Check it out - brief discussions of new and interesting products - Software Review - Buyers Guide

Home Office Computing, March, 1997 by Philip Albinus

Just in time for spring, our technology editors have been busy seeing demos of all the new technogadgets sprouting up to help you conduct business in style and under budget. Hero's a grab bag of the latest and greatest.

We love a bargain and Artisoft and America Online PrimeHost are teaming up to offer a terrific one--a Web site and your own domain name, so you can be www.yourbizhere.com. For a $49 setup fee, $100 domain name registration with InterNic, and $49 per month, FirstWeb offers 20MB of storage and unlimited FTP access. You can use the bundled AOLpress authoring tool (or use the authoring tool of your choice) with a variety of small-business Web templates. Artisoft, 520-670-7100, 800-846-9726, www.artisoft.com/firstweb. Tech editors, like men driving in an unfamiliar town, wouldn't be caught dead asking for directions. So we were blown away by SkyMap, a Windows mapping software/hardware combo that uses the same Global Positioning Satellite technology that pilots used in Desert Storm. With your laptop in the front seat of your car, the hardware portion of SkyMap tracks your exact position via 12 satellites and gives you specific directions while driving. Etak, 800-765-0555; $399.

We're always shooting footage with our videocamera that would look great on our Web page or brochure, but how do we make the move? With the pocket-size Snappy Video Snapshot, which captures pictures from your camcorder, TV, or VCR. Just plug it into your PC's parallel port, play the video on your PC screen, and click the Snap icon to freeze the video image. Play Inc., 800-306-7529; Win; $199.

Now, how do you edit that great film footage for a presentation? We like the look of Lumiere Suite for Windows 95, which turns your PC into a video-editing station, Lumiere lets you add video clips and sound effects to your business presentations with professional-quality transitions, special effects, and 3D tools. Although you can't edit an entire film just yet, you can create smooth but short video clips to capture your audience's attention. Corel, 800-77-COREL; $99.

You wouldn't make investments without a strategy, so why start a business without a plan? Unlike other business plan programs, Cashmere 3.0 is one we admire for including a built-in marketing planner, project manager, and organizational chart in one simple package. PlanTec Systems, 800-478-2488; Win 95, Win; $125 Most people follow links from one Web page to another. Net. Jet grabs all the pages linked on a particular page while you read it. This neat program first retrieves all the text for those links, then goes back and downloads graphics. It also has an intelligent agent that tries to figure out other sites that you might be interested in based on the sites you frequently visit. Peak Technologies, 800-453-5322; Win, Mac; $29.95.

We've been praying for a suite of applications to help run a small business, and now those prayers may have been answered. Business Plus 5.0 for Windows handles basic accounting chores, including payroll, inventory, and general ledger. It also has a very slick contact manager and appointment scheduler that lets you view all sorts of client information, including a photograph. Pretty slick! CashGraf, 800-872-5920; $299.

* We love to get work done even when we're not actually working. So we flipped for Netopia Virtual Office, which sets up a Web page with password-protected in-boxes so clients can pick up and drop off information when we're out of the office. The Windows software also includes conferencing capability by Internet phone and the ability to post the electronic equivalent of a sticky note on your contact's virtual door. Farallon Communications, 510-814-5000; $49.95.

We're jealous of McDonald's employees who, when we place an order, press keys featuring pictures of Big Macs. Now we have our own picture keys. LaunchBoard is a PC keyboard with program icons pasted onto the actual keys for launching software applications or hotlinks to your favorite Web sites. The software-only version ($29.95) comes with function keys. Darwin Keyboards, 888-4DARWIN; $69.95.

ADP has released OneWrite Plus Accounting 6.0 for Windows. We liked the preview of the low-end accounting program designed for businesses with fewer than 20 employees. The program now supports inventory tracking, job costing, passwords, and other features. ADR 800-228-0068; $69.95.

Power up! Newpoint's new 330 volt/900 joule desktop surge protector, the HomeOffice Power Director, has six outlets. it includes a built-in feature that protects your high-speed fax/ modems and phone systems. And the company is backing its product with a guarantee that it will replace up to $25,000 worth of surge-damaged hardware. Newpoint, 800-NEWPOINT; $79.95.

--Compiled by Philip Albinus