It has been over two years since we previewed Office XP, but Microsoft has finally given us a glimpse of Office 2003. The finished version should be on the shelves by the end of July, but will it be worth the upgrade? The answer could be an emphatic 'yes' if you're a Tablet PC user, as Microsoft has just launched OneNote (see page 59), making full use of electronic ink. The company is also introducing InfoPath (see page 59) for designing electronic forms, with the flexibility of XML. The classic apps have also had their seen refurbishment, with Outlook (page 56) getting the most attention, and FrontPage and Publisher (page 58) a bit of a revamp.

Just a couple of years ago, the PC speech recognition and dictation market saw four key players jostling for position, but today the contest is just between IBM and one other player, Dragon.

Getting your PC to meaningfully accept voice commands or dictation has been a benchmark for futuristic computing since time immemorial. Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS for short) has been a leader in the field for some time now, and is rapidly becoming devoid of competition.

Being enterprise software, one usually needs considerable expertise and time to obtain optimal performance and functionality. This is especially true for a product as comprehensive and feature rich as Lotus Domino 6.5 which is fully programmable and can provide workflow, knowledge management, document management, archiving, database and collaboration services via a client-server or browser based thin client model.

A rough, tough laptop with serious attitude, but its keyboard proves an Achilles heel.

WhatsUp Gold ups the ante by providing all the tools to monitor network device status and performance.

HP’s latest PC blends power, useful business features and a keen eye for detail

Great design and build quality are coupled with a stunning nine-hour battery life, and it’s affordable too

A good first stab at the semi-ruggedised laptop market. It isn’t up to the tough standards of others, though.

Crystal Reports creates structured reports from databases by selecting fields from source data and grouping them appropriately.

IBM has a well-earned reputation within the corporate sector for providing exceptional quality desktop workstations. Their latest model – the ThinkCentre S50, is set to keep that reputation on track.

A few new features add to an already superb utility, and the price remains as low as ever

Script triggering and interface changes headline an upgrade that’s good for developers and users alike

An improved working environment and ground-breaking colour handling make Illustrator fresher than ever.

Photoshop moves beyond photo editing to conquer completely new territory.

New effects enable richer design results, while a host of other improvements boost productivity.

Powerful new versions of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, and now Acrobat 8 Professional too.

With its enhanced interface, support for transparency and new collaboration features, it’s the best release in years.

A decent compromise between OCR value and features – especially as you can upgrade from the Sprint version.

A questionable interface redesign and greater-than-ever complexity lead to a half-baked feeling.