Adobe ActiveShare - multimedia asset management software - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, May, 2000 by Holly Aguirre

HOC RATING 6

ADOBE ACTIVESHARE (FREE DOWNLOAD; 206-675-6319, www.activeshare.com) helps users edit and organize digital images into albums for storing and sharing online with clients, friends, and family. The friendly interface made it simple to import photos directly from our Canon SureShot 350 camera. You can also use ActiveShare in tandem with your scanner or Kodak PhotoCD.

Editing tools let you fix red-eye and adjust brightness and contrast with a click. Albums can be sent as e-mail or posted to ActiveShare.com. The importing process isn't streamlined, but once we finished, we could invite folks to join our private "circle" at the site. You can post messages to your circle anytime, and you'll be notified via e-mail when there's new activity.

Adobe also lets you print images on T-shirts, stickers, mugs, and mouse pads. Though ActiveShare is more consumer toy than business tool, we found it both fun and easy to use.

[up arrow] Free, easy to use

[down arrow] More a family photo album than office tool

RATINGS

HOME OFFICE COMPUTING rates products on a scale of 1 to 10--with few 9's or 10's--based on value, performance, innovation (medals go to rare standouts in these areas), ease of use, and suitability for home offices. The [up arrow] and [down arrow] symbols indicated pros and cons.