December 1996

Windows 95

Calendar Quick

http://www.windows95.com
Registered price: $50
Rating: 8/10

If you're a member of a workgroup and use the Internet, traditional PIMs won't fill your emerging needs. Calendar Quick provides powerful group scheduling (you can both assign tasks to others and share calendars), project planning 10 years into the future, advance planning, and integration with other Windows programs. You can link any task in your calendar directly with a page in the World Wide Web. You can create five different kinds of tasks, and the various properties that you assign lets you plan and manage complex projects, without the hassle of loading project management software. Registration benefits include various plug-ins, to extend the program's capabilities even further.

Protrack

http://www.windows95.com
Registered price: $40
Rating: 8/10

Protrack will ensure that you never lose a file again. Instead of hunting for files, you store them in projects, which Protrack creates for you. Once you have created a project, you can set parameters, and Protrack will automatically add additional files to your project. There's room for you to add descriptions to projects, and the program logs start dates and due dates for you. Projects can contain as many files (from any program) as you like. You can also create and store an unlimited number of projects.

WordScribe

http://www.windows95.com
Registered price: $40
Rating: 8/10

Now you can have a full-featured, interactive spell-checker everywhere in Windows, not just in your word processor -- although you can use it in a word processor, too. It even talks to you but you may want to turn this feature off unless you like hearing "misspell" each time you create a typo. WordScribe loads with Windows and adds itself to the menu in each of your Windows programs; just look for the blue feather in the menu bar. It checks your hard disk for the programs it will work with, and you can add additional programs to the list if you wish. The program watches your typing and lets you know as soon as you've made an error. It's ideal if you write a lot of e-mail or newsgroup messages.

Jot_It!

http://www.windows95.com
Registered price: $40
Rating: 8/10

Jot_It! isn't your usual sticky note program. Other notes jam up your desktop and you have to search right through them to find one that applies to a specific application. Jot_It! lets you attach notes anywhere -- files, dialogue boxes, windows and menus. It creates a link between the note and the spot you placed it, so when you open the spot where you placed the note, it pops up to remind you. You can even add voice notes to the notes you create.

PaintShop Pro 4.1

http://www.jasc.com

PaintShop Pro has always been our favourite graphic file viewer and converter, but in this latest version, PaintShop Pro is now a comprehensive graphics package and virtually a must for anyone getting into Web page authoring. It lets you view, create and save graphics in the GIF and JPG formats common on the Web, and provides image manipulation tools that'll let you grab a photo or other image and edit it to your heart's content. See our Guide to Web authoring tools.

Windows

Above and Beyond 4.0

ftp://ftp.pcworld.com/pub/tipaday/above400.zip
Registered price: $125
Rating: 9/10

Above and Beyond is a brilliant PIM which helps you manage your time. It features a unique capability called 'dynamic scheduling' which juggles your time; you only need to enter each task and appointment once. If you run overtime, Above and Beyond automatically rearranges your schedule and will even recommend you transfer a task to another day if your schedule is too full. The program is completely network aware, so you can handle meetings and e-mail from within it. It has all the bells and whistles you get with other PIMs, but is packed with unusual (and handy) features. You can try it free, and although the price may seem high, it will save you hours each week. It's used by thousands of companies including Telstra, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Merrill Lynch.

Elvis

http://www.hotfiles.com/index.html
Registered price: $15
Rating: 8/10

We all have a drawer full of business cards that we never look at again until we throw them out. This cute program lets you create multimedia business cards. Your 'business card on a disk' includes all your usual details, as well as your photo and a voice note from you. Send your electronic card attached to your e-mail or on a diskette to new clients and contacts.

COMMONcents Business

Trial version of this complete multi-user business accounting package for small to medium businesses.

DOS

Outline Plus

http://www.hotfiles.com/index.html
Registered price: $35
Rating: 8/10

Outline Plus is a full-featured outliner for DOS. It's ideal for use on your notebook computer because it takes up very little space. You can use it for cataloguing or brainstorming, as well as creating research notes, calendars and to-do lists. The program includes a full-screen text editor, with up to nine levels of outline. You can search and replace on any outline, as well as format and print your work. It's easy to promote and demote, and you can hide any text you add.

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November 1996 applications