Communication Software Reviews

works good
I purchased this on amazon.com in 2006 from a marketplace seller. I only got the CD and the CD key (as advertised by the seller), and the cost was low. I registered it, and it works great. I use it to manage my emails, my calendar, and my tasks (stuff to do around the house, financially, socially, etc.).

I don't have to think about when to do stuff, and I don't forget to do stuff anymore, because the software reminds me when the time comes for the task or calendar event.

It is very handy. I tried to find a free alternative that did similar stuff (at least calendar and task functions) on the web, but there wasn't anything at the time.

I have kept my copy current via updates from Microsoft. I would buy this again, if I needed it.

Good
Good product -- unfortunately I've seen upgraded to Outlook 2007 on Vista -- unacceptably, painfully slow performance and software lockouts that require program restarts many times during a session -- even after microsoft's patches....

Microsoft Outlook 2003 [Old Version]
Pros: overall good Email program. Establishing folders very good

Cons: Address book and Contact list can not be merged and vis versa. Backup of Address Book location not clear. Export and import of files not clear. Moving data base files to a new computer very difficult.

Upgraded and happy
Outlook 2003 was a huge difference from my previous version. It is very user friendly if you just install and get going. I purchased an Outlook book to help me get going, and it was great.

Pros- faster from contact to email to notes. friendlier to my pop3 email. you can get more done faster when it comes to organizing. Lots of good plugins online.

Cons-not backwards compatible with the rest of the office suite. If all you want is outlook to stand alone, it is great as a single upgrade. If you want to use it with word and the rest, upgrade the whole office package.

Hope this helped.

Marty

Easy mail list program with many features.
This is the easiest program to use for keeping accurate information about each person listed in the data base. I highly recommend this software to anyone maintaining up-to-date mailing lists for organizations such as churches, reunion groups, small businesses and the like. The possibilities are endless depending on the size of the group being entered into this program.

My Mail List and Addressbook Version 7.0
I thought this program would be easier to navigate than it is. I never had any problem entering the data. My problem is the address fields and getting them to print on different size envelopes. I ended up printing the User's Guide so I wouldn't have to deal with the small windows in the help guide. I think it will be a good software program but it isn't as simple as it looks. I wish I had someone to guide me through it.

Problems with My Mail List 7.0
We found it very difficult to import data from the My Mail List program I had been using for years to the new one. It seems to me that like a lot of other programs we have, all the data should have been downloaded to the new one when the new one was installed.

works good
I purchased this on amazon.com in 2006 from a marketplace seller. I only got the CD and the CD key (as advertised by the seller), and the cost was low. I registered it, and it works great. I use it to manage my emails, my calendar, and my tasks (stuff to do around the house, financially, socially, etc.).

I don't have to think about when to do stuff, and I don't forget to do stuff anymore, because the software reminds me when the time comes for the task or calendar event.

It is very handy. I tried to find a free alternative that did similar stuff (at least calendar and task functions) on the web, but there wasn't anything at the time.

I have kept my copy current via updates from Microsoft. I would buy this again, if I needed it.

Good
Good product -- unfortunately I've seen upgraded to Outlook 2007 on Vista -- unacceptably, painfully slow performance and software lockouts that require program restarts many times during a session -- even after microsoft's patches....

Microsoft Outlook 2003 [Old Version]
Pros: overall good Email program. Establishing folders very good

Cons: Address book and Contact list can not be merged and vis versa. Backup of Address Book location not clear. Export and import of files not clear. Moving data base files to a new computer very difficult.

Upgraded and happy
Outlook 2003 was a huge difference from my previous version. It is very user friendly if you just install and get going. I purchased an Outlook book to help me get going, and it was great.

Pros- faster from contact to email to notes. friendlier to my pop3 email. you can get more done faster when it comes to organizing. Lots of good plugins online.

Cons-not backwards compatible with the rest of the office suite. If all you want is outlook to stand alone, it is great as a single upgrade. If you want to use it with word and the rest, upgrade the whole office package.

Hope this helped.

Marty

Windows XP compatibility
Procomm Plus working just fine on Windows XP for a submitting/receiving medical billing using scripts.

Procomm Plus DOES Work with XP
I write Aspect scripts that are used everyday by hundreds of clients, a large portion of them XP. Our scripts involve highly complex bbs navigations, and they all work!

Must have.
I'm a road warrior that test telecom equipment. and Procomm plus is a must have for VT-320 emulations.

Works just like it should...perfect!
I bought this software for my company and I couldn't be more pleased. I'm based in Seattle, but my servers and VRU's are located in New York City. Whenever there's been a problem I've been able to log right in and get the job done.

Iriscan Executive 2 is better than Pentax
Iriscan Executive 2 is better than Pentax DSmobile 600 !

I own the two. I agree that the scanning speed is somehow slower than of the Pentax, but the final work is much better. The software bundled with the Iriscan is fantastic !. (The Pentax includes a very poor and sometimes useless software). Of course you can use the Pentax with the software that comes with the Iriscan !

IRIScan Executive 2 Review
IRIScan Executive 2 is a compact, portable, sheet fed, color scanner. IRIScan is USB powered, thus making it easy to use anywhere. The Mac version includes the OCR software Readiris Pro 11 for scanning text documents and photographs; and Cardiris 4 for scanning business cards..

I installed IRIScan on a Mac Book G4 running Mac OS X 10.5.2. Following the installation instructions I installed the Readiris Pro 11 software then plugged the IRIScan into a USB port. I next calibrated the scanner using the provided calibration sheet and was all set to begin. I chose a text document, fed it into the scanner and waited. The scanned result was a blank page I tried again, same result. I chose another document and once again it produced a blank page. The Quick Start Guide was of little use. I checked the settings and tried several more times but nothing happened. Because it was late in the evening I put it away and decided I would check it out another day.

My next experience began the same way, so I opened up the electronic 128 page User's Manual. I spent two hours reading the manual, which didn't have any troubleshooting information and no instructions relating to my problem, making minor changes in the settings, and trying to scan. Finally success! However, I don't really know what made the difference.

The first document I scanned had several inaccuracies in the final product. The User's Manual explains that there are so many fonts and styles and sometimes there are extra dots left on the page and the OCR has trouble interpreting the text, but there is a Learn button in the program that will allow it to learn the unrecognized font or letters.

I continued scanning several documents from different sources. They all scanned word-for-word perfect. One had a format discrepancy. A nice feature of this software is all documents can be saved to any text or word processing application and be edited and adjusted.

I was happy with the text scanning results and wanted to try photos. The photo scans were a complete failure. The black and white pictures were like negatives and the color photos were blotchy with lots of white space. I gave up on photos and decided to install the Cardiris software.

Cardiris installed quickly, I connected the IRIScan, opened the software and nothing. It would not work. It was then that I discovered an update for Cardiris which I quickly downloaded and installed. It connected with the IRIScan immediately and I was ready to try scanning business cards. What a great tool. The business cards are accurately scanned and can be saved in the Cardiris database, the contact information can also be added to your Address Book. The information can be sent to applications such as Microsoft Entourage, New Contact, Microsoft Excel and others. Cardiris was very accurate in reading the cards and inserting the information in the correct places in Address Book even when scanning a "busy" card.

I still wasn't able to scan photos, so during my next session with IRIScan I checked the website for information but there is no help for Mac posted. I finally decided to email support. I received a reply back in about two hours. They had me re-calibrate. Afterwards I tried scanning black & white photos, they weren't much better. Then I changed the setting from black & white to grayscale and tried again. This setting change corrected the problem with black & white photos and the resulting scans were great, but i still didn't have a solution for the color photos.

I emailed support again late at night and had an answer in the morning. This time they said to change one of the settings from Automatic to Custom. It worked! Now i can produce beautiful scanned copies of color photographs.

The software included with IRIScan is definitely not written for Mac OS X . I found the interface to be quite awkward and the supplied user information inadequate. However, the support response was quick and courteous.

You are able to save your text scans in many different editable files, PDF, word processing, text edit, email, etc. The Windows version of IRIScan includes a photo editing program which would have been useful in the Mac version. I had to crop my photos after saving them to get rid of the extra black background surrounding the picture.

The Windows version also includes a translation program that will automatically translate from one language to another. I was able to successfully scan in a German document but the translation feature does not exist in the Mac version.

The IRIScan is lightweight, small and portable with USB connection.. You are able to scan full page documents, business cards and photos with up to 600 DPI. Colors are bright and text is clear. The speed is slow.

Though my initial start up with IRIScan was frustrating I now can scan documents, photos, and business cards almost flawlessly. Because of its size and portability it is a good tool to take along wherever you may travel. If you are considering purchasing an IRIScan for a Mac you may want to look at the IRIScan Express 2. The additional price for the Executive 2 includes software that is for Windows only.

Diminished by annoying nag screens and ill-advised automatic "opt in" for annual renewals
Spysweeper was one of the first high-quality spyware detection programs available. Although there are now a number of free products with similar or, arguably, enhanced capabilities. So in evaluating this product there are at least two important questions to consider: 1) Has Spysweeper kept ahead of its competitor's capabilities, and 2) is it more comfortable to use.

As to capabilities I can only speak from personal experience. Unlike at least one other reviewer here, I have been lucky enough that all malware I found was identified not only by Spysweeper but by other free malware programs I also run as an extra check. To date, my other malware detection software has worked as well as Spysweeper. Fortunately, I have not yet had any occasion where I could confirm the presence of any additional detection capabilities that may be present in Spysweeper.

I initially had a problem with Spysweeper's E-mail attachment shield which prevented my sending email. This required me to disable the E-mail shield. Fortunately, that incompatibility is no longer present, perhaps as a result of one of Spysweeper's appreciated and frequent updates, or an E-mail update.

Spysweeper still has some minor implementation issues. As one example, it specifies the number of cookies it finds. However, unless it determines a cookie is a problem, e.g., a tracking cookie, it provides no further information. A better approach would be for Spysweeper to list all cookies it finds with their location and allow users to decide which, if any, cookies to keep. My current version of Spysweeper still takes quite a while to complete a full sweep. Although one reviewer mentions sweeps completed in 5-6 minutes, I've never had sweep times even approach those results. On an XP system with many files, I've had sweep times exceed an hour. Perhaps the differences in sweep speed results arise from the use of the "quick sweep" option rather than the "full sweep" option I use. It is not clear if the relatively long sweep times are due to thoroughness or to less efficient algorithm designs.

Many of my disappointments with Spysweeper relate to the company's continued and intrusive sales "nags" after purchase, while making it difficult to avoid or eliminate them.

For example, when you select Update Spysweeper manually from the software's Options page, your browser is opened and you are taken to one of the company's web pages (nag screens), even if your product is up-to-date. There you'll find the option "Add Antivirus", even if Spysweeper's antivirus is already installed. This is an unnecessary, and time-wasting annoyance. Approximately two weeks before your annual subscription comes to an end you are continually presented with another "nag" screen you must respond to each time Spysweeper starts, and there is apparently no way to prevent this screen from appearing until you either update Spysweeper or just remove it from your computer, another unnecessary and time-consuming nuisance.

Spysweeper recently added a new "feature" to its on-site purchase option. Now whenever you decide to buy a Spysweeper product, or simply update your Spysweeper software to include antivirus protection, Spysweeper automatically "opts you in" for an annual and continuous subscription renewal.

What makes this particularly vexing is that to opt out you must go to another URL and re-enter the information you already entered to buy the original product. After you re-enter and send this opt out information a blank browser page appears with no indication that your opt out request was processed or accepted. A simple check box allowing you to opt in or out would do, but, sadly, the apparent goal is to make opting out difficult.

Spysweeper appears to be a competent product, albeit, with some technical issues. However, in rating it I considered not only its technical features, but also how user-friendly I felt it was for a purchased product. In this comparison, Spysweeper's intrusive sales approach, and its ill-advised tactic of opting you in for annual renewals, without your explicit approval, were significant negatives. More intrusive occurrences might be expected and accepted from free software, but not for a purchased product.

Your most reliable protection
By far the greatest dangers lurking on the internet are not viruses but trojans, browser highjackers and cookies. While Norton is arguably the best anti-virus software and the best firewall it has flaws. Long before Norton will notice a problem, Spy Sweeper will bag it and tag it. Hackers have learned to hide viruses in cookies and trojans instead of sending them out on their own. With Spy Sweeper you have very good protection against trojans and cookies and excellent protection against highjackers; these are the nasty bugs that cause your browser to lock onto their web page.

Here's some comments on Spy Sweepers operational behavior. It is slow to start up so give it some time. The first thing it will do is load a fresh copy of instructions from their website every morning. This will delay browser operation but it's necessary to keep you out of trouble. I just grab a cup of coffee and let it finish, which takes about 2 minutes. Spy Sweep is a little intrusive when it knows there is a program update scheduled so my advice is go with the flow.

As I pointed out, Spy Sweeper provides only fair protection against trojans, cookies and adware. There is free software that will cover this vulnerability but like everything free there is a price: poor updating. When you buy software, or subscribe might be a better word, they guarantee that they will support you. I've tried four softwares to cover this vulnerability, i.e., software I've purchased or freeware, including ZonePro's product (a purchase), spykiller (a purchase) and spybot. I settled on Spyware Doctor and one made by Sun. Spyware Doctor does an excellent job, often catching bugs before Spy Sweeper. Between the two of them, I seldom fall back on Norton for protection. The only problem with Spy Sweeper,initially, is that it did not like other protection software and would frequently alarm during start-up. It's nothing serious, just close the window properly and all will be well. Apparently, Webroot became aware of this problem and Spy Doctor has run fine for several months without interference.

As pointed out, the trojans, adware and cookies are the worst danger to your system. If your browser is highjacked, you can sometimes reload it.

In all fairness to Spy Sweeper, there are just too many hackers out there. All it takes is one twist in their software and they have invented a new bug. It is best to have at least one other bug-killer running. I often let one run first, then the other and then I reverse it. Shut down after a bug hunt to clear the damage.

If you can afford only one other protection, besides an anti-virus program, then spend your money on Spy Sweeper.

I hope this review was helpful. If so, please add your vote. I write these reviews at a considerable expense of time and money as a public service. I believe that Amazon provides the best reviews and often serves as the best means of efficiently buying products.

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PS.
I find the value of software firewall, such as Norton and ZonePros, to be limited. The same can be said of hardware firewalls, though the later are more effective.

Hardware firewalls work on the principle of creating one or more false targets for the hacker's software to attack. Unfortunately, being hardwired, it is easier to develop a work-around with software than with hardware. This could change with a new generation of software on the horizon; if they ever get it off the drawing board.

By the way, I spent a lot of money and time figuring out what works and what does not. The hackers got my blood up one day when I was plugged into the company's high security system and somebody shutdown my computer in less than a minute from South America. I was looking for a novel scrubber design presented in a paper from a university. After that, I spent about a year, at night, testing software. Eventually, I settled on some proven principles. I have not lost a computer in several years.

Works great with bluetooth and Atom netbook
I finally received by new Dragon 10 and the Bluetooth bundled ear piece. It took a long time as nuance did not send me any kind of tracking number so I missed the shipment. However, it was well worth the wait. I have to admit I've only had this for a few days so I have not experienced the failure of the USB inset the previous viewer has, perhaps I will over time. However, I was thrilled to see how well Bluetooth worked since I was never able to get it to work very well with version 9. Even more impressive, instead of running this on a quad core processor like I did on version 9 I am running this on an Acer netbook with the Atom processor and it works flawlessly, I am very satisfied so far. I wish that I could buy plantronics Bluetooth earpiece separately so that I would have a spare, I never thought Bluetooth would work so well after all the problems I had with various Bluetooth devices in version 9.

Amazing
I have to say that, of all the computer applications I've used over the years, this is the most amazing. It installed without problems in a Vista environment and after "training" the software by speaking, I was off and running. It's hard to believe that, even when I speak fast, it keeps up. Of course, it not 100% accurate in recognizing words but does a much better job than I ever expected.

Works great with bluetooth and Atom netbook
I finally received by new Dragon 10 and the Bluetooth bundled ear piece. It took a long time as nuance did not send me any kind of tracking number so I missed the shipment. However, it was well worth the wait. I have to admit I've only had this for a few days so I have not experienced the failure of the USB inset the previous viewer has, perhaps I will over time. However, I was thrilled to see how well Bluetooth worked since I was never able to get it to work very well with version 9. Even more impressive, instead of running this on a quad core processor like I did on version 9 I am running this on an Acer netbook with the Atom processor and it works flawlessly, I am very satisfied so far. I wish that I could buy plantronics Bluetooth earpiece separately so that I would have a spare, I never thought Bluetooth would work so well after all the problems I had with various Bluetooth devices in version 9.

Amazing
I have to say that, of all the computer applications I've used over the years, this is the most amazing. It installed without problems in a Vista environment and after "training" the software by speaking, I was off and running. It's hard to believe that, even when I speak fast, it keeps up. Of course, it not 100% accurate in recognizing words but does a much better job than I ever expected.