Wayne Kawamoto

In part one of our two-part series on Microsoft’s Windows Live, we looked at what you can expect from Windows Live Mail and the new Windows Messenger. This week we delve into three other services: Windows Live Toolbar, Windows Live Safety Center, and Windows Live Favorites. Tool Time Windows Live Toolbar replaces the MSN Search […]

Microsoft’s Windows Live lineup of services promises Web-based tools to handle e-mail, instant messages, schedules and maps, manage RSS feeds, Web searches and much more. In part one of this two-part review, we evaluate pre-release editions of Windows Live Mail, Microsoft’s newest Web-based e-mail service and Windows Messenger, the successor to MSN Messenger. If this […]

A tax code that’s easy to understand, a politician not influenced by money and a paperless office. While all three seem impossible, Cabinet NG — an electronic paper filing system that’s both intuitive and effective — can at least help you deal with the mounds of paper that accumulate within your company. The Paper Chase […]

Forget the staid, starched-collar business attitude of the traditional office suite. Corel’s latest WordPerfect Office X3 — Standard Edition offers a more visual, Windows-style interface, and Corel’s even given the packaging a colorful, streamlined look. But beneath its rather consumer-oriented exterior, you’ll find software that easily handles the demands of small businesses and, in a […]

Integrated search functions make use of established search engines In our information age, few applications receive more use than Web browsers. While numerous more-than-capable alternatives exist, chances are most of us use or have recently used Microsoft Internet Explorer, the browser that comes with Windows. But while there have been innovations over the last couple […]

Portable Firefox offers a compact version of the popular Mozilla Firefox Web browser. In actual use, it’s hard to tell that you are running a portable application. In our age of over-inflated programs that greedily consume hard drive space and offer lots of features that few people actually use, one developer is thinking inside the […]

Growing businesses that are stretching the boundaries of their current accounting software but aren’t quite ready to take on the more daunting mid-market systems, should seriously consider Intuit’s latest top-of-the-line release, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 6.0. The software offers faster performance, accommodates more data, provides improved inventory features and incorporates the newest QuickBooks features. And of course, […]

After years of improvements, modifications and tweaks, there doesn’t seem to be much about QuickBooks that needs improvement. But every year, like clockwork, Intuit releases a “latest and greatest” version, and this year is no different. While QuickBooks 2006 lacks ground-breaking new capabilities, the designers have successfully reworked the interface so that it’s faster and […]

Short of locking your PC in a high-security vault, there may be no better way to protect your data than with Steganos Security Suite 2006 (SSS). Key features in this new suite include high-level encryption capabilities, spyware protection, a method to track stolen notebook PCs, and a virtual shredder that thoroughly disposes of critical documents […]

Despite this modern age of 100-plus gigabyte hard drives and speedy Internet connections, file compression utilities still maintain a useful place. And among such utilities, PowerArchiver is an excellent choice. This utility program offers a wealth of features for compression connoisseurs while remaining easy enough for novices to quickly master. Either way, everyone wins with […]

When who you know is just as important as what you know, you might consider using contact-manager software to track all of your dealings with clients and customers. Sage Software’s ACT by Sage 2006, a descendant of the original ACT and one of the few such programs that’s still around, offers a powerful feature set […]

Starting a business without a plan is akin to navigating through a forest without a map. And beyond knowing where you want your firm to go, banks and investors want plans that they can evaluate before they release funds. Before you go knocking on doors, invest a dime or sign on any dotted lines, consider […]