroups helps sales teams and corporate workgroups make contact, build relationships and get results. It helps teams gain greater customer insights by accessing, organizing and managing contact details; improve the bottom line with tools for forecasting, tracking and reporting on sales opportunities; increase team efficiency with centralized data, robust scalability, group scheduling and advanced security for up to 50 users; manage time more efficiently by tracking and completing calls, meetings and to-do items; and take important contact information along by working with Palm OS® and Pocket PC handhelds.Choosing ACT! 2005 Premium for Workgroups makes you a part of the Best Software family. Best Software has led the way in developing and supporting automated business management solutions. With a wide range of front office and back office solutions—including accounting, human resources, payroll, fixed asset management, contact management, customer relationship management and e-commerce—Best Software offers award-winning products and services that have revolutionized the way small and medium-sized companies do business. So you can rely on outstanding service and a commitment to providing your business with the technology it needs to succeed, today and into the future. ... Read more

Features

• Includes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition
• Easy-to-use contact and customer-manager software
• Access, organize, and manage contact details
• Stay on top of schedule 24/7; share customer info securely
• Enhanced group scheduling; link to Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds

Reviews (1)

After all these years I thought this product would be better
I've been a user of ACT software going back to version 3.0. Being in software sales, over the years most software vendors have adopted more souped-up CRM solutions such as Salesforce.com or Siebel or the like, so I can imagine the interest in this product category has been lacking. STILL, the feature set of this product hasn't changed much in the ten or so years sinced I used the earlier version. In fact, this product has become more bloated and buggy than any commerical software product I have ever used. I've considered listing all the bugs but it would be too long. But I will say this, other than a weird bug that sometimes mis-categorizes contacts into groups I didn't intent them to be a part of, the other bugs tend to be obvious use-ability type things. Bugs that a half asleep QA tester should've found.

Having said that, the positives are these: First, ACT! is nothing if not a good contact manager and task manager - nothing more, nothing less. I like being able to group contacts into multiple groups, and do pro-active email marketing to the members of specific groups - that feature works really well inconjunction with MS Outlook. In fact integration with Outlook and my PocketPC Cell phone is really exceptionjal. Integration with Word is also very strong. So, its this integration strength that keeps me booting this product up each day. BUT, if I was to purchase a product in this category again, I'd buy Goldmine (it wasn't on the shelf when I bought ACT! - my impatience!). Part of the problem with this product may be that its been owned by a number of different companies over the years. Best Software now owns the IP - let's hope they will issue bug fixes and then truly innovate this product in future releases. ... Read more

Product Description

AE ONENOTE 2003 CD ... Read more

Reviews (1)

K-State Student
Being a college student on the go, a notebook computer is essential to my academic success. I have been fortunate enough to be a Beta Tester for Microsoft OneNote, and this program is amazing. Designed for Tablet PCs, it still works great on my Desktop and Notebook.

I am capable of typing all my notes as the professor lectures. Many students enjoy paper and pen due to the ability to draw and sketch as needed. OneNote allows you to use mouse or touch pad to enter charts, graphs, or sketches right into the notes. Notes are easy to print, save, share, and sort with OneNote.

In the past I always wrote my notes and had to try to pay attention to the professor, read the overheads, and write straight and legibly so I could read the notes for later. I always had to try and read three different things at a time. Now, I can just type away while looking at the professor and overheads allowing me to pay better attention to the professor.
Why is this better than Word? Because it is designed with the power of Word, but with all the easy to access tools needed for Note taking. Colored Pens tools, fonts, bullets, outlines, all easily accessible from the Menus.

While I love my Notebook computer, I love it even more with OneNote!

Microsoft OneNote, making College Students Life easier!!! ... Read more

Features

• Capture, organize, edit, burn and share music, data, photo and video on CD or DVD
• Make DVD home movies or photo slide shows and burn to DVD, VCD or SVCD
• Fix images with easy-to-use tools and create electronic photo albums
• Automatic disc formatting and burning by simply dragging and dropping files
• Make personalized CD labels, jewel case inserts and DVD case covers

Reviews (8)

OK, but not the best
All CD&DVD burners tend to be fairly expensive, as usually software is. Comparing this to Nero, Roxio is not quite as good. It is really easy (surprise, surprise) to use, and it looks good though.

It is also powerful, in the sense that you can do almost anything with it. You can even cut your music, design menus for your movie DVDs and create your own covers for your CD cases.

It comes with a helpful handbook that helps you deciding on which application to use (Audio central, Creator Classic etc.).

One thing it lacks is a wizard. Wizards are always nice to use and keep you self-confident that you woun't waste your expensive DVD disk to something that will not work.

I didn't have any writer probelms, and I am overall happy with the product, though I think that once you buy an expensive DVD burner one has to buy an expensive program as well, though this does make burning so much easier than playing with Windows. Although this might not be the best, if you feel that some programs are too hard to use for you, this is a sure buy.

A lousy product
I have had this for a year. I have tried to create JPG format cd's using it's DVD burner and it's data storage mode. Neither works. When I move clips around it seems to randomly juggle the pictures. The instruction manual is not useful and overly simplistic. It's support is non-existant. I am scrapping this junk and will try Adobe Album

Beware the updates
I've had better luck than the other reviewers, however I agree it acts like a beta version. After installing the program I was prompted to "update" the program suite.The update was over 39 mb! After loading a subsequent "update", I was prompted to restart my computer 4 times! Each time the computer would come up, I'd be prompted to restart again for the for the Roxio update to take effect.

Overall, the program is much easier to use than the prior version, in my opinion. I am especially pleased with the buffer underrun protection which was an issue with the 2 prior versions.

Easy CD & DVD Creator 6
Nothing but problems with this software. It does not recognize my burner. I run WIN 98 SE on a new HP. I applied all updates and tried to contact ROXIO for support. They do nothing to help. Terrible product and terrible support. This software is a complete waste of money at any price.

Easy CD Creator 6 is Anything But -- Stay Away!
This 6th version of Easy CD Creator is worthless, plain and simple.I could not get it to run on a brand new Dell Pentium machine no matter how clean the install was, or how many times I uninstalled and reinstalled it.Roxio technical support was useless.I cannot comprehend know how this software made it through beta testing, much less to the street.After 5 useful versions of Easy CD Creator, it's hard to fathom how Roxio went so wrong, but their reputation will be taking a large hit as a result of this disaster. ... Read more