Dictation software comes of age and is useful for more than just transcription

Speech recognition that works

Correction much improved, but still a chore

Naturally Speaking 10 shows voice recognition is ready to spread out from its mainstay niche markets

The latest Elements upgrade puts its focus on special effects

Powerful new tools; well-designed interface

High system requirements; casual photographers may prefer a less feature-packed alternative

Still the leader of the low-cost photo-editing pack

An impressive update to Apple's advanced photo-editing application

Windows and Linux versions; Vista guests; integrated virtual debugger; integrated P2V tool; background VM execution; experimental record and replay facility

Some features require upgrade of VM format; free virtualisation alternatives available

Market-leading virtualisation that's worth paying for

Fast; easy to use; logical way of updating files

Slight privacy concern; feature rich alternatives

An easy way to share, synchronise and backup files, all for a reasonable price

Works better if you have less installed; you can reverse the process with the roll-back feature

Can only install once on a source machine;few transfer customisation options; most transferred applications failed to run

Laplink is back with an all-new PC cloning tool

Simple to use; useful sidebars; photo gallery; forum; guestbook

Ugly templates; limited CSS support; slow; no HTML editing; annoying advertising

Website creation package aimed at novices

Secure and simple backup solution

Upload speeds limited; many free alternatives; expensive

3GB online backup with scheduling

Drive-imaging software from an established name

An easy-to-use product, with a simple user interface

Wizard-based approach makes it difficult to navigate manually to a required setting or feature; only runs on Windows XP

As a first release version this program still has some rough edges and inconsistencies in the user interface. However, it's a promising product that's well-featured and is the fastest performer

A feature-rich powerful product

Superfluous repetition of user controls makes interface clumsy

Quality disk-imaging software from Acronis