Amazon.com

Keynote, Apple’s answer to Microsoft’s PowerPoint presentation software, has the limited feature set of a first offering but makes a good-looking show out of the gate.

Users accustomed to PowerPoint’s robust array of clip art, pre-populated themes, and pre-set transitions will be disappointed with Keynote’s small offering of pre-fabricated elements. However, they won’t be able to find fault with the visual quality of the elements that Keynote does include; any of the tasteful Keynote themes, detachable chart elements, or cinematic slide transitions would easily stand out against their PowerPoint counterparts.

Keynote’s interface is fairly similar to PowerPoint, although there are some differences. As with PowerPoint you can setup and see the progress of your slide show in a vertical panel on the left. Most of the formatting controls are in a control box called the "inspector"--whether building a chart, making a graphic twirl, or mandating the transition between two slides, you are mostly using the inspectors’ controls rather than dropdown menus or key commands to get things done. In addition to being able to animate imported graphics, audio and movie files can be played within a slide, though these multimedia effects will not run across multiple slides.

What will have to wait for the next version are comprehensive chart creation and exporting capabilities. Currently Keynote provides nine beautiful chart styles to choose from, but getting data into these pre-populated formats can be tedious. Users may find it easier to construct their more complicated charts outside the program, and import them as pre-made images into the slideshow.And, though you can export Keynote presentations to QuickTime and to PowerPoint, there is no Keynote-to-HTML conversion as yet. --Elizabeth Aoki

... Read more

Features

• Design razor-sharp text, beautiful charts & tables, and professional-quality layouts, all with just a few clicks
• Create high-quality visual effects like transitions between slides, element effects and more
• Intuitive slide navigator and simple thumbnail viewer for more precise controls and better slide organization
• Professional themes and images combined with must-haves like anti-aliased text, dynamic alignment guides and snap-rulers
• Experiment with different typefaces to create the perfect text for your presentation

Reviews (9)

New Turn Your Slide Presentations with Keynote
For most Mac users, slide presentations means Microsoft's Powerpoint. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, in 2003 decided there is the ÔMac WayÕ for presentations. In Steve Jobs words, ÒKeynote makes your presentation really count. Ó

Under the Keynote Hood

You can choose transition, style, direction and speed when you use KeynoteÕs Inspector. Creating object builds adds visual interest to your slide presentation. You can animate the elements on a single slide or in a group of slides.

One click and you alter the opacity of a graphic using the Slide Inspector. Click twice and you can set the playback parameters for a QuickTime movie. The Build window in the Inspector allows you to preview, add, and manipulate transitions within and between slides.

AppleÕs Keynote allows you to include sound for your presentation. AppleÕs KeynoteÕs sound formats you can use are MOV, Flash, MP3 and AIFF. Also, you can add files from iTunesÕ music library to your Keynote slide presentation. In addition, you can add a Quicktime movie to your slides.

Pro Reaction

Keynote has crisp, fresh graphics. KeynoteÕs ÔDrag and DropÕ and exporting to AppleÕs Quicklime both work well. You can import Microsoft PowerPoint or AppleWorksÕ presentations and create a custom theme base on those slides.

You can store your images in KeynoteÕs Image Library. KeynoteÕs Cube and Mosaic Large transitions are outstanding for updating your MicrosoftÕs PowerPoint. You receive a KeynoteÕs User Guide manual. No missing manual here.

Con Reaction

Keynote lacks prebuilt presentations. Also, Keynote has very little clip art to work with in presentations. Also, you have limited presentation themes to choose from in Keynote.

Keynote Cube and Mosaic Large and small transitions do not render well when exporting in MicrosoftÕs PowerPoint or AcrobatÕs PDF formats. Missing from KeynoteÕs User Guide is an index.

Final Notes

You can count on KeynoteÕs sharp appearance, ease of use, and great price. Keynote makeÔs it easy to create professional-looking presentations compatible with MicrosoftÕs PowerPoint. In addition, Keynote gives your presentations attractive slide-transition effects. I use AppleÕs KeynoteÕs software as a companion software for revising my MicrosoftÕs PowerPoint presentations.

Charts and clean presentations...
I work with plenty of powerpoint charts in my work with windows users...but when I need a great statistics chart, I turn to Keynote. I have plenty of control over the output and the results are stunning.

The export to powerpoint works terrific. However, if you build a presentation in Keynote, you may just consider exporting it into Quicktime so that the viewer can simply run through the presentation in pristine quality and enjoy all of the terrific transitions.

I hope to see more office apps like this from Apple in the future.

It knows what you need.
For years, PowerPoint has been the bain of my existence. My boss is obsessed with it. Every week it's another presentation in PowerPoint. Finally, an alternative. As usual, Apple takes the "point" out of a Microsoft product. It seems fair, all things considered.

The user interface for this program is fast and easy to learn. It even gives you several options of themes to use for those deadline crunches that we all run into from time to time. It includes the famous drag-and-drop functionality that we've come to expect.

Most importantly, you can save it out to PowerPoint for those less enlighted souls who still think that a Windows machine will help them keep up with the times.

Bill Palmer's Keynote Review
Despite its youth and inexperience, Keynote represents everything that's right about computing in the Mac universe, and easily explains why I use a Mac.

My full thoughts on Keynote are too long to post here, but if you would like to read all about it, just follow this link (cut and paste it into your browser if it's not clickable):

Bill Palmer's Keynote Review
[website]

Easy, Sharp, Intuitive, Apple
After being a slave to both Mc and PC versions of PPT, Keynote came along and threw off the bonds. As I own my own business and can use what I want, Keynote will replace PPT without hesitation.
Graphic acuity, more choices and freedoms to manipulate charts and graphs with ease.
No problem leaving MS PPT at the curb with the rest of the mutts.. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It does the job
I got tired of having tons of unused business cards with outdated info and I've decided to try making my own cards when it's needed. I bought this program and some Avery CleanEdge paper and installed it on my laptop. What was my impression? Well, it was easy as promised. Of course, many of their 4000+ design samples were not very impressive, but I found something very close to what I was looking for and customization took just a few minutes. When I entered my Avery paper code, it picked picked it up and printed just perfectly, the cards came out looking really good. So it does it's job and I've got what I've been promised in a very quick time. I can't say anything bad about this software, so I gave 5 stars.

But I want to give you a little warning. if you're technically savvy and not going to use really advanced features like matching envelopes, blanks etc, then you can probably get the same thing done in regular Microsoft Word. It will take a little bit longer, but it's pretty much the same standard document editor with some clip art collection. So before you buy make sure you understand clearly what you want to get and it's really beyond what you can do with your favorite text editor. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Add the power of in-house graphical design to your business with The Print Shop Pro Publisher 15. Through a friendly interface and intuitive wizards, create brochures, cards, letterhead, fliers, and more with ease. Draw from a massive library of more than 1,040,000 images (40,000 on CD and well over a million online) and 10,000 project templates. The Print Shop Pro Publisher 15 is the industry standard for do-it-yourself design.

There's no need to stop with paper projects. The Print Shop Pro Publisher 15 lets you create multimedia presentations and entire Web sites. You can create compelling video presentations using MovieShop Express, incorporating transitions, titles, music, and more. Calendar Creator Special Edition lets you create exciting calendars to help you organize and manage your contacts.

Enhance your publications with artwork from world-class collections including Christie's and Papyrus. Turn snapshots into masterpieces with a complete photo workshop, which lets you edit, crop, and correct your photos, and apply a wide array of special effects. The Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe 15 delivers everything you need to gain the creative advantage. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Access is "iffy"
I've owned previous versions of this product, and I enjoyed using them. I found switching CDs a little annoying though, and welcomed the idea of one disk, with most of the art stored online, without taking up space on my computer.

The art is wonderful; my real complaint with the program is the website access. All too often, I find myself in the middle of designing something when suddenly an object cannot download. There appears a blurb from the manufacturer telling you to try again later. Sometimes "later" is just a few moments later, other times it can be quite a while. Also, I find that the thumbnails are a little slow appearing, making scrolling through the art time consuming. I would give this product a much higher rating if it wasn't for this unreliability. I like the PrintShop, but I just bought Version 20 Deluxe, to be installed when I install my larger hard drive. I haven't installed it yet; I'm reading reviews here to see if anything else sounds more promising.

Experienced Print Shop user
I bought the print shop deluxe version 15 because I had been very pleased with its previous editions. Well not with this one. It installed only part of the program, I uninstalled the whole program and started installation again, but the program insists it is already installed. So here I sit with a new program that is useless. Have contacted Broderbund but have not had a reply. Have had the computer checked out and it is the program not the computer causing the problem.

Terrible Software - Does edit photos
This is terrible software. I gave it two stars because it does edit photos and I needed that feature, but, overall I am very sorry that I spent my money before looking at these reviews.

The interface is AWFUL! For example, if you want to add a rectangle you would think you would just click on a rectangle tool and draw it. Nope! Instead you click on "Insert Shape", then you get a dialog box of possible shapes. You have to select the shape you want and the color in this dialog box. Then you click OK. Now you have a rectangle that you can reshape.

The Wizards are OK, but the designs are very lame and unprofessional. The system creates some integrated letterhead and business cards, but you wouldn't want to use them.

I bought this ... figuring, ...how much worse can it be than Microsoft Publisher 2000? Afterall, this isn't rocket science. The answer was MUCH worse!

Is there an award for Worst Software Imaginable?
This is great if you want to send a note to your Aunt Helen. Anything more substantial and it is full of quirks and bugs. Huge Waste of Money----the programmers should be lined up and shown the door or preferably worse.

No Manual
This is a disappointment for the high price as it has no manual. I've enjoyed previous versions of P.S. Deluxe, and this is the first that didn't include a paper manual. I don't like reading instructions on the computer screen/electronic manuals. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

In terms of value, best productivity suite available
Like some of the other reviewers, I'm rather surprised at the number of negative reviews that Appleworks has received. While it is true that Appleworks is not as powerful as Microsoft Office, it is much less expensive and clearly represents a better value. The word processer part of it (the part that most people will use) is more intuitive and easier to use than Microsoft Word. True, Word is more powerful; but it costs $350 and requires a manual to use. I have never needed to use a manual to use Appleworks. You have complete control of your documents and you don't have to summon up the help application to figure out how to do common tasks like formatting paragraphs or adding links. Those who have mastered the complexities of MS Word and who require its special features may not like Appleworks. But for the rest of us, it more than meets our needs.

Also, one thing more: I have never had any trouble with Appleworks' translators from cwk to word format. I'm not sure why so many people have reported having trouble with it. I translated an entire book from Appleworks to PC MS Word, preserving the formats and special lettering instructions without any trouble at all. In any case, this wouldn't be a problem if people would show more courtesy to non-MS users (Macs and Linux) and not insist on sending them doc formatted files. PDF and rtf are far better cross-platform alternatives.

What's not to like?
Ok, I'm am sure that there are features in Word or Excel that some of you might use and the key word is might, but for the other 98% of us. Apple Works is a complete program that is full featured and easy to use. It can save and all of latest Microsoft Office file formats and that is half the battle most of the time with some of the attachments that I receive. Other than that I've been using it for about two months now and it has done everything that I have asked it to do and done it with ease. I have no problems with crashing or quiting unexpectedly under OS X. I start it and it runs and runs and runs. It's a great value even if just to open and looks at an Excel spreadsheet or Word doucument.

Chris

Great Value Suite of Software
I have been using computer word processors extensively since 1986. In 2001, I switched from being primarily a PC user to being a Mac user. And Appleworks is one of the programs I use the most.

I cannot understand the reviews on this page which slam Appleworks (especially the OSX version) for not being compatible with MS Word. I covert files back and forth from PC to Mac with no problem whatsoever. The best printer I have access to is on a PC at work. I usually write documents at home, convert them to a MS Word document, and email them to myself at work. Then at work the next day I print them. No problem.

There seems to be one glitch if you save files as a rich text file. The translator doesn't know the following characters: " '

But if you save it as a MS Word for Windows 98, 2000, ME file, you don't have this problem.

Apple, keep up the good work. The average Joe or Jane should not have to pay hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to get a solid word processor.

Tom Paine
Benton, LA
ATPaine@Lycos.Com

AppleWorks is crap
I have hoped and prayed for a Microsoft alternative. Unfortunately it is a Microsoft world, if you want to communicate with that world on a Mac use Office for Mac, it is brilliant. As much as I tried to move towards Works, I purchased it first, I could not, the spread sheet program in Works alone leaves you on a deserted island.

Save your headaches if you share any files than jump up to Office for Mac, however much that disgusts me to admits, it is a superior product.

why upgarde
Editorial review claims Appleworks 6 will translate Word documents with Dataviz translator. Last phrase is the key. Appleworks 6 does no more translation than did Appleworks 5. If you want to manage in the PC world, either buy a PC or buy Dataviz Maclink Plus. Appleworks 6 offers nothing special for compatibility in spite of the misleading editorial review. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

While computers still can't come up with winning business ideas on theirown, they have become essential tools for turning ideas into profits. BusinessPlan Pro 2002 helps beginners and old hands alike devise professional-lookingplans that show banks and investors exactly what they want to see: profitabilityestimates, cash flow, market analysis, and more.

Installation is simple, andthe wizard-driven interface makes the process almost childishly easy, so theresults are even more impressive. Of course, some details aren't forkids--financial information can be imported from popular software like Quicken,the plan and its details can be posted online, and the advice offered forparticular business operations can be very precise.

Though a few may find itannoying, the software does expect a certain amount of Web and online savvy; oneof the four supplementary books it offers is only available on the Net, forexample. Still, even complete novices can create impressive plans--or find thattheir ideas might need some substantial tweaking in order to eke out a profit. Advanced users might find the sample plans interesting, but are more likely todrool over the thousands of possible reports, the error-checking tool, thefunding search, and the wealth of additional resources.

The days of justtalking banks out of money are over--now they want to see evidence of detailedthinking. Business Plan Pro 2002 makes the hard work easy and helps turn greatideas into reality. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Business Plan Professional Indeed!
Business plan pro indeed!

I started my business in 2002 and needed a business plan. I didn't know where to start. The bank said that an accountant needed to review the figures and projections.

Geez! I am in a service business and whereas an accountant may know the numbers, they didn't know the business. My accountant said that I should write the plan and let him go over it. Yeah..right! SO I searched the Internet and came across this software. Gosh, just $99.00 bucks to secure my future obtain a business loan and get started. Seemed a fair deal, so I ordered the software and some books as well on writing a business plan.

The books said it might take a couple of months to write a proper plan to present to investors and convince them. The software said it would produce a winning plan. Ok, time to get started. Ahh.. They had sample business plans that one could look at. Nice!

Well, I followed the instructions and got started. It took a couple of weeks of editing but at the end there it was. Nicely generated plan, indexed, pages numbered nicely double-spaced. A truly professional and legal looking plan which I proudly presented to my accountant. He said, this is a lot, it is even more that they need and you will have no problems with the bank. Needless to say I wanted to believe him.

Then the day came and I presented my plan to three separate banks and waited...and waited...and waited...Then the first bank called, apologetic. My plan was so comprehensive it took them more time than usual to go through but..it was approved! They would offer 50% financing. Then the second bank called.. Approved! They would offer 90% financing. The third bank called.. needed more time, they had NEVER seen such a comprehensive and well written business plan..needed another week to fully digest it. Then they called about two weeks later. They wanted my accountant and I to meet with the Manager. They wanted a few things explained.

This did not look good!

There were a few figures they could not understand how they were generated. My accountant explained that the numbers were generated in a computer program, Business Plan Pro and he had gone over it and it was using a different recording method to what they were accustomed. [ It was all accountant talk that I have summarized]. All smiles! APPROVED! 100% financing.

Needless to say, you know which bank I went with in the end!

Thanks business plan pro. I can truly say that this software was worth every penny and I heartily endorse it!

The best resource if you need to write a Business Plan
I needed to write a business plan, but didn't really want to, and didn't know where to start. Business Plan Pro was recommended to me, and was the best investment I've made in a long time. The software really helped me to understand what a business plan was all about and to get organized and get it done. It wasn't as hard as I thought!

Made my life easier!
I've been struggling with getting my new business off the ground, and then a friend recommended this software. I am not a business person and have no head for financials, but this software made me feel confident that what I was producing was a complete and professional plan. I haven't received the official word about my loan, but the officer who I met with was extremely impressed. I was too!

I didn't think it would be this easy!
I had no time left to write a business plan and little experience putting one together. On a suggestion from a friend I ordered the Business Plan Pro software and started it up. Imagine my relief when the software literally walked me through the entire process!!

I put together a basic plan, and wrote it over the span of 3 lunch hours. Easy to understand process, outstanding resource help, great customer service and a tech service department that didn't make me feel like I was asking stupid questions.

I would recommend this product to anyone who needs a helping hand in writing, but doesn't have the money to spend on an expensive consultant.

Just bought the latest version - Very Pleased!
I have just upgraded to the latest version of Business Plan Pro and am very pleased with it. I have been using Business Plan Pro since I started my business last year, and thought I would only use my business plan to get a loan and never look at it again. Instead I have found myself keeping it updated monthly, cos its so easy to jump into the program and make changes to it.

The newest version has a new interface that is more user friendly and I the whole program a lot more manageable. My only criticism of the last version is that there was so much on the screen you didn't know where to start.

I would recommend any business owner or wannabe business owner to get themselves a copy of this software. ... Read more

Features

• Choose from 36 pre-made chart and box style templates
• Easily import and manipulate pictures to give life to boxes and backgrounds
• Create phone lists, salary tables, head count rollups, directories and profiles
• Perform spreadsheet functions on data in chart boxes, such as rollup totals, averages, fractions and standard deviation
• Create, view and edit OrgPlus-created files from within Microsoft Office

Features

• Allows engineers and others to create drawings in an intuitive environment
• Includes easy-to-use tools for designing P&ID's and PFD¿s
• Generate component lists and create datasheets
• Intelligent pipe routing and symbol alignment
• Legacy CAD Symbol Convertor

Amazon.com Product Description

AppleWorks 6.2 combines six core capabilities--word processing, page layout, painting, spreadsheet, database, and presentation--in one easy application. By seamlessly integrating these capabilities with Apple's QuickTime digital technologies, AppleWorks 6.2 makes it easy to incorporate text, spreadsheets, digital photos, images, sounds, and movies into a single document.

Sharing documents is a breeze with AppleWorks 6.2. New translators for Microsoft Word and Excel files let you open and modify these files from within AppleWorks. You can even save AppleWorks documents in these formats to share with friends and colleagues.

If you're running AppleWorks 6.2 on Mac OS X you'll notice additional benefits. Preemptive multitasking means that you can work on AppleWorks projects while iTunes rips your CD collection in the background, and your system will still stay responsive. The advanced Quartz graphics system in Mac OS X lets you save your print previews of any AppleWorks document as a PDF file. Anyone with Adobe Acrobat Reader on any platform can view and print these PDF files.

An expanding library of templates--stored on the Internet--can be downloaded via AppleWorks 6.2 without launching a browser or decompressing files. Many of the templates are designed by affiliated organizations, such as the AppleWorks Users Group, and new templates are added regularly. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Very good software, well, the best for me.
It is amazing software, really smart and pleasure to use. There are some things to improve to my taste, but overall it is definitely worth the money. In two hours of the actual using it appears by far more convenient that notorious MS Office. Extremely rich applications fulfilled by right tools. It is not overwhelmed with unneeded garbage but with smart and well organized things.
As one reviewer has mentioned it isn't Word. it is better. You don't have a filling that some one staying and breathing into your neck.
BTW, MS Word brought wrong habits and misleading conceptions, but if you know how to work , this one is much more productive tool.
All pieces well coordinated and inter working.
Very recommend. The interface a bit different and a few things to learn, but since you started to use it there is no way to back to MS Office. MS Office has more features in the same way as track has more horsepower, but will you drive it on vacation rather than coupe ?
One more thing to say, there is no any issues with MS Office compatibility. I converted many different documents and had no difficulties at all.

It's not Word.
Let me make one thing clear: AppleWorks is not Microsoft Word. It is not Microsoft Office. And it is not a substitute for Word or Office, just as a Honda Civic isn't a substitute for a Hummer. It is, however, much easier to use, much less intrusive, and much less expensive. If you need Microsoft Office's features, by all means buy a copy. If you need to exchange files with Office users, it's probably a good idea to buy Office. But If you need to get work done quickly and easily, grab a copy of AppleWorks. All the modules (Word processor, graphics, spreadsheet, and presentation) are seamlessly integrated. Screen clutter is minimal (though the toolbars could be smaller.) Basic (and I stress basic) compatibility with Word and Excel files is included. But its strongest point is its ability to stay out of your way: it doesn't try to reformat your work to suit it's own ends, or make grammatical decisions for you, and the on-line help is helpful, not intrusive.

Easy to use with many good features.
A great application. If you don't want to spend the extra money and get Office X then this is the application for you. It's very easy to use and has a lot of great features like templates and clip art plus, you can make your own templates and clip art. It has many features that Office X has except it doesn't have grammar check. That is the only draw back but half the time I never paid attention to it when using Office 2000 for windows so this isn't a big deal for me. I have converted many documents from Office 2000 to AppleWorks with no problems. I also use it for college and I have yet to feel the need to get Office X. Some other features it has are spell check, a word counter, and it can read back your documents to you!! Try it out. You won't be sorry! I use this application on an iBook running Mac OS X 10.2.4

Great upgrade from office mac
I am a computer programmer and have been using MS Office since office 97 was released. I bought an Ibook 2 weeks ago in order to get away from the Wintel platform (and Linux too). The appleworks program is great it lets me create documents that MS Office can read and will also open MS documents. AppleWorks (as far as I can tell) has all the power of MS Office and is way easier to use. I have only been using it for a couple of weeks and can already create better documents faster using appleworks. I have not used the presentation part of AppleWorks yet but I assume its as good as the rest but, for presentations I reccommend keynote.

Well worth your money!
...Appleworks Office does everything I want an office program to do and it's stable and reliable. (I'm running system 9.2 on a G4). Another reviewer claims it isn't compatable with other programs, but fails to give any useful specifics, such as what programs and how it isn't compatable with them. I ignored that review and bought this software, and I'm glad I did. ... Read more

Features

• Easily build a professional business plan, step by step
• Formats preferred by banks and investors; audio and video help
• 15,000+ industry profiles; 400+ marketing campaign case studies
• Import financial data from QuickBooks Pro
• Kiplinger's Business Attorney with 75+ essential legal documents

Amazon.com Review

Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business Deluxe is geared toward small business owners who would like to save some money by preparing their own initial legal documents. While you may or may not eventually choose to consult an attorney for the finished product, you can certainly invest your own time with this program to do the initial preparation work.

After installing Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business, you can choose to brush up on your "legalese" or jump right into the program. The Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business library contains reading material on starting and running a small business, legal forms for small businesses, an employer's legal handbook, marketing without advertising, and leasing space for a small business. You can also link to Web sites like Nolo.com's Small Business Law Center and Quicken.com's Small Business Center.

Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business includes a wide variety of business document templates, including documents for hiring, buying and selling real estate or goods and equipment, borrowing money, renting office space, contracts, and more. Titles of documents contained within the program include Amendment to Contract (General), Assignment of Lease, Bill of Sale for Business Assets, Confidentiality Agreement, Consent of Directors, Corporate Bylaws, and many more.

New features in the 2003 version include a new interface redesigned to be easier to use, interactive forms using an interview format, Web updates to make sure you have the most recent version of the program, and a new book, Leasing Space for Your Small Business, by Fred Steingold and Janet Portman.

All Quicken Lawyer programs do advise that you consult an expert on sensitive matters such as these. When you print out any documents, they include the following language: "No general form is a substitute for personalized advice from a knowledgeable lawyer licensed to practice law in your state." With this in mind, Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business can help you do some of your own initial work and cut down on attorney's fees. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Great educational product, no substitute for a lawyer though
I used this product to practice writing up my will, my living trust and estate planning documents. It has very good online help, and explains the terminologies, includes checklists, and answers a lot of legal questions. This product will save you time with a real lawyer (who charges by the hour), in that you don't have to ask the real basic questions, since you've already been tutored. The will generated is perfectly legal, but I would advice using a lawyer for more complicated documents. The checklists and the instructions to give to your executor are great, because you can list all of the details you'd want someone to know about in case you are gone.

As others have stated, there was no promised rebate coupon in the box.

Solid, User Friendly, Great for Straightforward Situations
BOTTOM LINE: Quicken Lawyer Personal ('QLP') is a great, low-cost alternative to hiring a lawyer to prepare your basic estate planning document, which will run you a minimum of several hundred dollars. It takes just minutes to prepare a will, but its legal manual/support resources are extensive enough for those that want to spend much more time understanding the what/why behind their documents.

QLP is published by Nolo Press, a well established publisher of self-help legal books. QLP begins by walking you through a number of typical life-stage situations (i.e. young w/ no kids, married w/ kids, etc.) and comes up with a list of suggested documents and along the way explains why you might need each of these documents. When creating a particular document, the software writes all of the legal language for you - you do not write a single word of legalese - and docs are tailored to each state's requirements. To get information from you and have you make decisions about the content/structure of your documents, QLP follows the typical "interview" format - easy to use and informative along the way. My wife and I each created wills, healthcare directives and powers of attorney in about an hour or two.

PROS:
- Ease of use: idiot-proof interview format
- Legal help: good offline manual, good resources at Nolo website
- Clear execution information: tells you exactly what each document needs to be put into effect (some need notarization, some need just witnesses)
- Address book: enter a person's info (i.e. your spouse) and don't need to enter again in other parts of same doc or other docs

QLP is primarily estate planning software. It has a few of the most important ancillary documents (Child Care Agreement, Limited POA for Finances), but Kiplinger's Home Attorney and Broderbund's Family Attorney have a full complement of general use form documents. However, if you look through these lists, most are either not really necessary (Trip Permission Slip you can write yourself on scrap of paper or school gives it to you) or are better left to professionals unless you know exactly what you are doing (i.e. residential real estate sales contract and home services contract - too much legalese in there to just print, drop your name in and sign!?).

COMPETITORS: As mentioned above, Kiplinger's Home Attorney and Broderbund's Family Attorney have a more extensive list of docs (many of which you'll never need IMHO). Home Attorney came preloaded on my computer so had a chance to try it -- not nearly as user friendly, kind of clunky and actually makes you edit the document to enter your name, county, etc - this scares me. Don't have Family Attorney so can't comment on its ease of use, sorry. If you really need a ton of general use forms, get Home Attorney or Family Attorney - otherwise stick with Quicken.

GET A LAWYER IF: While QLP functions well as an advisor, telling you when you might need certain documents or even specific provisions within documents, it has its limits and is candid enough to admit it during the interviews/tutorials. Get a lawyer for situations like: you expect to owe federal estate taxes ($1.5 million limit in 2003 and going up rapidly), you own a small business or you expect to have a messy family situation upon death (i.e. an ex-spouse or children that don't get along) or live in a community property state.

No support?
I bought this software a few months ago but didn't get around installing it until today. When I tried to register the software I got the message that the software is no longer supported! I was asked to call an 800 number to get a discount on an upgrade. This is the first time I ever ran across a name-brand software package that discontinues support before the software is even one year old! While I may still use the software I found it appalling that the publisher of this software dares to force customers to pay for an "upgrade" immediately upon installation of software that they just purchased.

Support ended after just a year and a half????
I am an owner of Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxe. I had to reinstall the software when my computer quit. I bought a new one and installed QLP2002. When I went to use the automatic web update of the software, I was informed that "This version is no longer supported, and Web Update is not available... we recommend that you upgrade... for only $29.99. It is an outrage that Nolo has revoked patches they had previously made available. The lack of any support is the reason I will NEVER purchase another Quicken Lawyer product.

No long-term support?
I am an owner of Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxe, which according to Amazon is just ONE VERSION BACK from this one. When my computer went south last week, I bought a new one and installed QLP2002. When I went to use the automatic web update of the software, I was informed that "This version is no longer supported, and Web Update is not available... we recommend that you upgrade... for only $29.99."

While, yes, I'm sure that legal things do change, they do not change that much, and I find it reprehensible that Nolo has revoked patches they had previously made available. Imagine any other manufacturer doing that -- "sorry, Office 2000 is no longer supported, so you can't download the patches we previously made available to you. Either use Office 2000 with none of the bugs corrected, or pay $400 for Office 2003." Ridiculous. So, while I did like the software, the lack of any longer-term support is a real turn-off for me. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great for Intrapreneurs
When I worked at Nation's Bank, I was very successful articulating a project that I was working on within the bank thanks to BizPlanBuilder... I am a good example of intrapreneurship (using the business plan and being entrepreneurial within a large organization), and I think Nation's Bank should offer BizPlanBuilder to their small business customers!

Avoid all Jian software
This company does not deliver what they promise, and do not abide by their own money back policies. Way overpriced for a poor quality product-- and they even lie in their reviews--stuffing the ballot box for their products.

Burke franklin is a LIAR
I tried one of the Jian product line, did not perform ANYWHERE near what they promised, and their so-called money back guarantee is a crock-- I'm in the process of suing to get my money back-- avoid them like the plague.

Somebody's Stuffing The Ballet Box
The last reviewer was correct in saying there's something fishy about the other reviews, especially those written by Burke Franklin. He gives all the products from JIAN 5 stars. Could it be because they published his book? (See "Business Blackbelt," by, you guessed it, Burke Franklin) As far as BizPlan 8 is concerned, it's okay if you happen to have a business that resembles their sample plans, but if you have a unique product or service, it's only marginally beneficial.

Novice - user from Phoenix
I am suspicious of most of the 8 users who wrote the reviews. I bought this product and it is not user friendly. It seems to be WORD, with categories for a business plan and types of business plans and a book on writing business plans. I am planning on returning it ASAP. When I looked at the written recommendations that were part of my decision to purchase this item, they are all written on one date and seem to be from one person! All of them with similar titles, ie, "software user from "city" and thecomments are all great. I think this might have been a promotion- GASP! Only one author of a review sounds like a real person and he rated it low. I too feel burned and will return this software and try another approach. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Marketing Plan Pro is a step-by-step guide to writing a successful marketing plan. This complete solution includes complete text, flexible tables, and colorful charts to add to your plan. Instructions and examples customized for your plan type and row-by-row help for every table make writing your plan easy. Wizards will also walk you through the entire process.

Marketing Plan Pro will help you build an outline for your plan. Answer a few questions and the Plan Wizard will build a custom outline for you, with tables, charts, and text included. Detailed or simple, you can choose which main topics to include: situational analysis, marketing strategies, financials, budgets, forecasts, and/or controls. Custom tables bring it all together, from target market and sales forecasts, to market, growth, share, and competitive analysis. Include historical data and sales and expense breakdowns. Automatically generate color 3D charts, and see your results graphically with the click of a mouse. Charts include target markets, target market growth, market forecast, monthly sales forecast, milestones, break-even analysis, and sales vs. monthly and yearly analysis.

Marketing Plan Pro includes 10 sample marketing plans, a 90-day subscription to LivePlan.com, and an online glossary that defines common marketing terms in plain language. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Software for Marketers
This was an amazing experience in creating a marketing plan.Everything that I needed was there, along with great help and guidence throughout. The graphics the software created for my marketing plan was worth the investment.I recommend Marketing Plan Pro without question.

Marketin Plan Pro
I like this product very much for the expamples it gives.Unfortunely entering data is difficult and confusing.I gave three stars becuase it is a useful example program.

Marketing Plan Pro 4.0 Review
Marketing Plan Pro 4.0 is an excellent software that help you write a marketing plan. It gives you instructions and examples that you can follow.

Unfortunately, it seems that the program does have its problems with regards to: formating tables and graphs; exporting into Word; importing file; general text formating; adding new tables and linking it to a new graph; etc.

It has been an absolute WASTE OF TIME typing and entering data into Marketing Plan Pro 4.0. It is better to follow their ideas and type everything in Word. Because the program would be used ONLY as a guide, a book on how to write a plan could be better and cheaper!

3 stars only because of the examples. Otherwise, 1 star.

What a Great Product!
I have a small business, and I was looking for ways to drum up more business, but I'm not an expert in marketing.A friend suggested Marketing Plan Pro, and I'm glad he did!

Marketing Plan Pro guided me through writing a complete marketing plan with helpful instructions and examples, which has really helped me increase my sales and made my marketing efforts more successful.

If you have a business or work for one, then you need Marketing Plan Pro! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you're comfortable putting in the time, research, and education it takes, Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal can help you produce certain, simpler, legal documents and avoid the money you might otherwise invest in an attorney. With new document templates, an electronic legal manual, and personal record worksheets, Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal can help make a legal mastermind of just about anyone.

Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal has several different help features to assist the user in need. There is a guide on the right side of every interview screen to help you as you work through each document. Quicken Lawyer Onscreen, a built-in reference guide, consists of the legal manual and a user's guide. Included is a glossary, which puts all the "legalese" into plain English for the everyday user. Finally, Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal provides extensive resources and support on the Web for the user who might not find what they are looking for within the program.

Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal contains many different documents you can produce yourself. Some document titles include: Will, Living Trust-Basic Trust, Healthcare Directive, Durable Power of Attorney for Finances, and Child Care Agreement. New documents in the 2003 version include: Information for Caregivers and Survivors, Notice to Put Name on Do Not Call List, and General Bill of Sale for Personal Property.

It's important to remember that any legal documents must be carefully considered before being relied upon to suit your needs and carry out your wishes. Most of the documents come with a disclaimer stating that if you want advice geared toward your specific situation, you should consult an expert. Still, for home users, Quicken Lawyer 2003 Personal should fulfill many basic legal needs. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Great educational product, no substitute for a lawyer though
I used this product to practice writing up my will, my living trust and estate planning documents. It has very good online help, and explains the terminologies, includes checklists, and answers a lot of legal questions. This product will save you time with a real lawyer (who charges by the hour), in that you don't have to ask the real basic questions, since you've already been tutored. The will generated is perfectly legal, but I would advice using a lawyer for more complicated documents. The checklists and the instructions to give to your executor are great, because you can list all of the details you'd want someone to know about in case you are gone.

As others have stated, there was no promised rebate coupon in the box.

Solid, User Friendly, Great for Straightforward Situations
BOTTOM LINE: Quicken Lawyer Personal ('QLP') is a great, low-cost alternative to hiring a lawyer to prepare your basic estate planning document, which will run you a minimum of several hundred dollars. It takes just minutes to prepare a will, but its legal manual/support resources are extensive enough for those that want to spend much more time understanding the what/why behind their documents.

QLP is published by Nolo Press, a well established publisher of self-help legal books. QLP begins by walking you through a number of typical life-stage situations (i.e. young w/ no kids, married w/ kids, etc.) and comes up with a list of suggested documents and along the way explains why you might need each of these documents. When creating a particular document, the software writes all of the legal language for you - you do not write a single word of legalese - and docs are tailored to each state's requirements. To get information from you and have you make decisions about the content/structure of your documents, QLP follows the typical "interview" format - easy to use and informative along the way. My wife and I each created wills, healthcare directives and powers of attorney in about an hour or two.

PROS:
- Ease of use: idiot-proof interview format
- Legal help: good offline manual, good resources at Nolo website
- Clear execution information: tells you exactly what each document needs to be put into effect (some need notarization, some need just witnesses)
- Address book: enter a person's info (i.e. your spouse) and don't need to enter again in other parts of same doc or other docs

QLP is primarily estate planning software. It has a few of the most important ancillary documents (Child Care Agreement, Limited POA for Finances), but Kiplinger's Home Attorney and Broderbund's Family Attorney have a full complement of general use form documents. However, if you look through these lists, most are either not really necessary (Trip Permission Slip you can write yourself on scrap of paper or school gives it to you) or are better left to professionals unless you know exactly what you are doing (i.e. residential real estate sales contract and home services contract - too much legalese in there to just print, drop your name in and sign!?).

COMPETITORS: As mentioned above, Kiplinger's Home Attorney and Broderbund's Family Attorney have a more extensive list of docs (many of which you'll never need IMHO). Home Attorney came preloaded on my computer so had a chance to try it -- not nearly as user friendly, kind of clunky and actually makes you edit the document to enter your name, county, etc - this scares me. Don't have Family Attorney so can't comment on its ease of use, sorry. If you really need a ton of general use forms, get Home Attorney or Family Attorney - otherwise stick with Quicken.

GET A LAWYER IF: While QLP functions well as an advisor, telling you when you might need certain documents or even specific provisions within documents, it has its limits and is candid enough to admit it during the interviews/tutorials. Get a lawyer for situations like: you expect to owe federal estate taxes ($1.5 million limit in 2003 and going up rapidly), you own a small business or you expect to have a messy family situation upon death (i.e. an ex-spouse or children that don't get along) or live in a community property state.

No support?
I bought this software a few months ago but didn't get around installing it until today. When I tried to register the software I got the message that the software is no longer supported! I was asked to call an 800 number to get a discount on an upgrade. This is the first time I ever ran across a name-brand software package that discontinues support before the software is even one year old! While I may still use the software I found it appalling that the publisher of this software dares to force customers to pay for an "upgrade" immediately upon installation of software that they just purchased.

Support ended after just a year and a half????
I am an owner of Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxe. I had to reinstall the software when my computer quit. I bought a new one and installed QLP2002. When I went to use the automatic web update of the software, I was informed that "This version is no longer supported, and Web Update is not available... we recommend that you upgrade... for only $29.99. It is an outrage that Nolo has revoked patches they had previously made available. The lack of any support is the reason I will NEVER purchase another Quicken Lawyer product.

No long-term support?
I am an owner of Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxe, which according to Amazon is just ONE VERSION BACK from this one. When my computer went south last week, I bought a new one and installed QLP2002. When I went to use the automatic web update of the software, I was informed that "This version is no longer supported, and Web Update is not available... we recommend that you upgrade... for only $29.99."

While, yes, I'm sure that legal things do change, they do not change that much, and I find it reprehensible that Nolo has revoked patches they had previously made available. Imagine any other manufacturer doing that -- "sorry, Office 2000 is no longer supported, so you can't download the patches we previously made available to you. Either use Office 2000 with none of the bugs corrected, or pay $400 for Office 2003." Ridiculous. So, while I did like the software, the lack of any longer-term support is a real turn-off for me. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect for small business and home design
Professional designers don't need to sweat this program. This software isn't a threat to you, the skills it took years to learn, or your innate abilities to be creative.

LogoCreator is geared more towards people who need what this software provides, and that is ordinary folks who would never, ever hire a pro to make a logo for their crafts booth, home business, small business or exciting new project idea. Such people need tools like this, and LogoCreator delivers a wonderful alternative.

I've even seen many "professional" logo design websites using LogoCreator's templates to provide interested parties with individual logos for $50 to $150 each (which is legal to do according to LogoCreator's license agreement).

All in all a nice alternative to those with a need to create and maintain their identity without paying overpriced designers who don't know your business as well as you.

You're joking right???
Well, I'm going to throw my design degree right out the window, cuz I should've bought this program and saved myself four years and thousands of dollars!

Does the world really need another logo with a #^%@$ shwoosh on it??? ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Smart Business Plan makes it easy to create and customize business and marketing plans. The program's Smart Wizard guides you through the process. The Financial Advisor feature can help you find the funding you need, with automated charts and graphs to create a professional presentation for prospective investors. Purchase also entitles you to a 6-month subscription to the SmartOnline.com Business Center. Please call 1-800-791-1000 to activateyour free subscription.

Other features include 15 sample business and marketing plans, covering every type of business: service, retail, wholesale, manufacturing, or any combination thereof. Financial Advisor provides extensive information on seeking funding, loan types, various methods for securing a loan, and tips on starting a new business. The Smart Wizard guides you through questions and analyzes your answers to automatically create financial and marketing tables. You can also easily create 3-D graphs for presenting your business and marketingplans. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not so great
I found the software was easy to use but not very informative!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Superior in every way to Power Point
Harvard graphics allows complete versatility to design the graph or chart you want, not the type of chart has pre-designed for you. You have complete control over every aspect of every graph. The X-axis can be numerical or titled which cannot be done in PowerPoint. This is important when making line graphs. When compared to PowerPoint, this is a far easier program to master.

Superior in every way to Power Point
Harvard graphics allows complete versatility to design the graph or chart you want, not the type of chart has pre-designed for you. You have complete control over every aspect of every graph.The X-axis can be numerical or titled which cannot be done in PowerPoint. This is important when making line graphs.When compared to PowerPoint, this is a far easier program to master.

What Powerpoint dreams of being !!!
If you are frustrated by the lack of data charting capabilities in PowerPoint and Excel, this package is for you.In terms of data charting capabilities, this is the only package that surpasses the old Harvard Graphics for DOS that was King of the DOS World.It is far superior to the data charting capabilities in Freelance and 1-2-3 as well.I haven't used a recent verison of Corel Presentations so I can't comment on that. ... Read more

Features

• Create orgcharts instantly, using the Data Import Wizard -- Plan out new organizational structures by clicking a mouse
• Pre-made chart and box style templates -Design a high-quality chart with a few keystrokes
• Re-organize people and position in the database, or on the chart, by clicking & dragging
• Publish your charts to a file or Website where it can viewed & used in other documents
• The sure way to create better Communication and more effective planning for your company!