I have been a diehard Trend customer for a little while, and I have had no issues with their products until this version came out. Oddly, my issues with this version spilled over and fouled up the 2006 version when I rolled back. Not all is bad, but there is not enough good here to keep me in the ranks. I’ll talk about the good first, then discuss the bad.

CyberLink PowerDirector 10 is a video production application that can be used to assemble all manner of video projects. Normally when I think of CyberLink I think of DVD playback software so PowerDirector was not a product with which I was previously aware. I have worked with other video production software, namely Pinnacle Studio and especially Corel VideoStudio, so I was interested in comparing PowerDirector to these products. While PowerDirector is not perfect it is a good software package.

Before working with Cyberlink PowerDirector I had not used any Cyberlink software beyond PowerDVD, an old version of which came with a computer I bought years ago. My first exposure to PowerDirector itself was version 10 and I was pleasantly surprised with the program. Version 11 makes some improvements over version 10. My review will focus mainly on version 11 independently. Video editing and production software from most vendors works the same as music editing and production software packages.

OmniPage has for years been the standard when it comes to OCR software. While there are other good OCR software solutions out there, OmniPage has consistently been considered the best. I was excited about the opportunity to work with it any while it is good software I found it to be a little ornery and quirky on occasion. Installation was not smooth on my system. When I inserted the DVD, the installer promptly updated several support application layers such as .

I have been running Kaspersky Pure since version 1.0. I bought a pack of 3-year licenses which led me through upgrades to 2.0 and recently to 3.0. My overall experience with Kaspersky has been favorable; that said, it has presented some challenges along the way. My experience probably would be different had I installed fresh every time, rather than upgrade. When Pure 3.0 was released I received an upgrade notice and I immediately downloaded the new version.

I have never been especially fond of Outlook, but I was willing to give it another try with this version in the hopes that my previous complaints had been addressed. I can’t say I am especially impressed with this version either, though there are some good things I can say about it regardless. I have been using Outlook in the workplace as a standard for years now. It integrates with MS Office (another standard in the office, though I use something different at home) and it generally gets the job done, though it is slow about it.

AVG is best known for their free antivirus though they have offered for years a full security suite. I had never bothered to try AVG Internet Security (AVG IS), mainly because it is an expensive package in comparison to most of the other offerings on the market. That said, it is a solid product and worth consideration in spite of the cost. I should start by stating, for the record, that I had a dreadful install experience.

I have never been especially fond of Outlook, but I was willing to give it another try with this version in the hopes that my previous complaints had been addressed. I can’t say I am especially impressed with this version either, though there are some good things I can say about it regardless. I have been using Outlook in the workplace as a standard for years now. It integrates with MS Office (another standard in the office, though I use something different at home) and it generally gets the job done, though it is slow about it.

I have used several versions of PaintShop Pro (just PSP from here forward) in the past, though I have consistently returned to Corel PhotoPaint (which comes as part of the CorelDraw suite) for the ease of use and the power it provides. I have no issues with PSP, I just have gotten very accustomed to PhotoPaint and have not felt compelled to switch. With this version, Corel makes a good argument for making a move to PSP.

Drawing and sketching programs seem to fall into two general categories - very powerful but excessively complex, or simple to use but lacking in options and power. SketchBook Pro successfully combines power and simplicity into one package, such that even a weak artist can be productive and successful. I ran into a problem when installing the application - the installer crashed, giving some odd internal error and number. I tried again immediately and the second try went without a hitch.