Picks: Reviews of Schedule Wizard 2008, Guitar Guru, Power Clock, and Search and Recover.

Schedule Wizard 2008, by Author Direct is a clever utility program that helps you automate many tasks you do on the computer over and over again. The program is intuitive and easy-to-use, perfect for users with all levels of experience. In testing it out I used it to automate a number of functions on my machine and it worked perfectly. For example, I set it up to start my newsgroup reader and to go out and fetch the new messages. I also used it to schedule when certain programs would run. This is a great feature for automatically starting a backup program, for example. You can use Schedule Wizard 2008 to create macros, send email, and notify you of appointments or meetings. Another cool feature is the ability to go online. This means you can use the program to FTP information to your Web site or upload an updated calendar for your employees. The thing to keep in mind is that you can use Schedule Wizard 2008 to perform tasks that are both simple and complex. If you wish you can also make the interface secure so no one that isn't authorized can alter your schedule. Schedule Wizard 2008 gives you the power to manage and perform repetitive tasks on your PC. So, if you'd like to take the hassle out of the things you do over and over take a good look at Schedule Wizard 2008. It may be the solution you've been looking for.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

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Guitar Guru, by Musicnotes, Inc. is a program I just had to look at. Being a guitarist I wanted to see what it could do. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. If they'd had things like this when I was learning to play guitar it would have been a lot easier. Guitar Guru can break down songs note by note so you can learn them more easily. What's really cool is the "virtual fretboard" where you can watch the correct fingering so you learn music the right way. The screen shot shows the program as it's playing a segment of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. The beauty of this system is that you can slow the playback down so you can learn the notes more easily. When I was a kid learning guitar I'd have to have to be next to the record player (a device that plays black, vinyl disks), and constantly start and stop it. Or, I'd have to have my younger brother man the device so I could make sure I got the notes right. With something like Guitar Guru it's amazingly simple. Just move the slider to slow the music down, or you can speed it up if you like. You can also print out sheet music if that helps you to learn the song. In the screen shot you can see the fretboard and it's in the smallest size. If you like you can maximize it so it pops out on your screen so you can see it better. You can also move along the fretboard and go all the way up to the 19th fret. Another really cool feature is the ability to control the program with your voice! The commands are simple and it allows you to stay with your guitar and not have to be moving between guitar and program. Slick. Guitar Guru can handle acoustic, electric, and bass guitars as well as 6-string and 12-string guitars. There's a wealth of music from all genres available for you to learn using Guitar Guru. So, if you're a struggling artist trying to learn the guitar, struggle no more. Guitar Guru is a perfect solution to help you play better, faster.

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista

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Power Clock, by Powerclock.com is a slick program that replace the old-fashioned "time clock." Really very slick. The program is loaded with cool features. It's also very intuitive and easy-to-use, perfect for both new and experienced users. I don't know why you'd use a mechanical clock with you could use Power Clock> I like the fact that the program can work over the Internet and gather information from multiple locations. That means that if your business has five branches or stores Power Clock can grab the hours for all the employees and syncs them for you. Another cool feature is that the program can backup and restore all of your time data. You never have to worry about losing your time information. Another cool feature is support for biometrics. That means employees can "clock in" using their Fingerprint. It also means that others can't punch in for them. Power Clock data can be exported in a variety of formats including text, dBase, and even QuickBooks. On top of all the Power Clock also has a built-in email system. Employees can be notified of emails while they're punching in our out. In working with the program it seems like the programmers thought of just about everything. Backups, biometrics, security, and even automatically deducting for lunch hours. So, if you have a business where you need to track time this is a program you want to look at. It's a really slick solution.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

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Search and Recover, by iolo technologies, LLC is a program you'll want if you're trying to save data. It can search your drives and find lost files and then helps you to recover them. I really like the fact that it offers an option to run the search from a CD. That's a great option because it helps increase your chances of getting your data back. Why? Because the program isn't writing data to the disk that you're trying to recover data from. Search and Recover doesn't just work on hard drives, but also on CDs, DVDs, USB thumb drives, Flash memory cards, memory sticks, and more. In testing it out I found the program to work really well. It recovered every deleted file I tried it on. The program claims that Search and Recover can even restore files from drives that have been formatted or even repartitioned, but I didn't have time to test that out. The program is intuitive and easy-to-use which makes it ideal for users with all levels of experience. It should be noted that with all such programs that the sooner you attempt recovery after the deletion the better your chances of saving your data. So, if you have a tendency to erase files you actually need, take a look at Search ad Recover. It may be just what you need to save the day.

System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista

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