I’ve used Trend Micro’s Housecall a lot in the past for my online scans or to remove any malware. Up until now I hadn’t ever used their Internet Security software in the past. I found that it is just as accessible as Housecall. The windows are sleek and easy to you use. The scan itself isn’t to labor intensive and you can actually use other programs while it is running a full system scan, which I’ve found is usually my biggest gripe about other Internet Security software.

I’ve used different copies of Quicken in the past. Premiere 2004 and 2007 and Starter 2010. So I am fairly experienced with Quicken and have always enjoyed their software. Premiere 2012 delivers and I love the ease of use, even more easy that the previous 2007 that I had (although I haven’t used it for quite a long time). I love the ease of getting a look at all my credit cards, bank accounts and investment account at a glance, knowing right away where I stand financially.

So the last time I’ve purchased a MS Office was in 2003, so it’s been a while since I’ve updated everything. The look and feel of Office 2013 is a lot more streamlined and simplified, even though it has a busy look to it (I think because they’ve changed the screens to almost all white and made the buttons bigger). So far I’ve found it has streamlined well, transitioning and updating itself fluidly.

I have been using Quicken for ten-plus years and have seen it slowing decline in quality and customer service over that time, but with no viable choice out there, I keep purchasing the forced upgrades every few years as Intuit requires (for those who don’t already know–Intuit puts a kill bit in your software so that after three years many of the features stop working, so you have to buy a new version).

I am not a professional videographer or anything, but I like to be able to record gymnastics, dance recitals, etc. and then be able to crop, zoom, add titles, and so on before burning them off to DVDs to send to the grandparents. I had been doing this using various free software (e.g., Windows Movie Maker to edit, DVD burning to burn, etc.) and thought I would give this a try.

Its OK, but a lot harder to use than PSE 14 so I do not use it as much.

Strangely, it does not appear to say 2014 on the packaging, but it is indeed and works great. I have been using Bit Defender for about 3 years and I like it a lot.nI have previously had bad experiences dealing with their customer service in India but other that I like it a lot.nIf you but the retail package, I suggest you download the latest version form their web-site and then use the serial number included in your packaging to activate it.

I love the maps and all you can do with them, as the packaging says you don’t need a GPS (but you need a Tablet or Laptop) and the detail, points of interest are excellent. I plan to use this software for a road trip to central Florida (from deep south Texas) in July. While I WILL be using my GPS, there will be time for stops here and there and we plan to spend a least one night on the way at a yet-to be-chosen point.

I’m not kidding when I say avoid Symantec as your Anti-Virus provider. This is probably one of the absolute worst companies I’ve dealt with. VERY POOR support, and awful licensing structure. Worse, the myriad of useless web pages is not warming, to say the least. Good luck finding/activating your updates and upgrades. I admit that I’m not the swiftest when it comes to Symantec’s solution, but I’ve had an easier time with Kaspersky, Sophos, Trend Micro, McAfee, AVG, F-PROT, avast, and Comodo.

Excel is probably one of the best applications in existence in the business world. Power Point is quite pedestrian, which is good for some executives, and quick-presentation fixes. Outlook is great, but here’s where it all ends. WORD is simply an exercise in futility, and more of a waste of time than ever. I learned how to create stunning page layouts in Adobe InDesign faster (my first attempts at using Adobe products outside Photoshop) than I could master an already familiar program-Word.