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1988-11-19
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8KB
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143 lines
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HANDS-ON EVALUATIONS OF COMPUTERS, PRINTERS, PERIPHERALS, SOFTWARE, BOOKS AND
ONLINE SERVICES. COPYRIGHT 1987, 1988 BY DAVID W. BATTERSON
I am trying a new idea in shareware. Instead of a program, this disk contains
original reviews and evaluations written by writer and computer consultant
David W. Batterson.
My computer-related articles, reviews and commentary have been published in
PC WORLD, MicroTimes, LINK-UP, Computer Shopper, Los Angeles Business Journal,
Easy Reader (Hermosa Beach, CA weekly), The Paralegal, The Editorial Eye, and
other periodicals.
Have you ever read a glowing review of a PC product in a magazine, and then you
saw a full-page ad for the product in the same magazine? That makes you just a
little suspicious, doesn't it? It doesn't necessarily mean that the editorial
department is influenced by the advertising department, but it SOMETIMES is!
Also, have you picked up and read buyer's guides on the newsstand? Again,
you have to beware of what you are reading. Are the "reviews" actually the
result of hands-on evaluations of every product mentioned, or were they
compiled from manufacturers' presskits and brochures?
All these reviews were done independently, and all products were tested and
evaluated before I sat down to write the review. I call 'em the way I see
'em, and let the chips fall where they may! Some of the reviews have been
published, and some have not, but all reviews took a lot of hours and energy to
complete.
Notice at the top of this text file the big heading: PC REVIEWS. Like all
other shareware programs circulating around, this material is COPYRIGHTED, and
isn't free. The reviews could save you a lot of money by keeping you from
buying bad products, and likewise could increase your productivity if you
purchase the RIGHT products.
If you receive value from these reviews, please send a check or money order for
$10.00 (minimum) to:
David W. Batterson
THE WRITE RESULTS
365 N. Saturmino Drive, Unit 6
Palm Springs, CA 92262
If enough users send in the requested fee, there will be an updated disk of
more reviews, articles, useful tips, and who knows what else??? So send in
your payment today, and any comments are also welcome. If you disagree with
any review or statements made, I'll be happy to read your reaction. Thanks and
happy computer shopping!
To start viewing or printing any of the text files, at the DOS prompt type:
A:> GO <Enter>
I've added to the disk PRNTFILE.COM, a public domain program which allows you
to easily print one of the text files. It works from within the GO.BAT file
However, if you wish to use it as a separate program, type:
A:> PRNTFILE <Enter>
Then move the highlighter to the file you wish to print and <Enter>.
###
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ HOW REVIEW PRODUCTS WERE SELECTED, AND OTHER COMMENTS ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
You might wonder how I decided to review certain computers, printers,
peripherals, software and books, while many other products were omitted. Well,
that's easy.
I contacted dozens of industry manufacturers and/or their PR agencies, via
mail, telephone, MCI Mail and fax, requesting hardware evaluation units and
software copies.
Many responded favorably, while many others did not even acknowledge the
letter, call or a follow-up contact.
My experience has been that the 'hungry' companies--those who NEED all the PR
they can get--are more inclined to send products for review. The biggies, such
as IBM, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, AST, Zenith and others, are simply not going to
deal with an independent reviewer. That's understandable.
Many contacts were made at COMDEX too. Sometimes I just read or hear about
a new product, and my curiosity makes me want to review it. This was the case
with the Tracker software, and the Vendex Head Start XT clone. In both
cases, these were new companies (Australian and Dutch) trying to carve out a
niche in the U.S. I had no trouble getting both of these for review, and both
turned out to be products I could recommend.
At some companies, there is no PR dept., and therefore requests get buried
somewhere under a pile. Some companies think that publicity is unimportant, so
they put all their money and effort into advertising. They believe that just
by running ads in the computer magazines, customers will flock into the stores
and ask for their product. WRONG!
One time when I asked to speak to the PR dept. of a modem company, the
receptionist didn't know what I was talking about so she connected me with the
Sales Department. The people there turned out to be useless, and I never was
able to get any modems for reviews. I own a modem made by that company
[Practical Peripherals] and I'm happy with it. I even wrote to the company
president. I did receive lots of brochures from them later, but since I DON'T
do reviews from brochures, I didn't write anything on them.
Meanwhile, modems made by other companies ARE being reviewed, and are probably
out-selling those made by the aforementioned company. Migent sent their Pocket
Modem, and I reviewed it; this modem has been widely reviewed because their PR
people are on the ball!
You may notice that there are no spreadsheets or databases reviewed on the
disk. That's because (1) I don't use them and (2) these should really be
evaluated by experienced users, and generally are. Likewise, I have received
accounting software (except for Dac Easy Light) mainly because I'm not familiar
enough with computer accounting procedures to properly judge how good it is.
As for high-end software, again I don't use it, and also I feel the major
magazine writers are better qualified to review those. One problem with the
mainstream computer publications is that they are ignoring the new PC users by
NOT reviewing more low-end software. These publications have gotten so fat and
profitable, that they are virtually beholden to their big advertisers. And the
articles/reviews are often so overly technical and filled with computerese that
the new users get frustrated.
There are MILLIONS of people who still haven't purchased computers because they
are intimidated by them. Magazines and hardware/software companies can help
this situation if they choose to do so!
Luckily, we have thousands of user groups and BBSs around the country which
are an invaluable source of information, both for novices and expert users. I
salute these groups which have flourished because they filled the void left by
those publications, companies and computer retailers that have little or no
interest in assisting inexperienced computer users. Take advantage of what
BBSs and user groups have to offer!
Your feedback is always welcome.
DATE: November 19, 1988 Palm Springs, California