Software Reviews

Windows Vista February CTP

Preview Microsoft's latest Community Technology Preview (CTP) release of Windows Vista focuses on enterprise deployment.

Windows Defender Beta 2 review

Review With Windows Defender beta 2, Microsoft beefs up its free anti-spyware application with a new name, scanning engine and tools.

Inside Microsoft Office Live beta

Photos Take a look at the features of Microsoft's upcoming hosted suite of business tools.

Microsoft Office Live beta

Preview Microsoft's suite of online tools is designed to help small businesses build and maintain a Web presence and manage projects, contacts and tasks.

System Mechanic 6 Professional review

Review System Mechanic 6 Professional offers the best package of utilities for optimising and protecting your hard drive, but the software's lack of documentation makes it poorly suited for the average computer user.

Summarize! 2.0 review

Review This program tries to save you the bother of reading and summarising a long document, but we found too many flaws in our tests to recommend it without reservation. It could prove useful in certain situations, however.

Systran Translator Professional 5 review

Review Although it uses the same translation engine as several free Web-based services, Systran Translator Professional 5 offers additional features that may make it a worthwhile purchase for some business users.

WordPerfect Office X3 Standard Edition review

Review Corel's WordPerfect Office X3 is a very good productivity suite with enough enhancements to warrant an upgrade. Microsoft Office users, though, should wait for Office 12.

Work Goes Mobile: Nokia's Lessons from the Leading Edge review

Review This book talks about Nokia's own corporate experience -- benefits and pitfalls -- of adding mobility to its business processes, and includes a lot of useful advice.

Windows Vista December CTP

Preview Microsoft's December Community Technology Preview release of Vista brings the fledging operating system one step closer to being feature complete. Learn what Vista has in store for you.

AutoRoute 2006 with GPS locator review

Review AutoRoute 2006 delivers good-quality output on-screen and in the form of verbal directions, but is perhaps best used for researching your journeys in advance.

CiceroPhone for Windows Mobile Smartphone review

Review Despite some handset compatibility and call quality issues in our tests, Cicero Networks' softphone could prove valuable for mobile professionals with Wi-Fi-equipped Windows Mobile smartphones.

Skype 2 (beta) review

Review Although Skype 2 suffers from middling voice quality when calling landline phones, it's still one of the best free VoIP services around, and its new Skype Video feature makes it even better.

Security and Usability review

Review Despite more than a decade of research into computer usability, most security products remain resolutely user-unfriendly. This book examines how the situation can be improved.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 review

Review OpenOffice.org 2.0, the freeware version of Sun's StarOffice 8, is a great deal for small-business users who don't mind browsing online forums for technical support. But enterprises are better served by StarOffice 8.