5 comments about IBM VIAVOICE for Mac OS X USB.

1. I find ViaVoice an important tools to save my arthritic fingers. Once trained, its dictation is reasonably accurate (even sorting out most homonyms), and the voice-directed correction (available only in SpeakPad) makes it useable. It learns as you correct it and can easily be taught specialized words in your business vocabulary or proper names.
   
   Direct dictation into applications other than SpeakPad, such as MS Word or Safari, is less successful (interaction with Word's automatic formatting is particularly annoying) and not voice-correctable, so I only dictate to SpeakPad and then Copy&Paste to Word or the Browser. Using ViaVoice to control the Mac is messy, and I think you're better off using the Mac's Speech PrefPane to activate Speakable Items.
   
   I started with ViaVoice Enhanced v2 under OS 9; and I was disappointed v3 for OS X couldn't import my OS9 voice model, meaning I had to train it all over again. Once trained and customized under OSX 10.1, it worked barely adequately on a 500MHz PPC Powerbook. Upgrading to a 1.25MHz eMac and adding a GB of RAM improved performance and recognition significantly, and I was happy with it until, starting with OS X 10.3 it became harder to make it work reliably. I've gotten it to work under 10.4.6, though it requires a bit of TLC (knock on wood.)
   
   But, I must strongly advise readers not to jump into ViaViace now. IBM sold the product line (including the name "IBM ViaVoice") to Dragon Software, who have dumped it on Nuance. There hasn't been an update since OS X 10.2, and the Nuance website only lists 10.1-10.3 as supported OS. There's no sign ViaVoice for Mac will ever be upgraded; and now, with the arrival of Intel Macs, this is most likely a dead-end product.
   
   I think you'd be better served considering iListen for Mac, or even using an Intel Mac to run both OS X and Windows and use Dragon Naturally Speaking on the latter instead.



2. Dragon, the leader in voice recognition software, never bothered to make a Mac version. IBM's Mac 10.3 ViaVoice is better than nothing, but not by much. As others have noted, it crashes every few minutes even on the best Mac hardware. I use it anyway because it has better recognition than I-Speak, the only alternative. Someday, someone will make a lot of money creating a decent voicetype program for the Mac, but this isn't it. In the meantime, IBM owes us a crashproofing patch for 10.3.



3. While the box claims this product is OS X compatible, we have not been able to even complete installation. Turns out it used to work with OS.X, and customer support in India sez they're working on a new version. yeah, right. IBM has nothing to do with it, they dumped it on another company.



4. a huge company like ibm is unable to produce a half way acceptable product for the masses. sad but true. actually, has ibm EVER produced a pc program that was ready for prime time? they sold DOS to gates and thus made him a millionaire and pretty well messed up with OS/2...reminds me of AT&T that are also unable to produce anything successful outside of their major line of business (telcom). anybodty remember the att&t line of computers, think theyt were called B1 or something???
   
   the bad news is that the only other voice recognition software for the mac i know of, ilisten, is pretty bad also. best is dragon naturallyspeaking 9 for the pc.



5. I originally used this product in it's OS9 version, then upgraded when it was available on OS10.1. Then upgraded again to V3. Once trained properly, I could count on very high accuracy, even with technical words I taught it to understand. I was doing medical reports with long scientific words, and though every once in a while it would have a "brain fart," but otherwise the program did a fine job. Fine until one day when... WHAM. The program crashed, and I could not recover anything of my training. Even though it has a "back-up" utility that supposedly saves all your user info, I could not restore it. Essentially, I had to start from scratch, after using it for several months. Well, I did all that, and I had it up and running again, and then WHAM. Everything lost again. And I was running a pretty fast G4 at the time (this was around 2 years ago). Now I understand Nuance is selling the program, but it's substantially the same. So I cannot recommend it if you're looking for a long term solution. Now I'm thinking... Windows XP runs well in Parallels on my Intel iMac -- maybe I should pick up a copy of Dragon!

4 comments about Symantec pcAnywhere 12.0 Host & Remote - 1 User.

1. I'm what I consider to be computer savvy and thought I'd have little difficulty installing this software. Boy, was I wrong! I had to pay a computer person to come to my home and the hoome of the other user to install this software after MONTHS of trying to get it to work.
   
   The reason I gave it 3 stars? Because once it was installed it works perfectly and both of us absolutely love it.



2. In no way am I knocking this product. However, before you buy take note that PCanywhere 12.0 in not compatible with the new Windows Vista OS. I have used Symantec's products for some time now & there are no cautions on their web site that 12.0 would not work with Vista. I only found out after buying it.



3. Even though the packaging states Ver. 12.0 will run on a Mac, be very careful. The product DOES NOT run on newer Macs with Intel Duo Core processors.
   
   I found out after 3 calls to Symantec support. On the last call, I demanded to speak with a supervisor who admitted the shortcoming.
   
   To make matters worse, I have to wait 60 days for Symantec to refund my money!!



4. I recieved the product today only to find the person who sold me a "New" copy of the software was selling a copy that was not for resale....

5 comments about CyberSitter.

1. If I could, I would give this item "0" stars. I was not even able to load it on my computer, and the vendor would not give me a refund. They stated that "downloadable" items can not be refunded. Buyer beware! Technical support was absolutely NO help.
   
   I ended up downloading Net Nanny from the Contentwatch website, and it works great.
   
   DO NOT BUY CYBERSITTER!



2. I bought one and installed it on my kid's windows XP, but my kid can easily disable it even just with his ordinary "User" account/privilege. I am an IT professional, but I can not believe this product is so vulnerable! It shows one file is not accessible once got disabled by my kid. Now I am looking for other and better parental control s/w.



3. doesn't block any foreign language sites (languages other than english). kids can easily figure this out, then you have no blocker at all.



4. Terrible interface, annoying as heck, woefully inadequate customization over what it does, apparently impossible to completely uninstall. Avoid.



5. I stopped using this program cause it kept screwing up my windows XP computer (according to microsoft). It would cause Internet Explorer to shut down continually - over and over. I didn't have any better luck with firefox.
   
   I guess that is how they keep your kids off dangerous sites - by making browsers shut down continually!

5 comments about Trend Micro pc-Cillin Internet Security 2007 - 3 User [OLD VERSION].

1. NO SUPPORT AT ALL! This company doesn't seem to be able to afford any support people! Are they even still in business? The online support page doesn't respond for DAYS and the email support just answers with automated BS. I think they are already out of business and just keep on selling their stuff until the bitter end. I got a fully legal 3PCs authorization on eBay for 2.99 plus $2 shipping. Go figure! It's definitely not worth more! Even worse than Norton, if you can believe that!



2. I purchased this particular package because it allows me to monitor my WIFI. That, as it turns out, is a bit cumbersome, since the monitoring window pops up frequently. However, installation was a breeze, not only for me, but both of my kids who did it on their own. Both times I received an email to let me know they had successfully installed the software. Ultimately, I think this is an excellent deal.



3. Do not buy this product. If you feel you must, buy it from Trend Micro website or you will not have a warranty. I bought Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 from Best Buy. It would lock up during a scan. After many attempts at getting service I ask for my money back. Trend Micro said they would not refund on a store product. Best Buy would not refund an opened product. So I am out $70.00. And they are still sending emails with no solution to the problem. I have ask them to stop sending emails but they are still comming. Worse than a virus.



4. I want to give it a zero rating but Amazon won't let me.
   
   PC-Cillin was pre-installed on a Dell XPS Laptop I just recently purchased and it offers to protect up to 2 other computers in your home network for free for the duration of your 1yr membership. Well, 1 month, and about 10 emails to Trend Micro tech support later, I still can't get the thing installed on my 2nd computer. The additional serial numbers that came with my initial copy won't register. The first thing Trend Micro tech support told me to do was to reinstall and to download another copy. Well, buyers BEWARE when uninstalling Trend Micro using the Add/Remove funcion in Control Panel it may corrupt your drivers. I had to reformat my computer and reinstall Win XP because of it.
   
   Also, if you ever have the misfortune of having to deal with their email tech support, your problem will be passed around constantly to different tech support agent and answers and solution will most likely be repeated...even though they didn't work the 1st or the 2nd time around. You will find yourself having to re-explain what the situation is over and over again. Trust me, Trend Micro belongs in the trash where I ended up throwing it. I will be uninstalling it from my XPS laptop just to make sure I don't have this garbage on my computer.



5. Purchased 3-years of PC-Cillin with my Dell desktop. Useless and non-functioning (compliments the Dell quite nicely, actually). With two years of paid coverage remaining, I deleted this nightmare of a program entirely and went with Comcast's McAfee freebie.

No comments about Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Production Premium Upgrade.

5 comments about Webroot SpySweeper AntiSpyware - 3 User.

1. After wondering why my computer was running turtle slow lately (and don't get me started on the frequent crashes), a friend told me to try this product. It costs about $29.99, so I decided what the heck I'll try it.
   
   Well, I'm glad I did because I found out that my computer had 300 different types of spyware that was downloaded on my computer after an Ebay purchase from a dishonest seller.
   
   After this spy sweeper was ran, the virusis, spyware and everything else was removed my computer was back to normal.
   
   This is a great product!! I highly recommend it to everyone who has had computer problems.
   
   ~~Kat



2. i got this Spy sweeper because i had Vertumonde and TrojDloadr-BCZ in my computer. Spy Sweeper ran the application, detected the harmful software AND REFUSED TO REMOVE IT! No matter how many times i sweeped with this latest version, It would not remove any of my trojans/viruses. I contacted their tech support with a ticket. they got back to me telling me to update the verison. I was uspset at that solution since i told them i am already running the latest version and i double checked on that and Spy Sweeper is still not working! I so far have not gotten any answer back and i suspect i never will.
   
   Their firewall as well does nothing at all. I went on Paltalk into the Finance section chat room, and was immediately fludded with more viruses, cookies and spyware! So much for the firewall Spy Sweeper! I am now switching to ZoneAlarm. i tried the free version and the firewall seems to hold up really well.
   
   in short i would give this software a zero in stars if i could!



3. SpySweeper has kept my 5 home networked PCs free of Spyware for the last four years. Nonetheless, every year, I have tried a competitor when my subscription to Spysweeper has expired. Why do I try to replace perfectly effective spyware? Because it is PAINFULLY slow in pulling up websites, more than offsetting the small fortune I pay for fast DSL access. Why do I return to Spysweeper? Because the competitors are not yet effective in keeping the Spyware out to the same degree that Spysweeper does. As soon as I find a competitor that is as effective as Spysweeper and less piggish, I am gone. Until then, Spysweeper remains (alas) best in breed (although Trend for Vista is ALMOST giving it a good run).
   
   Context: my machines are blazing, all with dual core, 4 GB of RAM, and hard wired with T2 access.
   
   Hint: sometimes when I am really frustrated, I will disable Spysweeper for a few hours to cruise the internet and then reactivate Spysweeper to clean up the mess I have collected.
   
   It is with great disappointment that I therefore recommend Spysweeper.



4. I purchased SpySleeper to fix a recent infection in my computer. Although it detected and cleaned 2 trojans: trojan-fisher-bzub and trojan-downloader-zlob, SSleeper missed the trojan-spyware.webhancer. I had to use PC Doctor to detect and clean it.
   
   Now I am having to work with Webroot online tech support to clean a final infection that it missed, and it has taken 7 days of trivial pursuit and poorly written quick fixes to get them to look at a scan and (hopefully) come up with a fix.
   
   Phone tech support hold times are about 20 minutes as they are having to deal with significant Windows Vista compatibility problems with their product.
   
   Although this product has had a good reputation, it is now asleep at the wheel in many ways. If you are trying to fix an infection you would be better off doing a Windows reinstall than spending time and money on SSleeper. Read the PC World recent review on antispyware to confirm what I have posted (poor infection removal, last place in overall ranking.)
   
   2/25/08 update: It took 3 weeks to remove all spyware with ssleeper thru tech support. I have removed ssleeper from my active startup programs and use it only to run occasional scans after updating it. I do not plan to do anything with my computer during ssleeper scans because it slows to nearly lockup speed when a scan is running. Also, after definition updates, ssleeper automatically opens a new browser window that advertises the webroot antivirus product (kind of like what adware does!)
   
   Pitty the poor people who do not read the more current reviews of this product before buying (amazon, your default should be to display most current reviews first.)



5. It hijacked my browswer and took me to a promotional website when I tried to uninstall it -- if it behaves like scumware, it is scumware in my book.
   
   As near as I can tell, it does nothing but make users believe that it is busy catching "problems" that other applications don't. THAT is why it is getting positive reviews -- people are being snookered into believing that it is "better spyware" when it appears to do nothing but create false reports on a clean system.
   
   I had turned off my firewall and forgot to turn it back on -- and ended up with one of those search engine hijackers that keeps morphing to make removal difficult. I found advice on some spyware forums where people will guide you step-by-step through manual removal procedures. Being lazy, I was looking for a quicker fix and followed the advice of those who had no technical advice beyond "go here to download SpySweeper."
   
   This annoying application continued to make bogus identifications after I had successfully fixed the problem manually -- it kept identifying non-specific "generic" maybe-potentially-couldbe intrusions. (It also didn't correctly identify the cause of the problem in the first place.) That alone is annoying, but even more annoying is that after making these "generic" identifications, it said that I would need to make a purchase to remove them. When I finally got disgusted enough to uninstall it, it opened my browser and took me to its website to prompt me to purchase it! It behaves exactly like the search engine hijacker that I had removed about two weeks ago!
   
   Others say it sucks -- I have less polite things to say about it.

No comments about Panda Internet Security 2009 - 3 User.

5 comments about Dreamweaver 4.0.

1. Dreamweaver provides a good environment for "painting" pages and seeing the html behind. Sometimes its a little goofy trying to select the object you want - especially tables within tables. But once you get accustomed to it, its fine. Working directly with html is fine too.

   The management tools were a nice plus - syncronizing with the web host and keeping project notes with the components. You start to appreciate this more once you have to support several sites you haven't touched in a month.

   The only real annoyance is the FTP connection locking up. It seems like if the connection times out the program goes ape and consumes 100% of the cpu for a few minutes. I try to remember to manually cut the FTP connection after my transfer completes and this seems to avoid the problem.




2. Bar none, DreamWeaver is simply the best tool in its class. It's easy to use, intuitive, and if you buy the suite that comes with Fireworks, you've got a killer combination!

   DreamWeaver has been a spectacular tool since it first came out and it continues to improve with each successive release. When you think web design and development think DreamWeaver. Period.

   Its great for beginners and experts alike, however, the interface may be a little overwhelming when first starting out. It's great for designing search engine friendly pages and there are no proprietary DreamWeaver extensions your host needs to have to host sites built with DreamWeaver.

   If you want to save a few bucks, shop around; there are some discounts/package deals available from time to time.




3. Wonderful program... I use it to write HTML for eBay listings...



4. -This review is for Dreamweaver 5- I absolutely love this software. I had Adobe Go Live but I never seemed to take to it like I did with Dreamweaver. Once it was installed within a day, I had made several webpages. As I continued to use it I learned more and more intuitively without needing much guidance from the manual. As a user you can create your webpages visually or in code mode, this makes it a great option for anyone no matter what your skill - it can be adjusted to suit your needs. You can learn and develop your webpage skills as much or as little as you like. You do not need to be intimidated by it's high price. You can learn it and the cost is well worth the output. ...
   I don't have to look for anything else, I have hit paydirt with this program! If you are using Front Page or any other visual interface for ease, you know that you are trapped into a forced format, get this program and you will understand the freedom of control without fear!



5. Get Macromedia Dreamweaver 4. They have turned this once great web design package into a hybrid cross of something that looks like Netscape/Flash and called it Dreamweaver MX 2004.

   I used Dreamweaver MX 2004 for a month, uninstalled it and went back to Dreamweaver 4. It really is that terrible and the work space is terribly cluttered making it very hard to work within.

   Bottom Line -- Get Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 instead if you can find it. Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 is a very good web design package that knocks Dreamweaver MX 2004 for ten. You will simply hate Dreamweaver MX 2004 when you install it on your system. I nearly barfed after a month of using that *new* completely hostile and non-user friendly piece of unstable and slow excuse for a web design software program.

   Get this instead ... if you can find it...

5 comments about Microsoft Expression Web [OLD VERSION].

1. I've been publishing websites since 1998, first using FrontPage1998, then switching to Yahoo's SiteBuilder. I bought Expression, feeling like I needed to step up to "standards-based" web design tool.
   
   After three weeks of work, including studying "Expression Web for Dummies" and "Using Microsoft Expression Web," I am NO closer to figuring out how to put up a decent looking web page. The tutorial CD that came with the package didn't work either, which should have been a clue.
   
   I have had no luck figuring out how to "float divs," or get CSS to lay out in columns, or any such things. The stuff I have been able to do is no more than I would have been able to do it SiteBuilder, which is free.
   
   I loved the old FrontPage because it was intuitive. You didn't have to dig and dig and risk spraining your brain to figure it out. SiteBuilder is a solid tool, though. If I could get my money back from this, I would.
   
   What a disappointment!



2. I spent the money and I am not stupid but this I was not able to master so I paid a professional. Doesn't mean I won't continue trying but not friendly like I thought.



3. 
   I was introduced to Microsoft Expression Web Professional Design Tool and have used it for almost a year at this point. While I have since stepped up to the much steeper learning curve and more archaic add-ons included in Microsoft Expression Studio, Expression Web is still the heart of this product and the best value out of all the components of Studio.
   
   Everybody talks about Expression Web in terms of Frontpage, Dreamweaver, GoLive and the like. Actually this is more of a bridge product between those WSIWIG web page layout tools and something more like Visual Studio. I am familiar with Visual Studio and .Net, have used it in several languages and different projects. And I also used Frontpage for a while, though I must admit I abandoned it quite a long time ago.
   
   If you just want to create webpages, Expression Web or one of the competing products by Adobe, Macromedia and the others should be your choice. I can honestly say that Expression Web has enough extras included in it to even create some light apps and easily achieve CSS type functionality. Plus, there are tons of cool templates and pre-built roll-overs that make nice features very easy to achieve, and easy to enhance with basic programming knowledge.
   
   Now if you need to build some front ends for web applications that require more in depth methods and detailed integration of components then Expression Studio is the program for you. In addition to Expression Web, Studio also includes Blend, Design and Media.
   Web - Design web pages and light apps
   Blend - Integrate your web pages with web tools and parts
   Design - Design graphic pieces easily to use on your pages / apps
   Media - Catalog and retrieve your web applets for easy use on different projects
   
   Of course the Silverlight aspect is still just in its early stages, but so far I have seen a lot of cool stuff made with it. As far as the integration stuff, easier to do basic stuff than Flash. And what's also cool is that you can drill down to the code level and change things very easily. So those who are not hardcore programmers will no longer need to also get Visual Studio to make web apps.
   
   Expression Web is priced right and is the meatiest of the 4 Studio tools. There are lots of cool templates included with it. Unless you really want to create completely new templates, you will probably think the Studio product is overkill. Truthfully, many people will get most of what the need with Expression Web. There's no real way to know without trying them out. For me, I wanted to have the full Studio because I saw a cool demo of how to use it and I knew I could save some time with the Blend and Design components.
   
   If you want to try this before you decide on one or the other, you can download an evaluation copy from Microsoft. Just take my advice and work on it for at least 1 or 2 weeks befoe you decide. There's a lot of stuff in here that you should test out.
   
   I love my Expression Web and now I'm loving Studio. And the best part is that if you get it before the end of June you get a free upgrade to version 2.0.
   
   Enjoy!



4. Background: I am not professional user in the sense of making a living from Web site construction but I have created and maintained personal, commercial, and informational sites. Typically using either Frontpage or Dreamweaver depending on the project but always on the look out for something better.
   
   As other reviewers have pointed out, Expression is not an upgrade to Frontpage but something else entirely---Microsoft's attempt to compete with Adobe Dreamweaver. So if you are looking for an entry level Web site creation tool, stop reading now and look elsewhere. Start with an Amazon or Google search of "create website." You'll get tons of advice, some good and some not so good. Like other reviewers here I am hoping that some software company picks up the torch and produces something decent for the folks that don't spend their lives doing this stuff. (Expression is not it!)
   
   Others have covered most of the important differences between Expression and Dreamweaver. My recommendation first of all is to stay away until there is a version 2.0---this is definitely beta software. I can not complete a single session without at least one crash. (And yes to those of you muttering to your selves, I am always on the latest available MS patches to both applications and OS.) Given that caveat, there are important differences and I highly recommend you skim the other detailed reviews to see if those are differences that are important to you. Most important to me is that it is built from the ground up with CSS support. Also nice; the UI is more intuitive than Dreamweaver (maybe someday Adobe will actually figure out that the UI is important, maybe...) and the drag and drop aspect of authoring. On the down side is that access to common page properties is not as convenient as Dramweaver.
   
   Bottom line, wait for a later version and look elsewhere if you are new to Web site authoring or looking to upgrade Frontpage.



5. I've been building web pages using Frontpage since its first release. I've upgraded all the way through 2003. I thought upgrading to Expression was a good idea, but it has been nothing but frustrating.
   
   I'm not a novice. I work in Photoshop to build my own graphics for all my websites - personal and professional - never used a template in Frontpage. I built everything from the ground up, and I found Expression to be an exercise in tooth gnashing. Nothing works the way it should.
   
   The help files are useless, and unless you want to pay for video tutoring on line you're left in the cold. I've bought two books, and neither was much help either. If I tried to build anything more complex than a basic html page, it failed. The CSS wouldn't attach. The files wouldn't read each other once they were on the server.
   
   This morning I went back to Frontpage 2003. I can edit the CSS files the old fashioned way there - the way that works.

1 comments about ACT! 4.0.

1. This is the best contact management program ever!
   I have been using Act since 1990 and without this I would have lost clients that today help me to own my own business.
   As I said, without this program I would be lost!

   R Jones