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Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
Price: $149.95 USD
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is the essential software suite for home computer users that enables you to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize your notes and information in one place, making it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things done. The latest version features a new Microsoft Office Fluent user interface that exposes commonly used commands, enhanced graphics, and formatting capabilities that enable you to create high-quality documents, plus a powerful note and information organization tool, and more reliability and security with the Document Inspector tool and improved automatic document recovery. With these enhancements, Office Home and Student 2007 makes it easier and more enjoyable for you to get tasks done at home. Office Home and Student 2007 is the essential software suite that enables home computer users to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize their notes and information in one place. With the new Office Fluent user interface, enhanced graphics and formatting, and more reliability and security, it will be easier and more enjoyable for home users to get things done. Document recovery tool - Retrieve Microsoft Office system documents after a system failure Document Themes make it easy for you to preserve a consistent look for tables and text across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents Publish to PDF or XPS format Office Online Help and How-to offers articles and training that can help you use Microsoft Office at home
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is the essential software suite for home computer users and includes 2007 versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote. This system enables you to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize your notes and information in one place, making it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things done.


The new streamlined workspace and easy-to-browse tabs make program features easier to find and use. View larger.


Insert graphics and charts such as these into your documents to make them more appealing. View larger.


Use the new diagram and improved charting tools to create rich and stunning visuals and charts. View larger.


Quick and easy-to-use table styles help your tables look great and consistent across Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. View larger.


The Document Inspector helps find and remove potentially sensitive "hidden" information from your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. View larger.


Office OneNote 2007 enables you to gather, organize, and search almost any type of information. The powerful search tool is shown here, with results highlighted in yellow. View larger.
This updated version features a new streamlined user interface that exposes commonly used commands, enhanced graphics, and formatting capabilities that let you create high-quality documents, plus a powerful note and information organization tool, and more reliability and security with the document inspector tool and improved automatic document recovery. With these enhancements, Home and Student 2007 makes it a pleasure to complete schoolwork and other tasks at home.

Which edition of Office is right for you? View a comparison of Microsoft Office 2007 editions.

Create High-Quality Documents
Home and Student 2007 gives you access to updated graphics, formatting galleries, and an intuitive user interface that exposes commonly used commands. These features enable you to easily produce high-quality documents that will make you proud. Improved picture, charting, and graphics tools help you produce better-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations more quickly, while a large library of standard charts, quick formatting tools, and SmartArt diagrams make it easy to include rich and stunning visuals and charts. The results-oriented user interface makes it easier for you to find and use product features so you can enhance your documents according to your specifications. More stable bullets and numbers, SmartArt diagrams, and graphics and charting galleries provide you with a wealth of other formatting choices. Meanwhile, document themes help ensure a consistent appearance among the documents you create in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to make working across the programs you use most more convenient. PowerPoint also features context-sensitive tabs and easy-to-use galleries that make it simple for you to include tables and other graphics in your documents.

Enhanced Reliability and Security Features
With an improved automatic Document Recovery tool and the new Document Inspector tool for removing personally identifiable information from your documents, Home and Student 2007 helps you work with more confidence and security. Thanks to these two features, you'll never have to worry about losing documents after a system failure or exposing your personal identification information or unwanted comments to others before sharing your documents.



Formatting galleries make it easier to find and apply formatting changes. View larger.
User-Friendly Operation
Packed with innovative features and improvements, Home and Student 2007 has a streamlined interface and an enhanced Help system, including online tutorials with step-by-step instructions, so you can quickly learn the product and find the answers to your questions. In addition, command tabs on the results-oriented Ribbon reveal commonly used commands that previously appeared only in lengthy drop-down menus. The Help system also offers a smooth transition between the Help menu in the Microsoft Office system and Help on the Internet (when connected). Larger, more informative ScreenTips provide help concerning commands, and the command tabs themselves are context-sensitive, changing automatically depending upon the task that you are trying to complete, so you won't waste time figuring out the appropriate command. When you need more guidance, online tutorials provide step-by-step instructions for common tasks.

Organize Notes and Information
Home and Student 2007 includes OneNote, a digital notebook that helps you gather, organize, and search many types of information in one place. This means you can consolidate typed text, images, audio and video recordings, digital handwritten notes, Web clippings, and more on the same page. OneNote also provides flexible note-taking tools to help you organize information the way you want. Categorize important projects or information in a way that makes sense to you, using an easy-to-use layout of notebooks, sections, and pages. Type or organize content anywhere on the page and track important items with customizable note tags. To help keep you on track, the powerful Instant Search feature helps you to find information you are looking for quickly. With it you can even search handwritten notes, the text in images and scanned documents, and spoken words in audio recordings.

Preview Changes and Spot Trends
Home and Student 2007 saves you time by making it easier to format your Office documents with Live Preview. This tool lets you quickly preview proposed changes to your document while you're working on it without having to repeatedly search through layers of menus. Taking a look at your proposed formatting before committing to it lets you experiment without risk and can help minimize future edits. Excel features highly visual conditional formatting with new data bars, more colorful gradients, and icons that you can use to format data based on specific rules, so you can more easily identify key data trends, which can help you study and prepare written papers or reports.

Create and Save Custom Slide Layouts
PowerPoint lets you create presentations with ease using prebuilt and user-defined custom slide layouts. With the custom layout feature you can quickly create the precise layout you envision without being bound by one of the prepackaged, standard layouts. You can then save your custom layout for use in future presentations.

Broader Distribution of Your Documents
Home and Student 2007's features aren't limited to the work you do at home; they extend to broader distribution of your documents and presentations. New support for Portable Document Format (PDF) and XML Paper Specification (XPS) file formats helps ensure increased distribution and sharing of your documents with users on any platform. This is particularly ideal for either sharing documents with friends and families, or for presenting information and assignments in a computer-integrated class.

Publisher: Microsoft Software
Hoyle Card Games 2008
Price: $19.99 USD
Step up to the best deal in town and test your skill. Shuffle the cards and deal yourself in to the greatest card games of all time. HOYLE® drops you right into the action with over 150 classic games official rules tips and strategies. From classic games like Cribbage to new favorites like online Texas Hold em HOYLE Card Games 2008 has something for everyone. All games are based on the official rules from HOYLE the authority for over 200 years Create your own character with Face Creator customizing everything from facial features to clothes Interactive computer opponents with multiple skill levels to challenge everybody Play together on the same computer and challenge your friends and family for bragging rights or play solo with 55 different solitaire games included. Over 75 card games including: Texas Hold em Hearts Bridge Crazy Eights Gin Rummy Omaha Hold em Pinochle Rummy 500 and much more! Hoyle Cards 2008 is available for both Windows and Mac.  The download version is only available for Windows.System Requirements:Windows® 2000 SP4/XP (Home & Pro) SP2/Vista™¹ Pentium® 266 MHz processor or faster (800 MHz processor for Vista) 16 MB RAM (64 MB for Windows XP 512 MB RAM for Vista) 1 GB Hard Disk Space DVD-ROM drive 800x600 @ 16 bit color. Macintosh® OS X 10.4.10 G3 G4 G5 or Intel Core Duo processor 600 MHz or higher 256 MB RAM DVD-ROM drive 32MB VRAM (ATI Rage cards not supported) 1 GB hard drive space. ¹Administrator privileges are required to properly install the program on Windows 2000 Windows XP and Vista. Format: WIN 2000XPVISTA Genre: ENTERTAINMENT Rating: T UPC: 705381142904 Manufacturer No: 14290
Publisher: Encore Software
Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0
Price: $99.99 USD
Design or Remodel Your Home Today--Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite provides a fun and an advanced yet easy to use set of tools for Home Design, Remodeling, Interior Design, Kitchens, Baths, Decks, Landscaping and Cost Estimation.

The all-in-one home design software solution.

View a Product Demo.

Design for your lifestyle and personality--change colors, add lighting and choose furniture to accent your new room.

Design in 2D and 3D. 3D Views are automatic with a point-and-click of the camera tool.

Powerful, Fun and Easy Home Design Software

  • Exclusive Better Homes and Gardens Design Planning Center for expert design advice
  • Choose from over 1,500 Sample Plans
  • Design Inspiration Galley contains photos by type for design and inspiration design ideas
  • Choose from built-in home style templates or create your own custom home design, or use the House Wizard
  • Powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing and foundations

House Wizard and Tutorial Videos Make it Easy!

  • The Quick Startup Options Guide will help you begin with "How-To" tutorials based on the type of your project
  • Use the House Wizard for quick and easy layout of your rooms
  • Select from the pre-designed Home Design, Interior and Landscaping Style Templates complete with colors, cabinets, decks and more
  • Exclusive Design Planning Center for up-to-date How-To and Design Tips from the experts to help in your design process
  • Includes Step-by-Step Tutorial DVD Packed with over 30 easy "step-by-step" tutorial training videos that will quickly get you started on your next home design project

Choose from over 1,500 plants with the Plant Chooser.

Design the Kitchen of your dreams--move walls, create new cabinets, add appliances--Design your perfect workspace!

Doll House View, a 3D overview without the roof, is an effective tool for space planning of furniture placement and traffic flow.

Kitchens, Baths and Custom Cabinets

  • Design the Kitchen of your dreams--move walls, create new cabinets, add appliances--Design your perfect workspace!
  • Plan the new layout of your bathroom with custom cabinets, sinks, showers and garden tubs. It's easy to visualize your ideas in 3D.
  • Create custom cabinets in minutes by choosing your own colors, countertops, door styles and more
  • Design your new kitchen or bath using the Cabinet Designer Tools
  • Use the Cabinet Designer tools to create unlimited cabinet styles. Choose your own colors, countertops and door styles.

Interiors and Exteriors

  • Use the Better Homes and Gardens Design Planning Center to help guide your designs with guidelines, tips and expert advice
  • Design Inspiration Gallery--Our gallery of photos will help you to jump start your design and decorating style ideas with inspirational photos by rooms
  • Material Painter¨ lets you apply colors and materials quickly and easily
  • Choose from thousands of colors and textures or create your own materials using a digital photograph
  • Design for your lifestyle and personality--change colors, add lighting and choose furniture to accent your new room

Decks and Landscaping

  • Powerful deck and patio tools allow you to design and visualize your new deck with 3D models and can help you estimate the costs
  • Design single or multi-level decks complete with automatic deck framing
  • Quickly lay out your deck with stairs and arrange furniture
  • Deck foundations automatically generate to match sloped lots
  • Exclusive Better Homes and Gardens Plant Encyclopedia
  • Choose from over 1,500 plants with the Plant Chooser
  • Pathways--Use the Pathway tool to design curb-appealing landscaping using stone, pavers or sidewalks--line with trees, shrubs, flowers and more

3D Models and Virtual Tours

  • Design in 2D and 3D. 3D Views are automatic with a point-and-click of the camera tool.
  • Glass House View provides a full translucent view of your design
  • Doll House View, a 3D overview without the roof, is an effective tool for space planning of furniture placement and traffic flow
  • Create a Virtual Tour--draw your record line to Automatically Generate; or record your camera movements
  • Visualize your home with day and night views
  • Assemble a scale model of your design with Model Maker
  • Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D views
  • Point-and-click to remove wall surfaces, or use 3D Cross-Section Elevation Slider to quickly create a 3D slice of your desired view

Site Planning & Estimating

  • Use Automatic Build Terrain and Terrain Perimeter tools to create flat, irregular shaped or sloped lots--use a GPS to import or enter elevation data
  • Create plot and perimeter plans; automatically generate a 3D model of your actual terrain
  • Make your backyard design come alive using several easy-to-use terrain and landscaping tools. Add a pool or pond and visualize in 3D.
  • Fences and Driveways--With the Fencing tools you can choose a variety of fencing styles and custom gates. You will also find driveway, sidewalk and curbing tools
  • Hill and Valley tools make it easy to add gardens, beds and slopes that automatically appear in 3D views. Choose from landscaping style templates or create your own.
  • Cost Estimating--Don't be surprised by the cost of your project. Automatically generate a complete spreadsheet for your project costs, broken down by category. Calculate the amount of lumber for your deck or concrete required for that new patio.
For a fun and advanced, yet easy-to-use set of tools for Home Design, Better Homes And Gardens Home Designer Suite 8 is the perfect solution. Use it for remodeling, interior design, kitchens, baths, decks, landscaping and cost estimation. Powerful, Fun and Easy Home Design Software

Custom cabinets, sinks, showers and garden tubs in 3D Inspirational photos by room or type Thousands of colors and textures or create your own materials with a digital picture Deck and patio tools Design single or multi-level decks with automatic deck framing Deck foundations automatically generate to match sloped lots Plant Encyclopedia - Over 1,500 plants Pathway tool - design curb-appealing landscaping using stone, pavers or sidewalks Design in 2D & 3D Glass House View - a translucent view of your design Doll House View - a 3D overview without the roof Create a Virtual Tour Day and night views Assemble a scale model of your design Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D Automatic Build Terrain and Terrain Perimeter tools - create flat, irregular shaped or sloped lots - use a GPS to import or enter elevation data Create plot and perimeter plans; automatically generate a 3D model of your actual terrain Easy-to-use terrain and landscaping tools - Add a pool or pond and visualize in 3D Fencing tools - a variety of fencing styles, custom gates, driveways, sidewalks and curbing tools Hill and Valley tools - add gardens, beds and slopes that automatically appear in 3D Cost Estimating

Minimum System Requirements Windows XP/Vista 1.2 GHz processor 2 GB of available disk space 512 MB of Memory on XP 1 GB of Memory on Vista DVD drive
Publisher: Chief Architect
SpongeBob Squarepants Typing 2008 Win/Mac
Price: $19.95 USD
SpongeBob Squarepants Typing 2008 is educational and fun, for kids ages 7 and up. Kids will get to play with SpongeBob and his friends, while improving their typing skills. As typing skills grow, kids also pick up nifty facts about undersea lifeand nautical nonsense!
Publisher: Encore Software
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 Preferred
Price: $199.99 USD
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 (Preferred Edition) gives small business users and PC user the power to create documents, reports, e-mails and more -- all by speaking! Over three times faster than typing, and amazingly accurate, NaturallySpeaking 9 translates your voice dictations into Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and virtually all Windows-based applications. You can even dictate into a handheld device when you're away from your PC, or use a Bluetooth microphone. It's never been easier to use -- no script reading required, so you can get started right away!



NaturallySpeaking 9 translates your voice dictations into Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and virtually all Windows-based applications. View larger.
Three Times Faster than Typing
A C/NET Editor's Choice for February 2006, and a PC World 100 Best Products choice of 2006, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 is up to 99 percent accurate, and often more accurate than typing. Dragon NaturallySpeaking never makes a spelling mistake, and it's actually programmed to get "smarter" the more your use it. And because most people speak over 120 words per minute, but type less than 40 words a minute, NaturallySpeaking effectively lets you create letters and e-mails about three times faster than typing by hand.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 is extremely easy to use and require no training. A full set of on-screen tutorials, and an included approved free noise-canceling microphone, helps you get started immediately. And you can use your voice to dictate, edit and control just about any Windows-based application, which gives you unprecedented flexibility as you work. It even supports Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. Just talk, and you can surf the web, open and close applications, even control your mouse and the entire desktop. You can also dictate, edit, and navigate more easily in Microsoft Word, Outlook Express, and Corel WordPerfect than in previous versions. For Web browsing, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 lets you search the Web, access information, and navigate web pages by speaking URLs and links.

Bluetooth Wireless Microphone and PDA Support
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 now supports certain Bluetooth wireless microphones as an input device, empowering you to dictate without being tethered to your PC. And you can also use the software with Nuance-approved Bluetooth headsets. You can even dictate into any Nuance-certified handheld device for automatic transcription when you synch with your PC. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 supports handheld digital recorders and other PDAs that record in .wma and .mp3 format for deferred transcription.

Seamless Editing, Formatting, and Punctuation
With the program's "smart formatting" functionality, you can specify exactly how you want to format dates, measurements, acronyms or any word to meet your requirements. By simply scanning your documents, contact names and sent e-mails, you can add contact names to the program's vocabulary, thereby assuring that you'll never have to spell a name again. And when you select and correct an unrecognized word -- using voice, mouse, or keyboard -- the software will learn from your correction, and you'll never have to worry about another mis-spelling.

The DragonBar includes a "Select and Say" indicator that turns green when you are in an application or window where all of NaturallySpeaking's functionality is supported.
We all add unnecessary "ums" and "ahs" when we speak, and the last thing you want is to spend your time editing all those extraneous insertions from your documents. Thanks to its built-in Nothing But Speech (NBS) technology, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 filters out inadvertent fillers and sounds between words, keeping your document clean. In addition, the program's "natural punctuation" feature means that when you dictate casual writing styles, you no longer have to say "period" and "comma."

When you have to make edits to your work, you can simply choose the "Select-and-Say" feature to make text changes by voice in many dialogues and applications. Dictation Playback makes editing even easier by playing back what you said so that you can quickly correct your work. To hear any text spoken aloud, such as incoming e-mail, you can use the "Text-to-Speech" functionality and simply sit back and listen to your e-mail.

Dragon products have won over 175 major awards for accuracy and ease of use, and are used by more people around the world than any other speech recognition software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred 9 gives small business users and PC enthusiasts the power to create documents, reports, e-mails and more?all by speaking! Fast, easy and amazingly accurate, it's over three times faster than typing. Just use your voice to dictate and edit in Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and virtually all Windows-based applications. You can even dictate into a handheld device when you're away from your PC, or use a Bluetooth microphone! It's never been easier to use?no script reading required, so you can get started right away! Dragon products have won over 175 major awards for accuracy and ease of use, and are used by more people around the world than any other speech recognition software Use Dragon NaturallySpeaking with Nuance-approved Bluetooth headsets Dictate into any Nuance-certified handheld device for automatic transcription when you synch with your PC Supports Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird New indicator that lets you know when you have Select-And-Say functionality available New supported edit controls include Borland's TMemo, TEdit & TRichEdit controls as well as TE Edit from SubSystems and TX Text from TX Text Control Also supports handheld digital recorders and other PDAs that record in. wma and. mp3 format for deferred transcription
Publisher: Nuance Communications, Inc.
Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus [AMAZON.COM EXCLUSIVE]
Price: $129.99 USD
Easy and Powerful Video Editing + DVD AuthoringProduct InformationVideoStudio 11.5 Plus is video editing and DVD authoring software foranyone who wants to easily produce professional-looking videos slideshows andDVDs. Create amazing High-Definition videos.  Work quickly with intuitivewizards or express your creativity with hands-on timeline editing.  Shareyour movies everywhere from iPods to the latest home theater systems.  IncludesFull Dolby 5.1 SurroundInterVideo WinDVD 8 SilverPlays back any video and audio files including AVCHD.As an added bonus enjoyWinDVD 8 Silver - Superior audio andvideo playback technologies.  Play DVDs video files and SVCHD camcorderdiscs. Corel MediaOne PlusManage and Edit Your Media - With the proliferation of photos and video onconsumers’ desktops an efficient tool to organize and retrieve content hasbecome essential. The Power Pack includes a full version of Corel’s completedigital media management suite. Now users can keep track of all their digital media. Import tag and sort photos and video and find any image fast. Create virtual groups or “Smart Collections” to keep photos and video organized. Add descriptions and tags to retrieve images individually or in groups. Prepare photos for slideshows by correcting exposure fixing red-eye and other essential photo-editing functions.New FeaturesEnd-to-end AVCHD – (AVCHD on standard DVD)Author HD content (from AVCHD or HDV camcorder or any other HD source) and burnto a standard DVD using a standard burner.  AVCHD discs with menus play back pristine HD video on your PC Blu-ray Player or Sony PS3 or from disc based AVCHD camcorders. Supports standard screen sizes from SD to HD 1280x720 to 1920x1080 as well as PAL and NTSC systems Audio formats include LPCM and Dolby 2.0 or 5.1.M2TS (Transport Stream) import Import video files directly from AVCHD hard drive or memory card camcorders. Use the “Inse
Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus is video editing and DVD authoring software for anyone who wants to easily produce professional-looking videos, slideshows and DVDs. Capture video from the latest HD camcorders and create amazing High-Definition HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Work quickly with timesaving template-based Wizards, or express your creativity with powerful hands-on tools. Fix common video problems with one-click corrective filters, generate Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio tracks, and add pro-quality titles and transitions. Share your movies everywhere, from iPod to DVD to YouTube to the latest Home Theater systems. Award-winning VideoStudio sets the standard for powerful features and ease of use.

End-to-End Consumer HD Production

The Most Complete HD Solution Available
The first complete HD solution, no matter what camcorder or playback format users choose, VideoStudio 11.5 Plus lets them capture, edit and output their video.

Practical HD Production Is Here
VideoStudio 11.5 Plus of producing HD video on standard DVD media, which can be played back on PCs or players like the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft XBOX 360 add-on HD DVD player.

Real-world AVCHD workflow:

  • Capture from AVCHD camcorders
  • Edit in VideoStudio Editor or Movie Wizard
  • Author & burn to standard DVD
  • Play on PC, PS3 or Blu-ray Disc player

Real-world HDV workflow:

  • Capture from JVC HD or HDV camcorders
  • Edit in VideoStudio Editor or Movie Wizard
  • Author & burn to standard DVD
  • Play on PC or HD DVD player

Real-world AVCHD workflow

Real-world HDV workflow

What's New
VideoStudio 11.5 Plus is video editing and DVD authoring software for anyone who wants to easily produce professional-looking videos, slideshows, and DVDs. Work quickly with intuitive wizards, or express your creativity with hands-on editing tools. Share your movies everywhere, on iPods, YouTube, or the latest HD home theater systems, with full support for AVCHD, Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

Users of the new VideoStudio 11.5, enjoy the following:

  • The latest HD formats
  • The latest in online sharing
  • More creative content and templates
  • Bonus media management software

Enhanced--End-to-End AVCHD
Author HD content (from AVCHD or HDV camcorder, or any other HD source) and burn to a standard DVD, using a standard burner.

  • AVCHD discs with menus play back pristine HD video on your PC, Blu-ray Player or Sony PS3, or from disc based AVCHD camcorders.
  • Supports standard screen sizes from SD to HD, 1280x720 to 1920x1080 as well as PAL and NTSC systems
  • Audio formats include LPCM and Dolby 2.0 or 5.1.

New--M2TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream) Import

  • Import video files directly from AVCHD hard drive or memory card camcorders.
  • Use the "Insert Video" function to preview clips and easily import to hard drive
  • VideoStudio 11.5 Plus opens M2TS files that have been copied to your hard drive using other utilities.

New--Blu-ray Disc (BDMV) Authoring
Now users can author HD productions in MPEG 2 HD format, with High Definition motion menus, and burn them to Blu-ray Disc.

  • BD supports standard screen sizes from 720 to 1920 as well as PAL and NTSC systems.
  • Compliant video, (such as HDV) isn't re-rendered, ensuring shorter encoding times and excellent picture quality.
  • Supports Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 audio formats
  • Both single- and double-layer discs are supported.

AVCHD Authoring

Blu-ray Disc Authoring

New--H.264 High Profile (HD) Encoding

  • VideoStudio 11.5 Plus incorporates the new MainConcept H.264 codec, offering fast encoding with superior quality.
  • Supports 1440x1080 and 1920x1080 output frame sizes.
  • Encoding is optimized for multi-core processors, including Intel Core 2 Quad.

Enhanced--HD DVD on Standard DVD Production
Users can author HD DVD productions with motion menus, and burn to standard DVDs.

  • There is now a dedicated workflow for producing such "3X DVDs".
  • Choose a disc size and the capacity indicator will show how much space is available on the disc.
  • HD DVDs play on set-top or PC HD DVD players, Xbox 360 HD DVD players, or standard PC DVD drives with appropriate software.

New Movie Wizard templates

New DVD menu templates

New--Native .TOD format (JVC HD Camcorder) Import and Editing

  • VideoStudio 11.5 now offers support for importing and editing native .tod HD video from the latest JVC HD-7 camcorders. No conversion is required.
  • Fully supports all frame sizes offered by this camera, including the "FullHD" 1920x1080i frame size.
  • MPEG Optimizer works with TOD video and VideoStudio will SmartRender it for more efficient performance.

Enhanced--New Menus, Templates and Overlay Graphics
Even users who have not made the jump to HD yet, are always looking for fresh content. The 11.5 Upgrade adds a set of rich, professionally-designed templates and graphics to the VideoStudio 11 Plus library:

  • 8 New Movie Wizard templates for Home Movie and Slideshows, including powerful, eye-catching multiple-overlay sequences.
  • 20 DVD Menus in text, thumbnail and unique One-Scene styles.
  • 5 video frames for custom openings or segues.
  • 19 Animated Flash overlays to enhance video.
  • 5 Overlay mask frames for transparent overlays.

New--Direct YouTube upload
Sharing videos online has become one of the most popular activities in the wired world. The leader of this revolution is YouTube, and now VideoStudio makes it easier than ever to create and upload cool videos.

  • After completing editing, users can select from a range of quality settings before video is encoded and uploaded directly to YouTube.
  • Logging in and uploading all takes place from within VideoStudio.

Bonus--Manage and Edit Your Media with Corel MediaOne Plus*
With the proliferation of photos and video on consumers' desktops, an efficient tool to organize and retrieve content has become essential. The Power Pack includes a full version of Corel's complete digital media management suite.

  • Now users can keep track of all their digital media. Import, tag and sort photos and video, and find any image fast.
  • Create virtual groups, or "Smart Collections" to keep photos and video organized.
  • Add descriptions and tags, to retrieve images individually or in groups.
  • Prepare photos for slideshows by correcting exposure, fixing red-eye, and other essential photo-editing functions.

*DVD Maker not included within MediaOne Plus

Publisher: Corel
Zoombinis Logical Journey
Price: $19.99 USD
"Not too long ago, Zoombinis enjoyed the good life. Though they all looked slightly different--different eyes, noses, hair, feet--such differences meant nothing to the Zoombinis. And so they lived happily on Zoombini Isle, making small, useful products, which were prized the world over." So begins an unsuspectingly addictive CD-ROM, featuring uncommonly fun reasoning games that require serious problem solving and math-thinking work. Yet the perils that face this cheerful society are not as fearsome as the amount of time you'll potentially spend on this pursuit. Beware the chubby, chattering Zoombinis if you don't want to get hooked to your computer for at least 90 minutes a session!

Adored by educators and parents alike, Zoombinis Logical Journey challenges children to employ such basic fundamentals of mathematical thinking as organizing information, reasoning of evidence, finding and making patterns, and systematic testing of hypotheses. The journey follows four puzzle-filled trails, each exploring related mathematical ideas. The fundamental data and variables for all this work are the variations in the Zoombinis' features. Their "feet," for example, can be shoes, skates, whirligigs, or coiled springs (the sound effects for these items are particularly great), while their "eyes" may be heavily lidded, enhanced by eyeglasses, blocked by dark shades, or limited to just a single eyeball. Sorting and arranging these variables in order to solve puzzles requires concentrated effort from the players, and the game rewards them well with inventive scenarios that evolve in fabulously curious ways as skills are gained. This may not sound like much, but when Arno the Pizza-Eating Tree Troll, who has been yammering for the perfectly topped pizza his entire lifetime, suddenly demands a perfectly topped ice cream sundae, too, it is a staggering, giddy surprise.

The product is full of so many little joys, it's hard to demand improvements. Still, it'd be a great thing if version 2 would feature something other than the monotonous, ping-ping-ping soundtrack that's featured here. But that's minor. In the end, the creators' promise that this CD-ROM will "encourage kids to develop a lifetime habit of associating fun with learning" is dead-on. (Ages 9 and older) --Jean Lenihan

Go on an epic adventure of math and logic. Embark on a dangerous quest to a new Zoombini homeland and learn critical logic and mathematical thinking skills. Trek across treacherous terrain strewn with perilous mind-bending puzzles. Learn important life skills such as deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and more, while leading the Zoombinis to freedom. This entertaining adventure is a journey into the math of the information age. Develop the cognitive mathematical thinking skills used in writing computer programs, organizing spreadsheet data, and searching for information on computer networks.
Travel to a remarkable new world and treat your brain to an outlandishly fun and challenging adventure. Embark on a dangerous trek strewn with mind-bending puzzles. Learn important life skills and more as you lead the Zoombinis to freedom in Zoombinis Logical Journey!
Publisher: The Learning Company
More Joel on Software: Further Thoughts on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and ... Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity (Pro)
Price: $24.99 USD

Joel, Apress, Blogs, and Blooks

…I was learning the hard way about how to be a publisher and probably spending way too much time looking at web sites and programming than I should have in response to that. Anyway, one day I came across this web site called Joel on Software, which was run by a guy with strong opinions and an unusual, clever writing style, along with a willingness to take on the conventional wisdom. In particular, he was writing this ongoing series about how bad most user interfaces were—mostly because programmers by and large knew, as Joel and I would say, using the same Yiddish–derived NYC vernacular that we both share, “bupkis” about what users really want. And I, like many, was hooked both by the series and the occasional random essay that Joel wrote. And then I had this epiphany: I'm a publisher, I like reading his stuff, why not turn it into a book?…

Read the complete Foreword

— Gary Cornell, Cofounder, Apress

Since the release of the bestselling title Joel on Software in 2004, requests for a sequel have been relentless. So, we went back to the famed JoelonSoftware.com archives and pulled out a new batch of favorites, many of which have been downloaded over one million times. With Joel’s newest book, More Joel on Software, you’ll get an even better (not to mention updated) feast of Joel’s opinions and impressions on software development, software design, running a software business, and so much more.

This is a new selection of essays from the author’s web site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com.

Joel Spolsky started his web log in March 2000 in order to offer his insights, based on years of experience, on how to improve the world of programming. This web log has become infamous among the programming world, and is linked to more than 600 other web sites and translated into 30+ languages!

Spolsky’s extraordinary writing skills, technical knowledge, and caustic wit have made him a programming guru. With the success of Joel on Software, there has been a strong demand for additional gems and advice, and this book is the answer to those requests.

Containing a collection of all–new articles from the original, More Joel on Software has even more of an edge than the original, and the tips for running a business or managing people have far broader application than the software industry. We feel it is safe to say that this is the most useful book you will buy this year.

What you’ll learn

  • The best approaches to managing and hiring extraordinary people
  • Advice for those interested in the software industry as a career and for managers who want to get them
  • Joel’s unique impressions of how to create products and design—good and bad
  • An “in the trenches” look at how to start and run an effective software business (or any business for that matter)
  • A true sense of what it takes to create a differentiated, unique, motivated organization

Who is this book for?

Anyone interested in the software business will truly enjoy this book, but in particular this should be required reading for managers of technical businesses.

Related Titles

  • Joel on Software
  • The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky
  • Eric Sink on the Business of Software
  • Software Project Secrets: Why Software Projects Fail
Author: Joel Spolsky
Publisher: Apress
The Business of Software: What Every Manager, Programmer, and Entrepreneur Must Know to Thrive and Survive in Good Times and Bad
Price: $17.99 USD
"The world's leading expert on the global software industry and coauthor of the bestseller Microsoft Secrets reveals the inner workings of software giants like IBM, Microsoft, and Netscape and shows what it takes to create, develop, and manage a successful company, in good times and bad, in the most fiercely competitive business in the world. In the $600 billion software industry it is the business, not the technology, that determines success or failure. This fact, one that thousands of once glamorous start-ups have unhappily discovered for themselves, is the well-documented conclusion of this enormously readable and revealing new book by Michael Cusumano, based on nearly twenty years of research and consulting with software producers around the world. Cusumano builds on dozens of personal experiences and case studies to show how issues of strategy and organization are irrevocably linked with those of managing the technology and demonstrates that a thorough understanding of these issues is vital to success. At the heart of the book Cusumano poses seven questions that underpin a three-pronged management framework. He argues that companies must adopt one of three basic business models: become a products company at one end of the strategic spectrum, a services company at the other end, or a hybrid solutions company in between. The author describes the characteristics of the different models, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how each is more or less appropriate for different stages in the evolution of a business as well as in good versus bad economic times. Readers will also find invaluable Cusumano's treatment of software development issues ranging from architecture and teams to project management and testing, as well as two chapters devoted to what it takes to create a successful software start-up. Highlights include eight fundamental guidelines for evaluating potential software winners and Cusumano's probing analysis, based on firsthand knowledge, of ten start-ups that have met with varying degrees of success. The Business of Software is timely essential reading for managers, programmers, entrepreneurs, and others who follow the global software industry. "
"The world's leading expert on the global software industry and coauthor of the bestseller Microsoft Secrets reveals the inner workings of software giants like IBM, Microsoft, and Netscape and shows what it takes to create, develop, and manage a successful company, in good times and bad, in the most fiercely competitive business in the world. In the $600 billion software industry it is the business, not the technology, that determines success or failure. This fact, one that thousands of once glamorous start-ups have unhappily discovered for themselves, is the well-documented conclusion of this enormously readable and revealing new book by Michael Cusumano, based on nearly twenty years of research and consulting with software producers around the world. Cusumano builds on dozens of personal experiences and case studies to show how issues of strategy and organization are irrevocably linked with those of managing the technology and demonstrates that a thorough understanding of these issues is vital to success. At the heart of the book Cusumano poses seven questions that underpin a three-pronged management framework. He argues that companies must adopt one of three basic business models: become a products company at one end of the strategic spectrum, a services company at the other end, or a hybrid solutions company in between. The author describes the characteristics of the different models, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how each is more or less appropriate for different stages in the evolution of a business as well as in good versus bad economic times. Readers will also find invaluable Cusumano's treatment of software development issues ranging from architecture and teams to project management and testing, as well as two chapters devoted to what it takes to create a successful software start-up.
Author: Michael A. Cusumano
Publisher: The Free Press
Better Homes and Gardens Interior Designer
Price: $59.99 USD
Interior Designer is loaded with tools for decorating, remodeling, interior design, kitchens & baths, space planning and more. You can quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, cabinets, choose colors, place furniture, create kitchens and baths. The exclusive Design Planning Center offers expert "how-to" Design Advice. Change colors and textures for walls, floors, countertops, and more with Material Painter. Point-and-click to choose from thousands of colors and textures or create your own with Color Chooser. Design and visualize your home with 3D Models and Virtual Tours.

Overview of features:

  • Inspire your designs with the Better Homes and Gardens Design Planning Center
  • Create a Virtual Walk-Through of your home design
  • Design and visualize in 3D
  • Choose from a Library of more than 3,000 items for your designs
  • Generate an Automatic Material List for project cost estimating
  • Includes over 30 How-To training videos
3D Models and Virtual Tours:
See dramatic 3D Dollhouse Views
of your designs.
  • Produce realistic images of your designs and remodeling projects
  • The Glass House View provides a full translucent view of the interior and exterior, simulatenously
  • Doll House View, a 3D view without the roof,provides a very effective overview tool for space planning to determine room size, furniture placement and traffic flow
  • Create and take a Virtual Walk-Through of your house
  • Take individual pictures (renders) of your design that can be saved in any image format
  • Visualize your home with day and night views
  • Print and assemble a scale model of your design with Model Maker
  • Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D views
Design Tools:
  • Use the Better Homes and Gardens Design Planning Center to help guide your designs with decorating guidelines, tips and advice
  • Over 500 sample plans to inspire your design
  • Create a virtual look and feel of the design before it is built with actual colors, wallpaper, flooring, furniture, windows and window treatments
  • Material Painter allows you to apply materials to individual items. For example, change the counter top to Granite, change the cabinets to Cherry Wood, or paint the walls with your favorite color
  • Define your own lighting and electrical plan
Advanced, precise, and easy
enough for anyone to use.

Building Tools:
  • Choose from 6 Better Homes and Gardens style templates
  • The Build House Wizard provides a quick way to layout adjoining rooms to help create your design or remodeling project
  • Quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, cabinets and architectural objects from a library of over 3,000 items to create a 3D model in minutes
  • Automatically generate a Materials List into a spreadsheet for complete project estimating
  • Complete automatic building tools for roof generation, framing, dimensioning, and foundations
  • Easily design kitchens with plans and 3D layouts
  • Create complete customized cabinets with drag-and-drop
  • Detail cabinets with color, wood type, countertop material, door/drawer styles, open shelving, backsplash, crown molding, millwork, and cabinet hardware including hinges, handles and pulls
  • Plan Check - automatically validates the design against standard building principles
Tools to take you from
conception to reality.

Plan it, see it, make it happen.

What's in the box:
Design software on CD-ROM, instruction booklet.

Better Homes&Gardens Interior Designer is your all-in-one solution for interior home design projects. Start designing all-new interiors for your home, redecorate rooms and create the kitchens and bathrooms of your dreams. Whether you need architectural tools to build or remodel a complete room, or just want to do some interior design -- even just floor and space planning -- you have all the tools you need right here. Decorate with wall coverings, add molding or create curved and angled walls Generate roofs, dimensioning, foundations, and custom floor&ceiling heights Create split-entry, curved and multi-level staircase creation One-click automatic dimensions -- automatically calculate square footage by room, for the entire plan
Publisher: Chief Architect
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