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

Powerful and flexible, but also a little complicated for small business.

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

Accurate speech recognition, a flexible control system and a good price – for those in need, Dragon delivers.

Meet the new office: same as the old office, but with prettier outfits.

Useful new features and a total interface overhaul make this the best Office ever.

A useful, versatile partition-management tool that can cope with most current file and disk systems.

This version sees a new maturity, with more server integration and easier-to-use controls online forms.

Improvements all round keep PowerPoint well ahead of the competition.

Still a competent tool for marketing material, although it would have benefited from an interface overhaul.

Now pitched at less experienced database users, this refresh is a mixed blessing.

A rewritten front end makes Excel’s significant power far more accessible than before.

Not many new features, but the new interface breathes fresh life into an already great product.

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.

CorrectionThis product was incorrectly labeled Sage Act! Professional in issue 87. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.GoldMine has had the upper hand for some time, but the release of ACT! 7.0 gives its rival much stiffer competition.

Voice recognition is the holy grail of computing: the ability to walk around your room and dictate to your PC is an attractive one, however the real experience with voice recognition is far different.

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.

Voice recognition software has always been considered to be a rather curious product...