deluxe

Polyphony's Keyboard Manager Deluxe is a sort of super macro utility that can assign hotkeys to shortcuts, objects, and text, including plain or formatted text, but it does much more. It can activate pretty much anything in your system with a few simple keystrokes: programs, printers, drives, files, folders, Web pages, and even DOS files. You can use it for click-free pasting of objects, sounds, images, and stuff like logos and links in documents, which can save time if you find yourself inserting the same things over and over.

This compact utility downloads and installs quickly but requires a … Read more

Agenda Organizer Deluxe offers to help you keep to your schedule by keeping all of your records and dates in a central location. However, a clunky design and confusing commands keep it stuck in the mud for the duration.

The program's interface attempts to get off to a good start, but we were constantly frustrated by its confusing layout. It offers an onscreen tutorial; however, we found it unhelpful and instead opted to explore the directionless layout and confusing command icons. After much trial and error, we discovered a way to create a list of events by filling in … Read more

Crayon Physics Deluxe Demo has a lot of surprises for a simple art game. We were impressed by its addictive play, and we think kids will fall in love with it, too.

The program's interface was stunningly beautiful and easy to navigate. It's primarily set up for a child or a child and parent, so the onscreen directions were appropriate. There's no Help file, but the program's intuitive design was easy to understand. The crayon-on-paper game centers on rolling a ball so that it meets up with a star. Each "island" contains several levels … Read more

Basketball Scoreboard Deluxe is an attractive digital scoreboard made for use with big-screen displays. Although the program could be a little simpler, we liked its appearance and the level of customization it offers.

The scoreboard itself is sleek and clean-looking, with easy-to-read text. We liked that the colors of all of the scoreboard elements could be customized, and that users could add team mascots and other images to the scoreboard. We found the scoreboard's appearance to be quite professional-looking and attractive. Actually using the scoreboard, however, will likely take a bit of practice. It wasn't at all obvious … Read more

The Rolling Stones really were the world's greatest rock and roll band in 1969. That was 40 years ago, but if you need proof to verify the ancient claim, check out the "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert--40th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set."

The Stones' live shows of the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s were spectacles of frenzied energy, extravagant sets, video projections, and lots of flash, but "Ya Ya" was the real deal. The five Rolling Stones were the show, and that was more than enough. If you're going to only buy one live Stones CD, get "Ya Ya."

The original album was recorded over two nights at Madison Square Garden; I was there at one of those shows. I had a great time and bought the LP as soon as it came out. Still have it.

Keith Richards and Mick Taylor's yin vs. yang guitar styles meshed perfectly on "Midnight Rambler" and "Sympathy For The Devil." Mick Jagger and Richards paid tribute to the man who invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry, with a romping "Little Queenie." The new box set includes the original version on CD, plus a five-song EP from the same shows, with unplugged performances of "Prodigal Son" and "You Gotta Move." Sound quality is really good for a 1960s-era live recording, but I prefer the sound of the single disc "Ya Ya" SACD that came out in 2002, at least when it's played on a SACD player. … Read more

With Quicken 2010, Intuit strives to make its flagship money management application easier to navigate and simpler to set up, thanks to spruced-up visuals and a refreshed start-up wizard. Although already a solid balance-keeper and financial assistant in previous versions, Quicken 2010 adds a few new features to visualize your monthly budget and assets.

The Quicken 2010 product family includes Quicken Starter Edition ($29.99) for tracking budgets and upcoming bills; Quicken Deluxe ($59.99), which includes tools to help you save up for a large purchase; Quicken Premier ($89.99), which helps track investments; Quicken Home and Business ($99.… Read more

Small Business Tracker Deluxe provides a wide array of tools for managing a small business. However, its cluttered design leaves a lot to be desired.

We were initially excited that the program opens with a tutorial. While informative, this also worried us because we discovered how cluttered and amateurish the interface was. We were eventually able to operate each tool successfully, but we never felt comfortable because this random collection of commands left us wondering if we'd missed any options. The program offers a ton of seemingly helpful small business tools, from invoice creators and trackers to billing tools, … Read more

In the U.K., you don't have to be in the presence of someone to serve them with legal papers. So now Twitter has become a way to get served. We also are happy that the U.S. government is taking cybersecurity seriously, but maybe they could lay off with the cyber prefix a little. And we try to care more about the Palm Pixi. We really do.

Vista/IE market share slide, Win 7/Firefox/Chrome surge http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=5700… Read more

Fleet Maintenance Pro Deluxe provides users with a way to manage large numbers of vehicles and all their scheduled maintenance. While its versatility is excellent, the amount of work required to keep it accurate may turn some operators off.

The program's interface mimics an Excel spreadsheet and should not seem too mysterious to users. While there are several command icons along the top and bottom of the screen, a little experimentation and a trip to the Help file should help bring anyone up to speed. Managing your fleet of vehicles is simple but tedious. Inputting new vehicles is easy … Read more