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Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 / SalesRank : 1

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Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
Primary Contributor:Windows

Amazon Price : $74.99 50%($74.96) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

CD-ROM ( ) [ Microsoft Software ] [ Release : 2007 / 01 / 30 ]
EAN : 0882224263627 / ASIN : B000HCZ8EO
[ ListPrice : $149.95 ] [ Used Price:$64.95 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.0stars [ See more reviews ]
Needed it for work and now that I have it on my laptop I use it all the time.

5stars - "Very powerful" (Alison Lafin)
I needed to upgrade my computer and found value by ordering through Amazon instead of Microsoft. I received the product within 2 days. Excellent service!

I needed to upgrade my computer and found value by ordering through Amazon instead of Microsoft. I received the product within 2 days. Excellent service!

5stars - "Microsoft Office 2007" (Mary)
A great way to create stationary, announcements and use creative impulses.
I had so much fun creating my own stationary from clip art.

A great way to create stationary, announcements and use creative impulses.
I had so much fun creating my own stationary from clip art.

4stars - "Creative Outlet!!!" (R. Ueckert)

Purchased this because (1) the price was low and (2) we frequently have to submit material to publishers in doc format and, with long documents, conversion from our usual WP or OO documents can be hairy because of MS glitches. No problem with installing on the larger laptop we normally use when traveling. Curiously, it did not require the key during installation. So, we tucked the program CD away on the shelf and took off for a month of travel. Imagine our surprise when the first time we opened the program (on the road), it asks for the key and says we can only use it for X number of times -- the key is located in the materials with the CD back at home. We, of course, should have opened the program immediately after installing it, but standard programs (other than MS products) do not require this so we did not expect the problem. For those of you like us, beware this issue. At this point, we will run out of the permitted number of times to open the program before returning home. We consider this poor programming on the part of MS and another reason why we avoid their products whenever possible.

3stars - "Office 2007" (F. Williams)
It went to the wrong address and when I gave them a new address they refunded my money citing security concerns, when I tried to purchase again it came up for more than the previous purchase am still without the product

It went to the wrong address and when I gave them a new address they refunded my money citing security concerns, when I tried to purchase again it came up for more than the previous purchase am still without the product

1stars - "Never received my item and they refunded the money" (A. Lake)

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition / SalesRank : 4

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Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition
Primary Contributor:Mac OS X

Amazon Price : $109.99 27%($39.96) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

DVD-ROM ( ) [ Microsoft Software ] [ Release : 2008 / 01 / 15 ]
EAN : 0882224526302 / ASIN : B000X86ZAS
[ ListPrice : $149.95 ] [ Used Price:$120.00 ]

Average Customer Review :

3.0stars [ See more reviews ]

How do you review Microsoft Office? It has become such a necessary part of computer life today that, no matter how much you want to try going without it, you really can't.

Having gone Mac earlier this year, I tried going without it, using Mac's cheaper Office like program iWORK. I was happy with this, but found there were still some programs (like EXCEL) that I still needed.

MICROSOFT OFFICE FOR MAC works. I guess that is all I need to say about it. It does what it has done for years, and now you can do that on the Mac.

The one glitch I have found, when I type something into Word and then copy and paste it elsewhere (such as a blog post) it loses all my formatting. All the spacing disappears. This doesn't happen with iWORKS's Pages, or even in previous versions of Word. I don't know if this is a problem with the Mac version or Office 2008 (which I have only used in this format).

So, if you have a Mac, and need the software, here it is.

4stars - "Office is Office...What Else Can You Say?" (Jim M.)

Despite some warnings in reviews here, I bought this update and ran into two problems the first week. My wife sent some Word docs to friends who couldn't open the new default .docx format. After she went to preferences and changed the default back to the earlier .doc format everything seems to be ok. I also received an excel attachment with a visual basic macro which would not run. I couldn't make this work. On the plus side it's nice to have several licenses so my wife and I don't run into problems when were both using Office at the same time and connected on our home wifi system.

3stars - "Office 2008 for Mac problems" (Chas)

Technologically speaking, we have an ecumenical household... Windows Vista on one desk and Mac Panther on the other. So I thought that upgrading the Mac to Mac Office 2008 would be a cinch. After all, the results of the Vista/Office 2007 upgrade were so "interesting" why should the Apple side of the house not be offered the same challenge?

It installed on the iMac with minimal trouble, but maximum time. Apparently Microsoft's Macintosh department is as feverishly obsessed with updates and fixes as the Window's side, so just doing the installation is not enough. You have to wait for the software to install, then check for updates and wait some more while they are downloaded and configured.

Truth be told, neither of us is completely thrilled with the more current versions of Office. The interface seems more convoluted and not nearly as intuitive, but perhaps with time it will become so. The added functionality with 2008 is good, although not groundbreaking. All the tools are there (you can read the product description for the details, I don't have to list them here... again).

Bottom line, if you want to upgrade your existing Mac, I would suggest that you shop carefully and buy this when it's attractively discounted. If you just got a new Mac, by all means, get it now.

3stars - "Better than most, but couldn't it be better still?" (Michael Meredith)
This is the first version I have used, so I can't compare with older ones. It's vivid colorful and fresh looking and has the programs I am use to using with my pc- just tweaked. I am just switching over to Mac at home. It was a bit slow loading.

This is the first version I have used, so I can't compare with older ones. It's vivid colorful and fresh looking and has the programs I am use to using with my pc- just tweaked. I am just switching over to Mac at home. It was a bit slow loading.

3stars - "If you like microsoft programs" (Jacx)

This seller should be taken off of Amazon. I'm not quit sure why they have not been taken off yet. I ordered this item on November 17, 08 and never recieved the item. I tried to contact the seller a few times and recieved no reply. I have contacted my credit card company in regards to this issue and hope that any one who has bought a product from this woman does the same. I repeat do not buy this product.

1stars - "Never recieved item" (Aubree Freeman)

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 / SalesRank : 8

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

Amazon Price : $79.99 20%($20.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

CD-ROM ( ) [ Adobe ] [ Release : 2008 / 10 / 13 ]
EAN : 0883919168296 / ASIN : B001DMBWXS
[ ListPrice : $99.99 ] [ Used Price:$70.00 ]

Average Customer Review :

3.5stars [ See more reviews ]

For the longest time, I had thought that Photoshop Elements was a much watered down version of its bigger sibling; that it was no more than a 'kiddie' software package. But oh, was I wrong. Very recently I was leaning towards purchasing CS4, but had been hearing quite a bit about Elements 7. So I downloaded the trial version - as well as the same for CS4 - and began to kick the tires of both. Now, it should be noted that I am far from being a serious 'Photoshop' user - even though I have had Photoshop 7 for a number of years. In all honesty, I hadn't even begun to really mess with that program until last year, when I seriously got into digital photography (I was given a copy of that program, by a good friend who, apparently, thought it too much to learn). When I finally decided to delve into it, I, too, found it quite challenging - but knew that I wanted to learn it. Now that I am into photography - and am starting to make some money from my efforts - I wanted to become a legitimate user of Photoshop. CS4 moved itself out of my line of interest due to its hardware component requirements. I wanted to stay with the Photoshop family, but would I really need to dive into CS4 for what I wanted to do? Well...that is the reason that I shifted my focus to Elements 7. And I am SO glad that I did.

Elements 7 is, truly, a very well-heeled program that will suffice me just fine, and there is much more under the hood than one might think. Kiddie program? Perish THAT thought. Of course there is the 'Guided' area of editing, where one could receive directions for what they might wish to do - which is to say that younger editors (or older ones, of meek nature) could take advantage of a degree of involvement with it. But make no mistake about it: this program has guts, indeed.

I won't go into the finer points of this great program, because so many others here have already brought those out. It also isn't the program for everyone, because of the level of commitment that must be given to it - in order to get the best out of it. There are some other good editors on the market, and I have two of them here (PaintShop Pro 9, and PhotoImpact Pro 13), but Elements 7 is my 'go-to' program now. I am still sitting with the trial version, as I await the arrival of my purchased package.

Blessings.

5stars - "Elements 7...gutsier than previously thought." (N. Alston)

I asked for Elements 7 for Christmas, and have been very disappointed. If you plan to spend hours on a single photo, perhaps it is helpful. I am trying to use it to import and organize my family photo album, and it is extremely slow. I have a quad core processor with 4gb of memeory, and still I spend more time watching a progress bar than using the software. So far, I regret this purchase decision.

1stars - "So slow it is almost unusable...." (Frustrated in CT)
I was forced to buy this so called upgrade because Adobe refuses to issue a RAW fix for the Canon G10 for my Photoshop Elements 5.0. They have issued a RAW conversion file but only for versions 6.0 and 7.0. So they are adopting the Microsoft approach. My next computer will be an Apple and it will be goodbye and good riddance to Microsoft and Adobe.

I was forced to buy this so called upgrade because Adobe refuses to issue a RAW fix for the Canon G10 for my Photoshop Elements 5.0. They have issued a RAW conversion file but only for versions 6.0 and 7.0. So they are adopting the Microsoft approach. My next computer will be an Apple and it will be goodbye and good riddance to Microsoft and Adobe.

1stars - "A Ripoff" (Ian S. Mccarthy)

GOODS: - Allows multiple filter levels (person/place/event) to organize your pictures.
- Easy amateur photo editing
- Sharing prints with shutterfly is drag and drop...very easy

OTHERS: - Initial program load can take awhile
- auto face recognize utility misses a lot of faces.

This software is great! I used elements 6.0 for awhile and this upgrade is well worth it. I have a lot of family that are not computer savvy at all so having the ability to drag and drop a bunch of pictures to their name and one click sends an order is very easy and convenient.
I cannot accurately rate the photo editing as I get lost trying to use photoshop CSE. Anything I want to do with a photo I can without any trouble so I think it is great based on my limited photo editing experience.
I recommend this product if you want to organize all your pictures.

5stars - "Great photo organizing software!!!" (Justin Murgia)
Elements 7 is a vast improvement over Elements 5. I like the product - it's one of the best in the industary.

Elements 7 is a vast improvement over Elements 5. I like the product - it's one of the best in the industary.

5stars - "Adobe Elements 7" (George R. Garner)

Garmin Map Update 2009 for City Navigator North America NT / SalesRank : 0

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Garmin Map Update 2009 for City Navigator North America NT

Amazon Price : $55.56 21%($14.43) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

Electronics [ Garmin ]
EAN : 0753759079178 / ASIN : B0016P9KWC
[ ListPrice : $69.99 ] [ Used Price:$57.86 ]

Average Customer Review :

3.0stars [ See more reviews ]

There are two City Navigator 2009 updates. The difference is in the data formatting. One version is NT, the other not. Call Garmin first and check which version works with your GPS unit.
One version is titled "City Navigator North American NT Map Update 2009."
One version is titled "City Navigator North America 2009 MapSource Update."
Almost identical names but they are NOT interchangeable.
I bought the NT version, it arrived from Amazon quickly, but it wouldn't work with my handheld eTrex unit. I called Garmin. They were very helpful, understood immediately, sent me the correct version at no cost, the replacement arrived in three days, and it works great.
Save yourself some time and call ahead.

4stars - "Check First - There are two City Navigator 2009 Updates" (A. R. Miller)
This was easy to update and the new maps are obviously much better since there has been road construction on the East Coast in the past 2 years with a few new roads, exits, etc. Just wish you could use this for more than one Garmin in the household. Very expensive if you have more than one.

This was easy to update and the new maps are obviously much better since there has been road construction on the East Coast in the past 2 years with a few new roads, exits, etc. Just wish you could use this for more than one Garmin in the household. Very expensive if you have more than one.

4stars - "Garmin Map Update - Easy to download" (David Poirier)

My husband got it for Christmas, 2009, updated his GPS and realized he couldn't update the other two GPS's we have in the house. It is only licensed for one update and when you go to the site to see how to get the other's updated, it gives no direction, but says you can get multiple licenses.
After only using it for one week, he noticed streets that have been in existence for 8-10 years are still not in the update. It is definately not worth the price.

3stars - "Ok, but not perfect" (D. Warwick)
$Garmin needs to realize that most GPS units no longer sell for $500+. I used to update my maps every year on my modest Street Pilot C330, but it no longer makes any sense. I can sell it on eBay and pick up a new unit, with new maps, for less than what Garmin sells their map updates. $50+ for a map update might have been reasonable a few years ago, but GPS prices are a fraction of what they once were. Map update prices have pretty much stayed the same though. Very little changes in these updates each year too. Until Garmin gets realistic with their update pricing, I'll just pick up a new $100 unit every year or two, and sell the old one.$ 2stars - "No longer cost effective to update my maps" (D. Hentze)
I bought this because my Nuvi had a 2007 map. However, the model I have said Street names... after taking over an hour to download the update...I lost the variety of voices I used to have and it no longer says street names!!!

Now I have to figure out how to get it back to the original software.

Very disappointed.

I bought this because my Nuvi had a 2007 map. However, the model I have said Street names... after taking over an hour to download the update...I lost the variety of voices I used to have and it no longer says street names!!!

Now I have to figure out how to get it back to the original software.

Very disappointed.

1stars - "very disappointed" (Michelle Johnson)

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack / SalesRank : 40

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World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack

Amazon Price : $29.99 25%($10.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

Video Game ( ) [ Blizzard Entertainment ] [ Release : 2008 / 11 / 13 ]
EAN : 0020626728195 / ASIN : B000VJTJNE
[ ListPrice : $39.99 ] [ Used Price:$29.99 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.5stars [ See more reviews ]
If you have a level 55 or above character this expansion start you at level 55 as a Death Knight! Death Knights are awesome you can level up to level 80 easily. I went from level 55 to 60, earned 100 gold and got 50 honor kills (PvP) in 3 days using my Death Knight. Don't miss out on your free Death Knight. Buy this expansion today!!!

If you have a level 55 or above character this expansion start you at level 55 as a Death Knight! Death Knights are awesome you can level up to level 80 easily. I went from level 55 to 60, earned 100 gold and got 50 honor kills (PvP) in 3 days using my Death Knight. Don't miss out on your free Death Knight. Buy this expansion today!!!

5stars - "The Best WOW Expansion!!!" (Kevin Hodge)

Blizzard did a nice job when it got the Warcraft franchise and expanded it to MMORPG-style.

Since the beggining, World of Warcraft has been true to the story that Blizzard developed along the Warcraft I, II and III storyline. New storylines and plots have been developed for this online world, and Blizzard every time succeeded in making the game more attractive.

The first expansion, Burning Crusade, reminds a lot Warcraft III (the storyline, plots and so on), but with new contents.

And then comes the Wrath of the Lich King. The storyline is basically what happened after the Warcraft III - The Frozen Throne. You will duel in Northrend, the land where Arthas, now the Lich King, have his dominions.

This is a very nice expansion to the game, adding not only more quests, new plots, new factions for you to befriend, but also a new character class called the Dark Knight, a new battleground, buildings you can destroy and lots of new fun features. Definitely a must have for World of Warcraft fans and players.

5stars - "Another chapter in the history of World of Warcraft" (Paulo Aragao)

As is usual with Blizzard Products the quality is excellent.
Not much to say about the gameplay except maybe they "dumbed down" the quests a bit. But it could be because I was overgeared starting out. And as usual, Blizzard's quest tips are sometimes vague.
Addons are working flawlessly. And I have no lag in Dalaran, only when it is extremely busy (Shattrath City?).
The new acheivements give a nice twist to the game, meaning you can focus on other things, besides leveling.
What I really like is the number of Flight Paths. Travel is alot easier at the lower levels than in Outlands.
The graphics are intense so you NEED to have some updated or modern hardware to get decent gameplay.

Amazon's service was on par - package arrived on schedule, without incident. No problems from that side.

Hope this helps!

5stars - "Exactly as Expected" (Kevin Khan)

I have played and quit World of Warcraft twice. I really did not have much interest in WoTLK until word of mouth and other reviewers stated how much fun the game was. I decided to pick it up thinking I'd play about 60 days and then quit again. Well, once I installed the game, I definitely see myself playing this for much longer than 60 days.

Google "Wrath of the Lich King" and read reviews to get a more detailed analysis of the pros and cons of the game. What I will add is that the deathknight character seems so much more powerful than the other characters in PvE, yet somehow they are balanced in PvP (in my experience). The technology behind the game is amazing - the game world gradually changes with you as you progress through quests so that the world appears much more dynamic than in expansions past. Overall, if you are on the fence, get off it and get this game quickly. You will not regret it (although your social life will).

5stars - "Well worth it even if you've quit before" (ccc01)
Purchased this for my 15 year old for christmas...he loves WOW and loved this gift

4stars - "Son loves it" (Kat Woman)

QuickBooks Pro 2009 / SalesRank : 6

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QuickBooks Pro 2009

Amazon Price : $99.95 50%($100.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Out of stock.

CD-ROM ( ) [ Intuit ] [ Release : 2008 / 10 / 06 ]
EAN : 0028287019904 / ASIN : B001ECGT8A
[ ListPrice : $199.95 ]

Average Customer Review :

2.5stars [ See more reviews ]

Pros: QuickBooks 2009 continues the evolution of a solid product. The organization of the data entry screens and the filtering of data represent the greatest improvements that have occurred over the past few years. If you already own QuickBooks 2008 there is little reason to upgrade. If you own a version that is pre-2008 or are new to QuickBooks, then I recommend that you buy this product.

Cons:
(1) Screens and pop ups recommending Intuit products and services.
(2) The report creation editor and designer are not on par with industry standards such as Crystal Reports.

4stars - "Good small business accounting product" (C. Falco)

Our small business accounting needs are minimal and QB 2001 Pro was perfect...until Intuit stopped supporting basic functions. I did an "upgrade" install which went well until I tried to start the new program...ERROR - the it could not read the qbregistration.dat file.

I tried several easy suggested fixes, but none worked. I ended up doing a complex fix using the Microsoft Windows Installer Cleanup Utility since several normal uninstall/reinstalls resulted in the same error. Next I selected a "clean" install which proved successful, followed by an hour of downloading updates.

I'm just the computer guy; my wife is the bookkeeper. My 3-star rating is based on my installation nightmare. From what others have experienced, I doubt our combined rating will increase.

3stars - "Wish I had done a clean install for QB 2009!" (Mark1City)

I called Intuit to determine what steps had been taken to rectify the problems many users were having with online banking etc. I spoke to "Joyce". I asked her if they knew of any reviews saying, "Thanks for fixing the online integration problems!" or any statements from Intuit acknowledging problems and detailing fixes. It took her a good five minutes to understand my question. Then five minutes on hold. Then she again told me to visit their web site to look for an answer. And she reminded me that I get 24/7 support with QB. Great. They'll waste my time *after* I pay them too. Wonderful. Earlier in the day I did some chat support with "Eric". He wasted 15 minutes of my time asking me if I needed certain features. After answering "no" to over 90% of his questions, he recommends I purchase their Premiere edition, as it has all of the features we'd discussed. (My initial question was, "Why should I get Pro over the basic version?") He never answered my question. So here I am, about 45 minutes wasted talking and typing to Intuit, and I'm sold on their support sucking harder than a Hoover with a gland problem... but I have no answers. I'm not aware if Peachtree, Microsoft or other solutions are better, but I'm going to use a QB alternative solely on principle. If you think you'll EVER need support or a clear answer, Quickbooks isn't for you.

1stars - "Terrible Support" (Daniel R. Dreifort)

1stars - "Adware in disguise" (rkm0)
i have been using Quickbooks Pro for many years and Amazon. com has the best price.

5stars - "mel" (Mel Harmon)

H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + State + e-file / SalesRank : 3

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H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + State + e-file
Primary Contributor:Windows & Macintosh

Amazon Price : $39.99 20%($10.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

CD-ROM ( ) [ H&R Block ] [ Release : 2008 / 12 / 01 ]
EAN : 0735290102997 / ASIN : B001HOD50K
[ ListPrice : $49.99 ] [ Used Price:$53.78 ]

Average Customer Review :

2.5stars [ See more reviews ]
$For the second year in a row, TaxCut updates are failing on my Windows Vista machine. I am not the only one to have this problem. Some have blamed Antivirus software: http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=60138 But I do not think this is the issue. Last year I had a totally different AV software and I had the same failures. I have worked out a manual work around, although it is ridiculous. The updater that TaxCut uses seems unable to acquire "create" permissions for its own directories, regardless of the fact that the permissions are set OK. I have verified this by the log files which generate installer error 1321 (The installer has insufficient priveleges...) Apparently, the installer has no problem updating existing files, it just cannot create new ones. To work around this, do as follows: - In TaxCut, choose "Update after I close the program". - Close TaxCut and when Vista UAC asks permission to run the installer, click "Cancel". - Locate the installer (should be in C:\ProgramData\TaxCut\2008\Update) - Right click the file and choose "Run as administrator" - When you encounter the first error, note the filename and location - Go to the Start Menu and find Notepad. Right-click on the program icon and choose "Run as administrator" - Put some text in the Notepad file. I put " ". - Choose "File -> Save As" and save the file with the exact name and path that the installer complained about - Choose "Retry" or "Continue" in the installer (I can't remember the exact wording) - Repeat the last two steps for each file that needs to be created. I think there were 10-20 of them. Eventually, once you have created all the files, the installer will succeed. It does not matter what text you put in the file as long as you get the filename and path right. TaxCut will overwrite the file anyway. This is a ridiculous work around, but I already paid for TaxCut and got a good deal on my AV software because of it. If I can make it through this year, I am going back to TaxAct in 2009.$ 1stars - "Update issues with Vista for a 2nd year straight" (J. Royce)

I have been using Taxcut for at least 5-6 years now.

My first comment is in response to all the 1-stars on this product - all of which seem to be complaints about the state e-file charge. As I remember, the state e-file has never been included in the price. Federal e-file is always included but I always have to suck it up and pay for state. I suspect the people with these negative reviews have short memories.

I find it useful that information transfers from year to year with minimal changes. The interface is pretty good - not perfect - I find that little changes from year to year, which makes me wonder why I can't pay an upgrade charge rather than buying a new product each year.

Otherwise, no big complaints here - software works for me and is cheaper than going to an accountant. Plus, I can take my time and complete the paperwork over a week-or-so rather than trying to pull everything together at once.

One of these days, I will try an accountant to see if they can find any differences; but, I haven't found the time to try it yet.

4stars - "TaxCut Premium Federal + State + E-file - No change in State e-file" (perro de lluvia)

TaxCut is substantially less expensive compared to turbotax; and there are no deceptive practices to deal with such as spyware, "print" charges and new upgrade charges for forms previously included [e.g. TT deluxe does not support Shedule C filers such as 1099 recipients, upgrade to "premier" is required]. TaxCut is a very effective tax preparation software comparable to tt. I give this product a 4 star rating because I prefer the interview questions contained in tt, however, that is the only downside and well worth the satisfaction of firing Intuit for its deceptive practices [again] with turbotax.

4stars - "Perfect for ex turbotax users" (Infuriated ex tt customer)
Tax Cut sent me a copy of premium federal for free this year since I went back to turbo tax last year. Perfect timing guys, with the Intuit price increase, reduced investment support, and turbo tax's new messed up fee strcuture, tax cut looks like a pretty good option. Planning to take my turbo tax back to Best Buy today and get my $96.29 back. Thats 1/3 the price of a 26 inch flat panel HD TV.

Tax Cut sent me a copy of premium federal for free this year since I went back to turbo tax last year. Perfect timing guys, with the Intuit price increase, reduced investment support, and turbo tax's new messed up fee strcuture, tax cut looks like a pretty good option. Planning to take my turbo tax back to Best Buy today and get my $96.29 back. Thats 1/3 the price of a 26 inch flat panel HD TV.

3stars - "Free seems likely to make tax cut better than Turbo Tax this year" (R. Blood)

TaxCut offers individuals a powerful option for preparing an income tax return that is relatively easy to use. TaxCut assumes that you know little or nothing about income tax law. The software will ask a number of questions and will prompt you for information based on your answers. It will help tremendously if you gather as many of your tax documents as possible before starting. This software is significantly cheaper than paying a service to prepare it and much easier than doing in manually.

The e-file option has been around for some years and is a great way to get your refunds faster. But if you owe money, there's not as much of an advantage. Still, you get five free electronic filing so you might as well use one. In the unlikely event that you plan to prepare more than five returns, make sure you use the e-file for the ones due a refund and file the ones with money due manually. The program will print all the forms you need so it's easy to do and it will save you the cost of the fees for the additional e-files.

The one negative for this program is that the publisher used to offer free e-filing for the state return as well as federal but has dropped that for the 2008 edition. With a charge weighing in a whopping $19.95 for e-filing each state return, this is not a trivial fee. I would recommend filing state returns manually unless you will receive a refund large enough to make getting the check a week or so faster worth that extra money.

Please note that this version covers both Federal and State returns. Most people will need both, but if you live in a state with no income tax then you'll want to look at H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + e-file for considerably less money.

If you don't itemize your deductions and have a very simple return, you might be better off preparing the forms manually on your own. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you have a return with major league complications, you should probably go to a good CPA. For everyone else, this is really a no-brainer. It's inexpensive, easy to use, and accurate. I've been using TaxCut for quite a few years and would not even consider giving it up.

4stars - "Excellent tax tool" (Joseph Boone)

Spore / SalesRank : 111

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Spore
Primary Contributor:Windows XP

Amazon Price : $45.99 8%($4.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

DVD-ROM ( ) [ Electronic Arts ] [ Release : 2008 / 09 / 07 ]
EAN : 0014633153521 / ASIN : B000FKBCX4
[ ListPrice : $49.99 ] [ Used Price:$18.98 ]

Average Customer Review :

1.5stars [ See more reviews ]
Spore not only has a piece of software that runs in the background, but it only allows 3 installations EVER. The people out there that pirate games will find this a barely noticable speedbump on their way to pirating the game ANYWAY. The legit user that reloads PCs often is screwed.

Spore not only has a piece of software that runs in the background, but it only allows 3 installations EVER. The people out there that pirate games will find this a barely noticable speedbump on their way to pirating the game ANYWAY. The legit user that reloads PCs often is screwed.

1stars - "DRM is bad for legit users" (R. Tecca)
I was really enjoying this game, but then EA started releasing patches, and now it crashes like crazy. I've tried re-installing, which got rid of my saved games, and I've looked for tech. help to no avail. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME

I was really enjoying this game, but then EA started releasing patches, and now it crashes like crazy. I've tried re-installing, which got rid of my saved games, and I've looked for tech. help to no avail. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME

1stars - "DO NOT BUY THIS GAME HUGE BUG PROBLEMS CRASHES" (W. Bexton)

Look everybody don't hang the team that put together Spore. Everyone was expecting them to reinvent the wheel and they didn't, they did something better, created a fun game. Spore does have flaws but when you have such an open ended game(as far as character creation is concerned) there are going to be issues. So take a breath and take in what you are experiencing. This is a rpg, rts, p&c adv., and a buch of other abbreviations rolled up into one. It is this diversity that makes this game great and ultimately flawed. It is fun to get to go through all these different games with the same character but there was so much to do the creators didn't have a chance to make all phases of the game work perfectly. Or at least that is how I feel. Spore is fun and encourages creativity, it also has never crashed or given any other types of technical issues. I say give it a chance and you might be suprised.

4stars - "Lowered Expectations" (Asa Musick)

So I recently bought Spore, after reading a bunch of negative reviews on Amazon. I played the Cell and Creature stages, which consist of basic and repetitive tasks. The Tribal Stage is a little better, but very basic. The whole alliance/warfare options, being your only options, sort of limit the game. The first four stages had endless potential, and I must day I was let down by the simplicity of these stages.

However, the space stage is the cat's meow, so to speak. The sheer detail and complexity of the environment is overwhelming. This is obviously where most of the work into producing this game went. The exploration of the millions of user generated planets leaves the possibilities limited to your fellow humans' imaginations. The space stage is quite entertaining, however limited the player is by the alliance/ warfare options.

It is sort of annoying how you can just add parts to your creature, and spend time perfecting it, instead of the creature adapting to it's environment. And it is also tantalizing how all the work you put into your creature is unnecessary, seeing as how your creature could be a blob and still prosper.

That being said, I would recommend this game for most kids and some adults who enjoy this sort of "God" game. It is very entertaining, with much thought and detail put into it. I feel like the game could be less limited, but the gaming experience is still one worth discovering.

3stars - "READ BEFORE BUYING." (Susan S. Freeman)

My 9 y.o. son got this game for Xmas & absolutely loves it. I played because I was curious and needed a new game. The game is simple and boring for adults. It's awesome for kids and I highly recommended it for children because of simplified strategy and game play. My son likes all sorts of games from childrens' games to difficult strategy games (Medieval Total War) and he is in love with Spore. I gave the game the rating I did based on my own experience with the game.

2stars - "Great for Kids; Adults? Not so much" (Kaya)

Left 4 Dead / SalesRank : 110

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Left 4 Dead
Primary Contributor:Windows XP

Amazon Price : $39.99 20%($10.00) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

DVD-ROM ( ) [ Electronic Arts ] [ Release : 2008 / 11 / 17 ]
EAN : 0014633098556 / ASIN : B000PS4X7S
[ ListPrice : $49.99 ] [ Used Price:$37.98 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.0stars [ See more reviews ]
This game is awesomely terrifying! It's just you and your buddies against the world. Literally. Who'd have thought the zombie apocalypse could be so much fun?

This game is awesomely terrifying! It's just you and your buddies against the world. Literally. Who'd have thought the zombie apocalypse could be so much fun?

5stars - "ZOMGBIES!" (Christine Ho)

Left 4 Dead is a rock solid zombie fest! First the technical stuff.

As usual Valve's Source engine can pump out some visually stunning graphics even if you don't have top of the line hardware. Even having an older machine with just under the recommended settings the game looks beautiful. The audio and music are great. Since every time you play through the game it is different the audio is always changing to build tension and apprehension that the next zombie horde is just around the corner.

Game play is simple and intuitive. Even if you are a new comer to the PC gaming world Left 4 Dead should only take a few minutes to get used to the controls. The built in tutorial is a wonderful and non-intrusive way to acclimate a player to the L4D control scheme.

The premise for the game is simple. You are a human trying to escape. The zombies see you as a tasty snack and want to eat you. You kill zombies or become the next value meal at the local zombie burger joint. Gameplay is squad based and you definitely need to use voice chat to communicate. Straying too far from the rest of your group usually ends in pain.

The object is to move from one safe house to the next until reaching an extraction point while avoiding the zombies. Help your teammates and keep moving quickly to the next safe house. Sounds simple but there is one catch. L4D will automatically adjust the level difficulty based on how good your health is and how fast you are moving. Move too quickly through the game and the final battle to escape will be one heckuva ride.

Enjoy the slaying!

5stars - "Zombie Killing awesomeness" (W. Clark)
I ordered this for my son for Christmas. All I know is he's thrilled with it so that's good enough for me!

5stars - "Awesome!" (L. Guthrie)
Not the usual shooter but a good game nonetheless. Game is in short segments but has a lot of replayability. Demands are high for computer specs. No save game option but not all that necessary in this type of game. Overall good game but I think over rated by the so-called experts.

Not the usual shooter but a good game nonetheless. Game is in short segments but has a lot of replayability. Demands are high for computer specs. No save game option but not all that necessary in this type of game. Overall good game but I think over rated by the so-called experts.

4stars - "good game" (W. Lippman)

Left 4 Dead is SUCH a good game, after you've beaten it countless times you'll be asking yourself, "Why isn't there a Left for Dead Fallout 3-type RPG?" "Why isn't this game longer?" "WHERE DO I BUY MORE MAPS????"

SO AWESOME! The computer's that assist you are not only good, they're BETTER than YOU! Tired of the computers that destroy the realism by getting stuck on a chair or in a corner and then destroyed? NOT in this game. While the computer will never leave you behind (it's against their programming =) they will NEVER shoot you while shooting hundreds of zombies all around you with an M16, or even BETTER, sometimes the computer chooses the Sniper Rifle and with DEAD-Eye accuracy shoots zombies standing on buildings 200 yards away.

A WELL programmed INCREDIBLY smooth game that just goes to show you, that like Blizzard Entertainment and Sid Meier's, Valve is one of the MOST trusted companies in the Video Sphere.

WELL DONE VALVE!!

NOW WE WANT MORE!!! I'd like to see a Fallout 3-type Left 4 Dead Survival Shooter where (instead of being some cheesy reporter) you and a few friends have to make your way Fallout 3 style through the undead landscapes of (insert major city). Maybe even make it all the way across the country? You could show major landmarks in their blasted undead state.

All that being said, Left 4 Dead's single player campaign is incredibly short. It's cheesy movie-style storyline is AWESOME but in the next it would be OK if there was a Half Life 2 type play-through, ya know, I mean, if you guys have the time.

Seriously? That's how good the game is. I hesitate even to offer suggestions for fear of Jinking the GENIUS that Left 4 Dead 2 could be.

I took away 1 Star for Replayability because it's so short and there are so few maps (only 4), but even with only 4 maps I'm STILL Discovering things, for example (I just learned this). There are Propane tanks and Gas stations hidden throughout that cause HUGE explosions that people are not even noticing. I hit one and the explosions was HUGE!!! Burning Zombies (and allies, WHOOPS!) EVERYWHERE!

5stars - "Surviving a Zombie Outbreak has never been such fun!!!" (Creation27)

Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 7 / SalesRank : 12

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Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 7

Amazon Price : $117.49 22%($32.50) OFF
amazon.com availability ： Usually ships in 24 hours

CD-ROM ( ) [ Adobe ] [ Release : 2008 / 10 / 13 ]
EAN : 0883919168395 / ASIN : B001DMBX7S
[ ListPrice : $149.99 ] [ Used Price:$157.78 ]

Average Customer Review :

4.0stars [ See more reviews ]

After installing and playing around with these programs I decided to wait for the holidays to post a review. My son studied film editing in college, created a music video which made it to the web, and prepares special features for a large church in the Phoenix area. Since he was due home for the holidays I felt the readers of this review could profit from more from his thoughts than my little uninformed opinion.

Following are his thoughts:
--------------------------

Photoshop Elements

Program highs: Very intuitive and easy to use. Most users can probably navigate this program without needing to consult a manual. The system offers a robust variety of editing tools to enhance users' pictures. One of the program's best features is a tool that allows you to instantly capture and organize all picture files on your computer.

Program lows: I did not experience any detractors to the software while I was using it

4.5/5 Stars.
--------------

Premiere Elements 7

Program highs: Also very intuitive though user's without a background in film media may need to consult the manual. Like Photoshop it is easy to capture and organize all of your previously stored data. A significant upgrade is the ability to capture media from multiple venues such as DV, CD, Cell phones and more. This versatility will be a boon for users previously frustrated by PC editing programs' compatibility issues.

Program lows: The system experienced some slowness while it was being used, nothing terrible but not quite at the level of Photoshop Elements in speed. The system also experienced a fatal exception while it was being used causing the program to autocrash while editing was in progress. These issues however may be mitigated by ensuring your system meets the proper requirements and that you have plenty of memory to run these programs.

3.5/5 Stars.

4stars - "A Review By Someone Who Knows What He is Talking About" (R. Kirkham)

Pros: Nice amount of features, pretty interface, simple once you get used to it

Cons: Crashes constantly on Vista, Some features require you to "upgrade" to a Photoshop.com account (like menu themes!), some features work sometimes and sometimes don't (like effects on text, it will allow you to add them to some but not others with no explanation!), resource hog (on a 3ghz Core2Duo w/ 4 gigs RAM)

Bottom Line: Avoid, version 6 was more stable and more complete in my opinion. I was expecting more from Adobe.

2stars - "Rushed to market" (T. Pinkney)
Bought this as a gift for my daughter after using it myself for about 3 years. It's pretty easy to use and I have enjoyed creating photographs and videos much more so than with previous software I have had.

Bought this as a gift for my daughter after using it myself for about 3 years. It's pretty easy to use and I have enjoyed creating photographs and videos much more so than with previous software I have had.

5stars - "cameras and action" (E. Sellers)

Ok, so maybe the title of this review is a little exaggerated, but overall it's fairly truthful. When I first got version 6 I was amazed at how many new features had been added to the software. As of yet, I haven't even been able to find a single new feature in version 7 that I care about. The chances mostly come in the form of social networking additions, although I'd guess that if you know how to use photoshop then you also know how to do these functions on your own, so I'm not sure what the point is exactly.

Anyways, if you have version 6, DO NOT UPGRADE to this. If you are first time photoshop user I'd suggest that you search and see if you can get a better price on version 6 because you aren't missing anything here. If you can't get a better price, well there's technically nothing wrong with version 7 so go for it.

1stars - "Same software as version 6. Do not buy." (Computerdude1032)

I obtained this software package for two purposes. First, to clean up digital pictures and second, to transfer ACVHD files from our Sony HDR-SR12 10.2MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom to MPEG 4 format. Adobe's Photoshop Elements is an excellent image editing package. The "auto" correction capabilities are superb. It effortlessly fixes red-eye and sharpens images like I've never seen before (and without creating pixilation or artifacts). The Photoshop Elements user interface is easy to navigate and features are intuitive to use. But on the other hand, the Premiere Elements 7 is hard to use and extremely slow to convert video files. Worse, the software was unable to connect to our Sony HDR-SR12. As a comparison, I used Sony's Picture Motion Browser (version 3.3.00.09300) software to transfer and edit HD video content. This software was bundled free with the Sony HDR-SR12 and in many ways, exceeds Premiere Elements 7's ability to edit, compose, and compile video. For example, Sony's Picture Motion Browser takes about 20 minutes on a dual core Intel processor (Vista SP2 32 bit) to compile 30 minutes of ACVHD 1080i content to a single DVD-RW disc. It takes another 10 minutes to compile the same ACVHD content to MPEG2 files. Premiere Elements 7 takes 3x longer to accomplish the same tasks. In addition, Sony's Picture Motion Browser is much more intuitive to use than Premiere Elements 7.

I'm not a video editing enthusiast but I do appreciate software package that cam easily execute basic tasks like file conversion, device connections, and disc creation. I recommend that you look at other video editing packages. With regard to Photoshop Elements, you can purchase that separately and I have found it functional and easy to use.

3stars - "Premiere Elements 7 Needs Improvement" (Jeff Chambers)

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