Ive used Roxios products for years to make home movies, always cursing at the lack of support and system crashes, and wish I had found this piece of software a lot earlier. Its easy to use, your home movies covert over to record pretty quick, and I haven’t a system crash or issue with Windows 8. Installation was easy. If you make a lot of home movies of your family events, etc.

I’ve been using Quicken for over 15 years, and I am always apprehensive when it comes time to update to a newer version. If you have never used Quicken before, I would rate this a 5 star; if you are an experienced user doing an upgrade, I would rate this a 3 as there really is not any new functionality or, if there is, I can’t see it for the tasks I perform with Quicken.

Compiling a book into the Kindle or epub format is pretty easy with the Scrivener software. I would highly recommend you go through the tutorial that comes with the software (it takes about an hour), as it gives you a high level introduction of how to use it. There is a slight learning curve of what you have to do when you’re adding chapters, text within the chapter, etc. and if you’re like me you have to go to the online forum where your question has probably been answered.

I was new to Vista when I received my new laptop, so I wasn’t aware of the changing software landscape that seems to be a hallmark of Microsoft products. Although I did get the Microsoft Office Suite, it now excludes Outlook. This made me very, very angry. When the opportunity to review this latest incarnation of Outlook came along, I jumped at it, because life post-Outlook is pretty awful. And, now that I’m back in the warm bosom of Microsoft’s email program, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I was new to Vista when I received my new laptop, so I wasn’t aware of the changing software landscape that seems to be a hallmark of Microsoft products. Although I did get the Microsoft Office Suite, it now excludes Outlook. This made me very, very angry. When the opportunity to review this latest incarnation of Outlook came along, I jumped at it, because life post-Outlook is pretty awful. And, now that I’m back in the warm bosom of Microsoft’s email program, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I have a love/hate relationship with Microsoft. On the one hand, it’s obvious the company has really just taken disparate products and mashed them together. On the other, this becomes less of a problem with each version that comes out as Microsoft continues to improve on getting them all to work together seamlessly. After my stint as a tech writer for Lotus Notes I can speak when confidence when I say that although I hate most of Office, I hate Microsoft’s competitors so much more.

The Amazon price is just about right for this product. Easy to install and easy to use without any extra bells or whistles. For the casual user, this product should be sufficient. But if you are an internet junkie, you’ll need something with a little more umph. Trend Micro makes excellent products which perform the duties they are intended to do. It’s fine for what it is - just don’t expect it to do something that is beyond what it is.

You can’t go wrong with McAfee! Easy to install, this security system will do the job without slowing your computer down to a crawl like some of the others I’ve tried. Not comprehensive, but focused instead on those who do a lot of internet surfing.

Trend Micro is known for reliable, easy to use software and security. AntiVirus + AntiSpyware 2010 builds on this reputation and brings us an even better product for 2010. Easy installation, total protection for internet users. The Amazon price is just about right for this product. Easy to install and easy to use without any extra bells or whistles. For the casual user, this product should be sufficient. But if you are an internet junkie, you’ll need something with a little more umph.

Want to make your summer road trip smoother and more exciting? Just install the MicroSoft MapPoint 2009 and plug in your stops for turn by turn directions. Easy installation and user friendly to boot, MapPoint 2009 is the perfect copilot for the vacationer or the business person. Plus, you can use your GPS receiver with MapPoint to track your location and even give you audible direction. Highly recommended.