Windows bargains: 16 practical Windows programs that cost less than $100 - or just plain fun - Cover Story

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1992 by Jack Nimersheim, Crystal Waters

We've reviewed 16 Windows packages priced at less than $100--certainly a bargain in today's software market, where the vast majority of programs would set you back several times this amount. These programs will not only stretch your dollar but also spruce up your Windows environment.

Our choices run the gamut from practical utilities such as WinSpeed to productivity tools such as Dashboard. We've even thrown in a couple of programs that can best be described as pleasant diversions, software that will introduce an element of fun into your workday. So shell out (a little), boot up, and enjoy.

Adobe Type Manager v2.0 ($99), Adobe Systems; (415) 961-4400, (800) 833-6687

Rating: * * * *

WYSIWYG is a nice acronym. It's also a misnomer when applied to the standard Windows environment. Windows is really a WYSIAWYG program--what-you-see-is-almost-what-you-get. The original Adobe Type Manager matches the appearance of screen fonts and printouts more closely than Windows does.

Adobe wisely chose not to mess with the core of its success. Type Manager still ships with 13 starter fonts and works with a wide range of dot-matrix, LaserJet-compatible, and PostScript printers. Rather, the company concentrated on improving the speed of the earlier release--version 2.0 creates fonts almost 25 percent faster than its electronic ancestor. With Adobe Type Manager 2.0, a WYSIWYG Windows display can be fast and look good, too.

After Dark v2.0 ($50), Berkeley Systems; (510) 540-5535

Rating: * * * *

The award-winning screen-saving utility After Dark adds several options to its already impressive list of images. Many images are now accompanied by digitized sound. The fish tank, for example, which used to be silent on the PC, now literally bubbles with both visible and audible excitement, especially if your PC has a sound board, such as Creative Labs' SoundBlaster.

The new, multidisplay WallZapper feature lets you mix and match several images on your screen. So if a particular combination catches your fancy, WallZapper lets you capture it as a BMP file, which can then be used as background on your normal, nonblanked Windows display. After Dark adds a touch of fun to working in the Windows environment while it saves your screen.

American Heritage Dictionary

v1.0 ($99), WordStar International; (415) 382-8000, (800) 523-3520

Rating: * * *

Anyone whose work involves writing will appreciate WordStar's dictionary-on-a-disk. The American Heritage Dictionary package from WordStar includes a copy of Roget's 11 Electronic Thesaurus and WordHunter--an extremely useful utility that searches for words by definition rather than vice versa--as well as more than 116,000 definitions. You switch between the dictionary and the thesaurus at the touch of a single key.

Ami Pro, Word for Windows, and WordPerfect users will especially appreciate the fact that you can install the American Heritage Dictionary as a menu item in any of these Windows-based word processors. You can also choose to access this wealth of words from the system menu of any program running in a Windows session, or double-click on its icon to load it as a stand-alone application.

Dashboard for Windows vl.O ($99), Hewlett-Packard Co.; (800) 554-1305

Rating: * * * *

Try this analogy: If Windows is an ordinary sports car, then Dashboard turns Windows into a Lotus Esprit. Dashboard for Windows, a new utility from Hewlett-Packard, speeds up your Windows operations by providing you with one-button actions accessible through an on-screen, dashboard-like interface.

The interface lets you quick-launch applications with one click. System memory is monitored through a gas-gauge icon, and drag-and-drop printing is enhanced by single-click settings, such as "number of copies" and "page orientation" (portrait or landscape). The clock (analog or digital) can set off alarms or launch applications at predetermined times. All features are customizable and extremely instinctive to use.

Direct Access for Windows v. 1.0 ($99), Fifth Generation Systems; (504) 291-7221, (800) 873-4384

Rating: * * *

Once you load Direct Access, it searches your hard-disk drive, puts your applications into logical groups (such as Word Processing and Utilities), and automatically builds a menu of applications. All applications are then accessible with one click.

Customized menus are easy to put together, as well. A bonus with Direct Access is the Usage Tracking function, which keeps track of how long each application is used or how long a particular user has been plugging away--useful for those who bill clients by the hour.

hDC Power Launcher v2.0 ($100), hDC Computer Corp.; (206) 885-5550, (800) 3214606

Rating: * * *

Few people would deny the appeal of Windows's interactive menus. Still, there are times when some of us miss the versatility and elegance of the DOS system prompt. Not always, mind you, but often enough to wish Windows provided comparable flexibility in certain areas.

Power Launcher enhances Windows by providing six new ways to enter complex commands: You can choose among a run box, keyboard macros, mouse macros, customized menus, a toolbox, and an event scheduler. Power Launcher ships with more than 50 preprogrammed scripts that you can use as is or modify to execute commands you use regularly. You can also create additional scripts. Best of all, Power Launcher works its digital magic with 20K of RAM.