Picks: Reviews of MaxiVista, NextSTART, Desktop Rover, and Desktop Fay

MaxiVista - Multi Monitor Software 3.0.24, by Bartels Media is a powerful utility that allows you to grab some screen space. In testing out the program I used both a laptop and another desktop. What MaxiVista does is allow you to use the screen of another computer as a display. That means if you have a laptop sitting around you can use it to expand the viewing capabilities of your desktop PC. I routinely use two monitors, but it's kind of cool to move a program from the screen of one machine to the screen of another. Another cool feature of MaxiVista is the ability to control up to four PCs with just one keyboard and mouse combination. That's a powerful way to handle multiple computers and it works quite well. In addition whatever you copy into the clipboard can also be shared about all of the computers you're working with. MaxiVista is a powerful solution for anyone who want more screen space or who needs to manipulate more than one computer. Take a look at it for yourself.

System Requirements: Windows 95/2000/2003/XP

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NextSTART 3.0, by Winstep Software Technologies is a nifty tool that really helps you spice up your desktop. What it does is let you reconfigure the way the Windows taskbar and Start menu work and look. It not only transforms the look of the Start menu, but also the function it provides. Really pretty slick. You can get a lot of skins from the company site and hence give your desktop a bunch of different looks. When you tire of one you can just switch to another. There are quite a few customizable options so you can pretty much make it work the way you want. NextSTART has support for drag and drop, multiple monitors, and lots more. The program is relatively intuitive and easy-to-use. So, if you're really tired of the way Windows looks you may want to give NextSTART a try. Also note that this is a part of the Winstep Xtreme package that lets you do even more things with skins, themes, and so on. Give it a try and see if you like it.

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP

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Desktop Rover 2.5, by Neslo Software, Inc. takes controlling other computers to a new level. According to the company, Desktop Rover allows you to, and I quote "...control up to 32 computers (including Pocket PCs)...". I didn't have quite that many devices to test it on, but I tried to manage. One benefit of the program is that it eliminates the need for KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) hardware devices. While using Desktop Rover you'll share things like the Windows clipboard. In testing it out I used Desktop Rover to control my Sony VAIO laptop. The program worked remarkably well. In working with Desktop Rover I can see where it's a perfect substitute for KVM hardware. You can configure it and there's no clunky hardware or cables in the way. The program has a variety of uses. While the interface is fairly intuitive, I'd say this product was best suited for an intermediate level user. I think newer users might get tangled up in all the concepts. So, if you find yourself with a lot of devices you need to work with and control, Desktop Rover may well be the solution you've been looking for. Give it a try!

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP

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Desktop Fay 2.8, by Dmitry G. Kozhinov is a clever little "desktop assistant". "Fay" as near as I can tell is kind of a pixie-like character who just loves to help you. Desktop Fay includes a number of useful function to help you get things done. For one there's an email client that you can use to do all your email. On top of that there's an email notifier that will pop up when you have new incoming email. Desktop Fay also comes with a nice mailing list manager that you can use when working with mailing lists. If you want to distribute your own lists Desktop Fay also comes with a built-in "batch mailer." In addition you also get a calculator and a reminder function. In testing it out I found that all of the modules work quite well and it's a neat little package. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP

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