DVD Software Review Online Source

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Upgrade

review — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:54:32 +0000

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Upgrade

A streamlined user interface, hundreds of new themes and templates, and better compatibility with your Windows-based colleagues–with Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, you'll simplify your work and achieve more with less effort.

Five Great Reasons to Upgrade to Office 2008 for Mac:

Universal applications: Office 2008 runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs.

Easier interface: You'll quickly build professional, compatible and complex documents using the simplified user interface and new tools like Document Elements. With a visual gallery for selecting elements like cover pages, bibliographies, and citations, you're one-click from finished.

Your Mac, more compatible: Office 2008 for Mac and the Windows-based 2007 Office System share the Open XML file formats, the Office Art graphics engine, and many other features that result in compatibility and file fidelity. You'll be confident when sharing ideas and documents with colleagues regardless of which platform they're on.

Great documents: Professional design is within your power with hundreds of new customizable templates and suite-wide themes, SmartArt graphics, and the new Publishing Layout View in Word 2008.

Your day, well managed: My Day keeps you connected to all of the day's action. Command your calendar, tackle your tasks, and simplify your day with this easy to use but powerful little tool.

Which Version of Office 2008 is right for you? View this comparison chart.

Simplify Your Work
Your presentation will make an impact. Your documents will be professional. Your analysis will be insightful. And Office 2008 will be there.
The latest version of the industry standard for productivity software on the Macintosh platform, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is more powerful and easier to use. Office 2008 combines Microsoft Word for Mac, Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac, Microsoft Excel for Mac, Microsoft Entourage for Mac, and Microsoft Messenger for Mac and lets you easily create high-impact documents and seamlessly share your ideas with others, whether they are on the Mac or Windows platform.

What's New in Office for Mac?

Universal versions of the most popular productivity applications on the Macintosh platform (Universal applications run natively on Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs.)
Microsoft Office for Mac natively supports the Open XML file formats for compatibility with Windows-based 2007 Microsoft Office products.
A redesigned user interface and powerful new tools for simplifying work, creating great looking documents, and exchanging ideas and information with others.

Highlights of Office 2008 for Mac

Office 2008 is a Universal Binary, was built by Mac users for Mac users, and includes many features which take advantage of underlying technologies of the Macintosh platform.
Office 2008 uses Open XML file formats for compatibility with Windows-based 2007 Microsoft Office products. XML file formats help reduce the risk of lost information due to damaged or corrupted files and also result in smaller file sizes–up to 75 percent smaller than comparable binary documents. Office 2008 for Mac is backward-compatible with earlier file formats and users can continue to use the older .doc, .xls, and .ppt binary formats.
Elements Gallery is the foundation of the new user interface, and gives easy access to the most commonly used tools and templates. With the new UI, you'll harness the capabilities of Office for Mac more easily than ever before.
Office 2008 includes OfficeArt, the powerful graphics engine also used in the Windows-based Office 2007 products. You get great cross-platform file fidelity and easy access to stunning visual and graphic effects.
Your words will make an impact with the modern styling of SmartArt graphics, which makes transforming text and bulleted lists into professional diagrams and graphics one-click easy.
A new Themes capability simplifies the process of applying a consistent look and feel across documents. Easily apply a complete set of colors, fonts, and effects to your Office 2008 documents, and change them as easily as changing your mind.
Automator Actions for Workflows in Microsoft Office enables you to automate Office 2008 with more than 70 pre-defined actions built to simplify your work and extend your productivity. (Available in Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition.)

Entourage 2008, the hub of Office 2008, helps it to happen, one task at a time.

Enjoy powerful new tools, over 100 designer templates, rich themes, and an intuitive user interface in Word 2008.

Entourage 2008
Your e-mails will spark ideas, you'll schedule meetings where creativity abounds. Entourage 2008, the hub of Office 2008, helps it to happen, one task at a time.

My Day keeps you connected to the action. Schedules, tasks, and priorities in one easy, standalone interface. Time will have no choice but to be well-managed.
Use color-coded categories, status indicators, and flexible To-Do list management humble even the most hectic schedules.
Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2008 Special Media Edition enable users to access their Microsoft Exchange server accounts with Entourage.
Improved Junk E-Mail filtering capabilities and phishing protection tools help shield your inbox from the scourge of junk. Your inbox will breathe a sigh of relief.
Projects submit to your superior management skills when you unleash the power of Project Center, With project details like e-mail messages, documents, schedules, and contacts in one convenient place, Project Center helps keep your information–and your stress–under control.

Word 2008
Powerful new tools, over 100 designer templates, rich themes, and an intuitive user interface in Word 2008 will help you to make your ideas look as good as they are.

When you turn blah into brilliant, Publishing Layout View will elevate the way you think about Word 2008. This new specialized and customizable workspace lets users create incredibly rich documents such as newletters, flyers and brochures without a degree in design.
Great looking document construction won't require a hard hat. New Templates, Themes, and Document Elements like cover pages and bibliographies make creating professional-looking output a snap.
Your words will make an impact with the modern styling of SmartArt, which makes transforming text into high-quality graphics and diagrams as easy as one click.
Dynamic Guides will help you keep all of your words and graphics in line and on point.
Mass mailings will have a personal touch and Word 2008 Mail Merge Manager will guide you step by easy step.

Inspire your audience's imagination with compelling visuals and engaging layout in PowerPoint 2008.

Analyze, share, and manage your data, and easily create persuasive charts and thought-provoking graphs for powerful results with Excel 2008.

PowerPoint 2008
Your presentation is a story. PowerPoint 2008 will illustrate it. Inspire your audience's imagination with compelling visuals and engaging layout.

Great ideas will get their graphic due with SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint 2008. Start with a blank slide or a bulleted list, and, with a click of a button, you'll have a stunning chart, table, map, or diagram.
Designer Themes help you give your presentation a creative look, simply and quickly.
The new Object Palette allows quick access to all your shapes, art, symbols, and pictures–including iPhoto files–in one easy-to-access space.
Dynamic Guides will help you place and resize your graphic element to create professional-looking presentations in a snap.
You'll lay out custom designs to showcase your unique content with custom layout capabilities in PowerPoint 2008.
PowerPoint 2008 integration with Apple Remote Control lets you concentrate on your words, not your keyboard. Now control your presentation and engage your audience unleashed from the podium.
Excel 2008
It's a numbers game. With Excel 2008, analyze, share, and manage your data, and easily create persuasive charts and thought-provoking graphs for powerful results.
- Ledger Sheets in Excel 2008 make tracking finances, inventories, even invoices and portfolios easy with preformulated spreadsheets and automatic calculations.
- Charting improvements artfully convey the message your data is telling. You'll see your numbers in a whole new way.
- The new prebuilt functions tackle the most common tasks and make creating error-free complex conditional formulas easier.
- Quick access to formulas makes functions more functional with Formula Builder in Excel 2008.
- Your data will know virtually no limits. Excel 2008 now supports over 16,000 columns and over 1 million rows.
- Whether you're an Excel expert or a complete novice, Excel 2008 Formula AutoComplete simplifies your calculations by providing a dynamic pop-up menu so you can select and complete your formula.
Messenger for Mac
Convenience is the name of the game for Mac users who want to communicate instantly with family, friends and colleagues from one convenient place. Messenger for Mac is now a Universal application, and gives you more ways to share what's on your mind or on your plate.
Use Messenger for Mac to instantly check the status of project team members, streamline workflow by sending documents directly from Word, or offer questions or comments on document changes instantly.
- Yahoo! Interoperability will allow personal users to connect and message with Yahoo! Messenger for Mac users.
- Your intentions will never again be in doubt when you create your own custom emoticons in Messenger for Mac.
- Spelling Checker is now included in Messenger for Mac.
- Let the world know your tastes when you display your iTunes selection with the new "What I'm listening to now" feature.
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Hearts of Iron Anthology

review — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:36:12 +0000

Hearts of Iron Anthology

The multiple Editor Choice winner and strategy gamer favorite will include the booster pack Armageddon, never beforereleased in retail. It will also include Hearts of Iron, Hearts of Iron II and Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday. Fans can expect to find goodies like a unique Paradox medal and a large strategy map spanning the entire world included in the product. ESRB Rated E for Everyone

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Anthology
This is a great collection for people that like this kind of strategy game. You get one DVD with the lastest version of: Hearts of Iron, Hearts of Iron 2, Hearts of Iron 2:Doomsday (expansion pack) and Armageddon (booster Pack), plus a map and a medal. All for a great price. It have only played Hearts of Iron 1 or 2 and like the game, you should definetly buy this, because its hard to get all those game separately and you save a lot. The expansio pack "Doomsday" gets you until 1953, and the booster pack "Armageddon" until 1963.

It's the most complex and rewarding World War 2 strategy game to date, and it has a deeply engaging strategy with unprecedented historical fidelity.

5 Stars Awesome Overall Complete WW2 Game
This game is only for the advanced player who wants to control all aspects of a country. The newer version helps automate some things, but is an intense game that can take a long time to play. What is neat is the ability to play any country. I bought the first and then the second. Then bought Crusader Kings and another copy of HOI came with that, but Crusader Kings wasn't any good, and is more meant for kids and had no instructions (sorry to stay off subject, but just and FYI on that).

I wish their latest upgrade for HOI had a disk available rather than only a download. I really like HOI but most people may think it is too complicated or involved w\ details. However, it is the most realistic divisional level game of WW2 there is. I've played war games for over 30 years.This is the best yet. It is real time, so hard to see it being able to play online with others as it takes too long and most people would not be able to schedule the time outs and saves.

5 Stars Are you a WWII buff? If yes, click "buy".
While this is not a game for those who want fast-paced action or fancy graphics, it also may be the best political and strategic simulator of all-time. Hearts of Iron is surprisingly addictive, allowing you to replay the game many times over. However, there is a very steep learning-curve and many casual players will feel overwhelmed. On the other hand, you don't have to be a "hard-core" gamer to enjoy this game; you can save at any time as well as pause the game to issue orders (or consult the manual). Put simply, Hearts of Iron II is the Grand-Daddy of all WWII games. Take the time to master it and you'll never get tired of this game.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit for System Builders DVD

review — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:28:04 +0000

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit for System Builders DVD

Windows Vista Home Prem 32-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Works great!
I just finished building a new computer and need an operating system. My old computer was a cheap Emachines that only came with a recovery DVD which you can't use on any other computer. I searched around and read alot of complaints about Vista but I decided to try it. It was very easy to install, everything was automatic! I have been using it for over a month now and haven't had a single problem with it. Its fast and has very easy to use features! This System Builders version is alot cheaper with everything that the retail version has! I would buy the 32-bit version because there isn't alot of support for the 64-bit version yet.

5 Stars Excellent result
I purchased this OED version of Windows Home Premium to install on my new iMac because it was about $100 less than the cost of the 'full' version. It installed easily and without problems, and works wonderfully. My concern that I am not really the builder of a new computer and that perhaps I would not be permitted to install this operating system on an iMac proved to be unfounded. For the record, Apple makes it so difficult for a long time user of Windows systems to learn how to use their Leopard system that I'd certainly not advise anyone to switch from Windows to a Mac.

5 Stars Stunning upgrade from Windows XP!
The negative reports you read about Vista are most probably two things: 1. The computer being installed into is rather legacy and needs to be upgraded or improved with more memory. 2. The upgrader, whether clean install or update, should get some help. Vista is *miles* and a significant improvement over XP. It is more stable than XP because the video hardware is not directly linked to the OS kernal (and audio) Vista rocks in my Macbook Pro 2.2 even with the stock ram and I have not gotten one crash or error since I put it in (weeks). Too much to list that has been improved. How many years can a person stare at Windows XP? This is refreshing. It is a beautiful operating system with many add-on features. Organized more sensibly and has impressive video effects. Do not listen to the sheik negative reports on the OS - Vista is an amazing upgrade and in my computer, runs as well as OSX 10.4. Macbook Pro runs it amazingly well, though I will say that Apple configured the drivers for Vista for the Macbook Pro by burning on a CD from Bootcamp. Amazingly impressed and quited me down somewhat of the far superiority of OSX, being, I really like both. I DO use VMware Fusion beside clean boot into Vista allowing me to run Windows in the OSX desktop or just Windows apps. Parallels bogged the system downed and I overwrote the Bootcamp partition (Vista) with a backup and installed VMware that works perfectly and fast. (interestingly enough, VMware Fusion is 160+ megs and Parallels around 80, so much more coding and it shows though one cannot judge alone with size of product, with Parallels taking almost a half-hour to load drivers was quite annoying and was shaky in my view) "Wait for the SP1 before buying" is nonsense because any material tweak or fix of the system would be available by using Windows update before a service pack if needed by unique users that have reported a specific problem with a specific system and Microsoft-verified.

5 Stars Excellent buy, superfast shipping
This was an excellent item just as described. Was shipped the same day and I received the item within 2 days.

5 Stars This OS is very smooth
This is a very responsive operating system with loads of features. I have not encountered any bugs as of yet and my system is running beautifully now that I dumped all the crapware and clean installed windows vista.

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Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition 2005 CD DVD

review — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:33:58 +0000

Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition 2005 CD DVD

Achieve higher levels of database scalability with SQL Server 2005 (64-bit), the enterprise-class database optimized to run on x64- or Itanium-based servers and Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The 64-bit features are available on SQL Server 2005 Standard, Enterprise, and Developer editions. Main FeaturesManufacturer: Microsoft CorporationManufacturer Part Number: E32-00575Manufacturer Website Address: www.microsoft.comSoftware Sub Type: DBMSSoftware Name: SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition x64 - Complete ProductFeatures & Benefits: Relational Database Replication Services Notification Services Integration Services Analysis Services Reporting Services Management Tools Development Tools Capitalize on Data Assets Increase Productivity Reduce IT Complexity Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Language Support: EnglishPlatform Support: PCLicense Type: Complete ProductLicense Pricing: StandardLicense Quantity: 1 Developer

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars THE Relational Database Software`
SQL Server 2005 is pretty much the Microsoft standard for server based relational databases. I bought this product in conjunction with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 standard edition, and they are a good pair. If you are planning on doing any Windows Forms based programming, or web programming that requires relational databases then I recommend this product for testing on your own servers during development work.

MySQL and similar are often used for third party web hosts; if you can do SQL with this server software, then you can probably do it with MySQL. This software, however, is for more enterprise level software and web design, and if you are a beginner, then sticking to MySQL is probably your best option.

If you are new completely to relational databases, using Microsoft Access or similar can help you get familiar with the table, key, and relationship structure. Server side databases often times aren't as visual and can hamper learning for beginners.

5 Stars Essentially the full version of Sql Server 2005 without the license to use it for business
If you're anyone who needs to back up a remote 2000/2005 sql svr database, this is the cheapest way to do it. While the free express edition management studio express is great, it doesn't have a built-in import/export feature that you get with the management tool in this dev edition. If you don't need the Tasks->Import/Export functionality, or features not found in the free sql svr express/managment studio express, then this product really won't help you.

The tool let's you import 2000 databases into sqlsvr2005 or express, but you can't export to 2000. The Sql Svr management tool is the perfect way to administer your sql svr express databases too.

Basically, the import->export feature is the reason to buy this.

4 Stars Great Product. Free Version Better
In my opinion great product. Except don't get much more bang for your buck then if you just downloaded the free Express version and the free tools located on that same site. Similar features and best part doesn't cost $50.

1 Star No support
I usually am pleased with Microsoft developement tools (documentation excepted). In this case, the 'no support' policy got me. The installation fails leaving me with bad options: Open a $100 email trouble case, Open a $250 telephone trouble case, plead with the volunteers at the help forum (no solution in 6 weeks) or reload to SQL Server 2000 Developer.

2 Stars Cost of Software $50
Cost of MS SQLServer 2k5 Software: $50

Cost of tech support to install MS SQLServer 2k5 on my new MS Vista laptop: $99.

Success after 1 month: None.

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Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008

review — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:12:41 +0000

Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008

Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 gives you accurate driving directions to just about anywhere in the United States and Canada. It gets you where you?re going quickly, easily, and without all the guesswork. This comprehensive trip planning software makes route planning a snap.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Maps
Really disappointed in this software. I moved into a new home development two years ago and it is still not contained in the 2008 version of Microsoft Maps. To bad……I really like the original software, but don't bother to spent the money to upgrade

5 Stars Excellent Software
I have been using Streets and Trips 2002 for the past five years and have been completely satisfied with it. It has come in handy on numerous occassions during trips (as I never travel without my laptop) and when trying to find locations mentioned in commercials or addresses of friends and family. We travel cross-country frequently. This new version is like icing on an already perfect cake. It adds wonderful new flavors and toys, especially the GPS tool. I haven't had much opportunity to use this new version yet, but after a quick trial run to find my address buried in the back woods, I'm thrilled.

4 Stars Streets and Trips
I give the years product a 4. Its a good map program to have on your desk top or Lap top PC. Due to the competition with GPS units, I was hoping for better updated mapping. A few of the same Flaws from 2007 were there. A good example is new housing developments. Early 2007 maps (ie. Map quest and goggle earth) didn't show any updated street information of my address. By the end of 2007 these web sites had been updated. Microsoft's 2008 version still does not show my area or the new shopping centers. If you don't have a GPS and need detailed mapping, then Microsoft Streets and trips would be a good buy.

4 Stars Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008
Very good product. I use this software to plan trips

especially on my motorcycle. It gives me a good

feel for the trip and has the latest construction updates

to help in the planing. Especially with todays fuel prices

it's a great tool for the most direct route. Additionally,

it can be installed on a lap top computer and plugged into a GPS

unit for in the vehicle navigation.

4 Stars Very good PC map program, great for rally routes
With GPS a common product now, plus Mapquest and Google Maps pretty easy to use, these programs are not as important as they once were, but they do have a place, especially in planning a trip. Once you get used to it, it does a great job of laying out a route. Yes, you can get from point A to B with GPS but this makes side trips much easier. I use it mostly for rally routes. Nothing like it for something like that. Find it very accurate, which is important for rallies. I got the version with the gps device for rally work but given the size of a PC, I don't use it for anything else. That is what my Garmin is for.

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Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Standard Upgrade Mac

review — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:39:27 +0000

Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Standard Upgrade Mac

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard software enables creative teams to realize their ideas more quickly and efficiently. Built on industry standards to provide long-term compatibility, Design Standard can be deployed easily across networks.This suite combines full new versions of Adobe's professional design tools for page layout, image editing, illustration, and Adobe PDF workflows. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium software combines full new versions of Adobe's professional tools for producing print, web, and mobile designs. Creative Suite 3 meets the design and print production needs of your creative team. Real-time, interactive web conferences with Acrobat Connect Advanced workgroup file management with Adobe Version Cue CS3

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great new interface
I'm thrilled on this New Year's morning to share my experiences running CS3 on an Intel Mac. After trying to run CS2 since switching to an Intel, it was a welcome relief to load this upgrade. What I've found in this version thus far has exceeded my expectations overall.

I watched the videos and read the mixed reviews from veteran users, but the bottom line was that I needed CS3 for my new Intel Mac. As a graphic artist and editor, my work speed slowed to an irritable limp for over a month due to the CS2/Intel incompatibility. CS3, while offering significant changes in content and interface design, allowed me to hit the ground running pretty seamlessly, allowing me the flexibility of learning on the fly. I think Adobe anticipated this issue by providing the option of working in the more familiar CS2 environment while reaping the benefits of CS3, for which I–and my clients–are very grateful.

There are minor glitches still being ironed out, as there always will be when application meets computer system, but Adobe appears to be on top of them.

I'm running CS3 on Leopard 10.5.1 on an Intel Mac.

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Need for Speed Carbon Collectors Edition

review — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:55:36 +0000

Need for Speed Carbon Collectors Edition

What starts in the city is settled in the canyons in Need for Speed Carbon. It immerses you in the world's most dangerous, adrenaline-filled form of street racing. You and your crew must race in an all-out war for the city, risking everything to take over your rivals' neighborhoods one block at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve. Represent your car class, your crew, and your turf in Need for Speed Carbon, the next revolution in racing games. Strategically choose your crew members and then use their skills on the road and in the garage to help you win races and customize your cars

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars an interesting challenge
My review is basically the same as the others so i'll save the page space

i do have one retorical question though… the racing is taking place at night, soooo why the heck are there so many cars on the road!?!?!?

5 Stars Better Then I thought….
Its one of the better need for speed games that ive played…very customizable cars and lots of tracks to play… The online is okay but probably could have been put togethor a little better. Not a game to use only for online play… single player is what is focused on, but overall 5/5

5 Stars Very, very good.
I can't see why the average rating (at the time of writing) is 2.5/5 stars.

I found this to be an excellent game, very similar to Need For Speed: Most Wanted, but less linear, and less time spent in police chases (which is great).

Lots of awesome cars to choose from, tons of great races, even decent cutscenes. Also, no problems installing or running it, and I did it on my XP-Mac, which is highly unstable, so that says a lot.

This is just a great game.

5 Stars carbon rocks
Great graphics,lots of action. Customization of cars endless. All around high end game. Only think i wasn't aware of is that it all takes place at night.In which after i've been playing the game i realize thats what this version is all about.

3 Stars coulda been better… much
OK, so the game was definitely a step down from previous games. I agree that the police pursuits provided no adrenaline rush/intensity to the game at all. I'd have to say Hot Pursuit 2 was much better in that category. The racing aspect was nothing to gloat over, very similar to the previous games. For everything the game was supposed to have over previous games in the NFS series, I can't really say I was overly impressed. For all the variety it claimed to have it seemed very restrictive compared to Underground 1 + 2. I can't compare it to Most Wanted as I have yet to get it. The other thing I hold against this game, which could just be a personal issue with my laptop although it was brand new, was that when I got to a certain point in the game it would say that it stopped working (the game) and closed itself. I have yet to experience that problem with any other game/application that has been installed on it so I'm assuming it's a game issue but that aside I'm not overly excited by the features that were included in this game.

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40 Years of the X Men

review — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:31:48 +0000

40 Years of the X Men

With 40 Years Of X-Men DVD, you've got a full collection of every X-Men story published in the last four decades. Almost 500 issues of the classic X-Men comics are reproduced here, from the very first issue in 1963 to August 2005 — all in full color, from cover to cover. Explore a world where a small group of people are born with genes that give them super-powers. These "mutants" are hated and feared by humanity at large, and the X-Men come together to protect both mutants and human from prejudice and evil mutants alike. You'll get to follow their incredible adventures as they span four amazing decades.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars XMEN
Who'd a thunk you could sit down in the leisure of your own home, and read 40 years worth of comics, on your computer??? This set has reintroduced me to some childhood friends, and reminded me why I was (and still am) a fine.

4 Stars Watermarking…
Great value. I'm really glad there is a legitimate way of getting all the copies of xmen.

The only con is that every page is watermarked with the Marvel logo, and its not small. A 3rd of the page is covered in a the logo. It is transparent but it still takes away from the overall quality of the experiance. If you're and x-fan its not a deal breaker but it is still annoying.

5 Stars Great gift!
I bought this as part of an anniversary gift for my husband. He enjoyed comics as a kid and enjoys all the movies that have been made based on comics.

Well, he loves this. He spends time each night reading the comics- he's catching up on the more recent ones before going back to the comics from the past.

Great gift for the guy who is still a kid at heart.

5 Stars Good Start
I was totally satisfied with this product. The chances of being able to buy every single one of these comics to be able to read the entire story is virtually impossible or at the least financially prohibitive. The ability to reduce or enlarge the image lets you read a page, a panel, or what ever you like at one time. Now we need all the sister titles so we can see how all the cross title stories fleshed out. I didn't use the print option.

5 Stars Love it!!
I can't really say anything that hasn't been said already, good or bad, except a sincere Thank You!! to whoever it was that scanned all these books, the quality is fantastic, the issues are legit as opposed to reprints and the ad's really take me back - (sea monkeys - LOL)

I would highly recommend this to any fan or newbie - cheaper than buying back issues and save wear and tear on the ones you may already have. I am hoping that the 2nd X-men series will be scanned sometime soon, hopefully they will take the plunge and scan the other titles like New Mutants, X-Factor, Alpha Flight, etc..

That would be great -no more digging out old back issues to read and way more portable!

Well worth the money!!

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Mac OS X 10 4 Tiger Old Version

review — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:41:50 +0000

Mac OS X 10 4 Tiger Old Version

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger will change the way you think about your Mac. It offers more than 200 new features to make controlling your personal information, applications and usage more easily than ever. Find, manage and enjoy the things you care about more effectively — with the most advanced operating system yet released. Accelerate your research with the powerful new development tools. Work with integrated support for critical audio functions for better music at home. While you're doing both ofthese, you can also do just about everything else, from checking the weather to managing e-mail. Prepare to be amazed at how far operating systems have come. Link up all your Macs and share Safari bookmarks, address book contacts, mail settings and more through. mac Sync VoiceOver gives users with disabilities equal access to the power and simplicity of the Mac 64-bit UNIX based operating system with advanced distributed computing facilities and collaborative tools Also includes broader parental controls for children, better Mail organizing and archiving options, iChat AV and other tools for research, audio/video, design, photography and small business management

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Simply the best!
What can I say other than this is simply hands down the best operating system on the planet! We were spoiled by how flawless it performed, and sold our PC soon afterward.

5 Stars There is a question here?
Why not have the best possible operating system for the best possible computer. While this OS is not the top of the line today, it was when I bought it. If you buy the MAC, it pays to have the best operating system. Stay current. The hardest jump was from OS 8 to OS 9. I was unable to bring any of my peripherals with me. Now it is seamless. Like they say, just "Plug n Play."

3 Stars Works, stable - but not worth upgrading
I bought a used Mac with Panther already on it. I bought Tiger because that was the current O/S release, and since I had no bonafide O/S installer disk, I wanted a safe recovery disk I could use to reboot and rebuild the whole system from if I ever needed it.

This is on a G4 733 MHz, with 768 MB RAM.

Lots of eye candy, zero substance. If you are happy with Panther, don't bother.

After using Tiger for a year, I have yet to see it do anything at all of any use.

The machine does NOT run faster, and

Spotlight? Good God. MAKE IT DIE.

1. Spotlight's drive indexing will either kill your performance (if you let it update often enough to be of any use), or be out of date so it can't find files. TURN IT OFF.

2. Spotlight can't find half the files that are really on your drive. TURN IT OFF.

Even if you get rid of it, and get rid of all its indexes, it STILL will fail to find some files. AMAZING. They took a simple idea like searching through the drive directory for a file name and they broke it.

It took digging around on forums and a lot of screwing around to truly disable it. Now, when I search for a file, it takes longer because it has to actually search the disk, but guess what? It ACTUALLY FINDS THE FILES.

Panther's search dialogs were much simpler, worked faster, and found everything. Spotlight is the single biggest reason to avoid Tiger.

5 Stars Great upgrade!
I got Tiger to improve the working of my Powerbook G4 1.5. My Jaguar installation was getting pokey after two years and a clean install with Tiger cleared out the annoying slowdowns in my computer. Before Tiger, my computer would hang when playing large DV files (such as the ones I made in iMovie) but now they run without a hitch even though the hardware is the same. This Tiger upgrade doesn't include some of the apps (games, Quicken, etc.) that my wife has on her new MacBook, but it did include a 30-day trial verion of iWorks which has come in handy!

5 Stars Puts Windows to shame!
When I first switched over to the Mac (after years of believing in Windows XP's superiority, mind you), it was a Powerbook G4 with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. After using it for just a few minutes, I was finally convinced that I was wrong about Mac vs. Windows in a big way. Once you get used to it, OS X is not only easier to use, but it is prettier, more powerful, and far more stable as well. Tiger improves on that platform. My favorite new feature is Dashboard, which brings a whole bunch of handy little apps to your fingertips, such as a calculator, calendar, stock tracker, weather forecast, dictionary, sticky notes, and hundreds more available for download at Apple's website. Spotlight is also a cool feature; certainly better than any other search feature I've used. Microsoft will be coming out with its new Vista OS pretty soon, which basically steals most of OS X's ideas. Personally, I could care less. Give me OS X any day. I will be one of the first in line to buy Leopard when it comes out this spring!

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Roxio Easy CDandDVD Burning

review — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:39:10 +0000

Roxio Easy CDandDVD Burning

Easy CD/DVD Copy is a powerful set of Digital media applications for creating your own CDs and DVDs. Unleash the full potential of your CD/DVD Burner! Sleek, easy-to-use Interface makes burning your own DVDs or CDs as easy as clicking a mouse System Requirements - Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000 Pro, XP Home, or XP Pro

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Can't uninstall it
I have to agree with everyone else that this software is a piece of junk. I've had problems with it on three computers and when I gave up on it, found out I couldn't uninstall the components and I tried everything. I think this software is the first stage of a terrorist attack.

1 Star Avoid at all costs
caused my CD drive to stop working completely. When I tried to update it I got the black screen of death "windows could not start normally". Thank god I had a roxio removal tool (cant even uninstall it without a special tool)

AVOID

1 Star Trial version?
I've use version 5 for years so I thought this might be a little better.

I had not used it since installation but today I wanted to burn a DVD and got the message "trail version expired". I check the box and no where does it say that it is a trial version. How many people would spend $25 for a trial version? This has the earmark of a class action suit. How many people got riped off with this one. Never again will I spend money on roxio.

1 Star "It doesn't work" is the kindest thing I can say about this…..
Roxio Easy CD & DVD is anything but easy. That's because it causes my PC to freeze and turns blank disks into trash. Even after I use the Task Manager to close frozen windows, the CD drive is locked shut until I reboot.

This PC is less than six months old, and it doesn't have any hard drive or registry issues - at least it didn't before I loaded this software.

I'm really kicking myself for not taking a look at these reviews before I purchased this. The Windows Media Center software that came with my PC does it all better anyway.

Live and learn.

NOT recommended,

1 Star Claims to be Vista compatible but isn't
I picked this up because it was an inexpensive solution from a big name company and it claims to be Compatible with Vista. It is not!!

As soon as installation finished I got a couple popups saying that this software has compatibility issues with Vista and has been blocked from running. Vista gives another window to check for possible solutions online…none. I registered the software with Roxio in hopes that I could run the auto-updater to find a patch. The auto-updater that is included with this software is not recognized by the Roxio website. HUH???? *&%!

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