Reflect Mac Customer Relationship Management Software

You're not seeing double�there is twice the convenience for business with our ever-expanding range of business software that is available for both PC and Mac platforms. This week the list of Mac business applications grew with the release of Reflect CRM Software for OS X.

With Reflect customer database software, your business can move past just making transactions by storing and organizing client information. Consolidating valuable customer data gives businesses more complete insight into their clients and customers, helping front-line employees make faster, better informed decisions and build stronger relationships with customers for increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Top Smart Rated Inventory Software

Inventoria Stock Manager - Inventory Software. Features, reviews, ratings.Inventory control is an important aspect of many businesses, so you want to make sure that you have all the necessary tools at your disposal to stay on top of your inventory. We know how important tracking stock levels and reporting can be, which is why we are so pleased that our Inventoria inventory software has just been listed as a top inventory program by the reviewers at findthebest.com.

Already this year Inventoria was named a top inventory software by TopTenReviews. We are grateful for both of these positive reviews and all of the businesses out there that have trusted NCH Software to help them manage their inventory. With all these positive ratings, we look forward to the new businesses to add to that list in the new year.

Send Personalized Video Greeting Cards

The holidays are right on top of us, so I hope you got your presents mailed and your cards and letters sent. But even if you haven't gotten something in the mail yet, it isn't too late to send a heartfelt message to your loved ones, both near and far. With Debut Video Capture Software and a webcam, you can record yourself or your whole family in front of the computer to make a quick and easy video greeting card. Just like you've seen in those holiday commercials with the audio-recorded talking greeting cards and books, you can make a sentimental message with both video and voice that can be played over and over again, without going to the store, that can be delivered to a loved one's email inbox, or burned onto a DVD.

If you want your video to really shine, you can import the clips from your webcam into either VideoPad Video Editor, or PhotoStage Slideshow Software to do more polishing and editing, and combine with other video clips, or photos and music, but any heartfelt holiday message to family members far away can be enough to bring a smile and some holiday cheer.

Want a Unique Gift Idea? Make Them a Radio Star

Guest Post by Emma Bell

One of the coolest things about modern technology is that anyone who has a story to tell has a pretty decent shot of getting it on the radio or their very own podcast. Unlike the days where a radio professional would be required to be in the studio reporting, now anyone can record an interview or story with any number of small and affordable recording devices; and the best part is that many stations are constantly looking for material. Like with any creative medium, the quality of content does matter – as does covering a topic that is timely, or timeless (also known as evergreen).

Some radio buffs go all out and purchase gear like digital flash recorders and professional microphones but many others simply use their phones to record, or their phone answering machines, laptops, etc. In terms of production you can get as detailed or simplistic as you choose because the truth of the matter is that if your story is compelling enough or something that no one else is covering many radio stations will be willing to work with it, no matter what the quality.

If you've got something of value to say you can simply record it and let the seasoned pros edit the piece, or you can try your hand at editing. There are many affordable audio software programs available that will take a bit of trial and error to learn but even Youtube offers video tutorials for many different programs on the market.

There are also many organizations who are encouraging budding radiomakers and documentarians of all ages by offering recording tips and advice, as well as platforms in which to present their features. Vocalo, based out of Chicago, is an interesting public radio platform that allows everyday people to have their own shows. Transom is a non-profit website that offers tips on the best gear to get and tips on telling stories and the Public Radio Exchange is a depot where you place your work and have radio stations come looking for you instead of the other way around. And with the rising popularity of do-it-yourself podcasts you can make your own radio show and build a following of fans without any need for a radio station to sign you on.

Thanks to technology it's a new day in radio making; an exciting time that rewards the everyday people who have interesting stories to tell. It's hardly the best way to try and get rich but it's a wonderful chance to say whatever's on your mind to an ever-growing audience. As a radiomaker you can help inform, entertain, get people to thinking and even help shape opinions. The best part is that with today's technology you can run your own show and get your own brand of uniqueness out there for all the world to hear.

Author Emma Bell writes for Coupon Croc. If you're looking for a new phone that records audio check out this Discount Voucher.

Don't Panic, Photo Recovery Software

If you take a lot of photos, you have probably experienced that moment of panic when you connect one of your memory cards to your computer and you don't see anything there. Where could the photos be? Oh no! This should have lots of pictures from my vacation to Bali and my daughter�s ballet recital on it! What happened?!? First make sure you are looking at the right memory card, and if you are, before you mourn the loss of those photos, there still might be hope.

When electronic files get "deleted," whether they were on a memory card or a hard disk, the space they occupy is typically only flagged as free to have something else saved there. So recovering a "deleted" or "missing" file is only a matter of using a program like Orion Photo Recovery Software to scan for the pictures that have been mistakenly flagged as free space. With Orion, you can search your computer or any external device, such as a memory card or your camera, for these files, restoring them to their former visible glory for you to share, print and save.

Make A Seasonal Slideshow

There is something nostalgic about this time of year. Shopping for gifts, making holiday plans, going to parties. And between the parties, presents, and traditions�like sitting on Santa's lap, cutting a Christmas tree, decking the halls, or cooking the special family recipes that only come out once a year�there are also a lot of photos to share.

But what if this year, instead of posting hundreds of individual pictures to Facebook, you combined all your favorites into a slideshow that will warm the heart? PhotoStage Slideshow Creator, rated the best slideshow software by TopTenReviews, makes it easy to combine your memories into a truly magical movie slideshow starring none other than your family. TopTenReviews recently posted an article that runs down how to make a personalized winter slideshow with PhotoStage. With its easy-to-use interface, the most important thing is just to come to the table with your imagination, ready to play with and perfect your slideshow.

Whether you want set your photos to your favorite holiday songs, record the family caroling, or add captions or narrations, you have complete creative control to tell the story of any memorable holiday, moment or event. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a slideshow is easily worth ten thousand, and with easy sharing options, lots of transitions, and dynamic features, there is no better way to create a slideshow than with PhotoStage Slideshow Maker.

Create a Time-lapse Video with Debut

You've seen videos that condense hours and hours of time into a short clip: a flower blooms in 30 seconds, or a city scene showcases the busy flit of people and traffic as the shadows of buildings move slowly across the street.

You can easily create your own time-lapse video using your webcam and Debut video capture software. Here is what you need to do:

1. Click the Edit Output button and select the devices tab.
   
2. Select the option to Enable Time-lapse.
   
3. Specify how often you want an image to be taken. For the charactaristic choppness of many time lapse videos, space image captures apart by a minute or longer. For a smoother result, take captures at shorter intervals.
   

When your recording is finished, it will be saved as one video clip rather than a series of images, so you can watch the time fly by in a resulting video.

Next, to turn your time-lapse into something really worth sharing, add a title screen using VideoPad video editor. Keep in mind that VideoPad can also do other time manipulations, such as speeding up or slowing down your video footage, in case you want to fine-tune your time-lapse results.

Lightning Fast PDF Creation

Bolt PDF Printer makes creating PDF files as easy as printing. See exactly how easy it is to print files to PDF in this short video introduction.

And if you need to convert a large number of documents to PDF, you will also want to try Doxillion Document Converter to batch convert thousands of files at once.

Do More with Audio - Blog Carnival December 5, 2011

Here are this edition's entries to Do More with Audio:


Adrian Try presents 20 Podcasts that Musicians Should Subscribe To And Why posted at Audio Tutorials Plus A list of twenty great podcasts that teach you about producing music for keeping you entertained and educated.

Emerson Maningo presents Advantages and disadvantages of "In the Box" and "Out of the Box" Audio Mixing posted at Audio recording tips. A list of all the possible advantages and disadvantages with respect to sound quality, efficiency and overall music production process.

T. Michael Testi presents Book Review: Soundtrack Success: A Digital Storyteller's Guide To Audio Post-Production by Jeffery P. Fisher posted at Blog Critics: Books. There is no short cut to creating good sound and the goal of Soundtrack Success is to help you sharpen your skills so that you can provide a vibrant sound track to your visuals.

Mike Sessler presents Using Audio Delay posted at Technical Arts in the Church. Most audio effects processors include a simple delay which often gets overlooked however adding some delay can create some very cool effects.

Olivia presents Basic Best Practices For Capturing Quality Audio posted at OliviaTech. Robert from JuicedLink comes into the studio to guide me through his top 3 suggested best practices for capturing quality audio.

Slater's Garage presents The Power of Audio Triggers posted at Ads & Audio: Put a Voice to Your Marketing. Don�t underestimate the power of a sound effect, a jingle, musical hook, or some other audio cue in your advertising to help you make that emotional connection with your listener.


You might also be interested in:

• Audio Lecture Recording
  
• Upgrades to MixPad Music Mixer include VST plugin support
  
• Award Winning Audio Software and more from NCH
  
• Create Labels for your CDs
  

That concludes this edition of Do More with Audio. If you have an audio story to share or advice, tips or tricks to share, we hope you will submit your audio posts and articles to the next edition.

New Remote Computer Access Software

DesktopNow is a newly released, free program for remotely accessing your computer. After you install DesktopNow, you can select which folders you want access to. Then, when you are away from your computer, no matter where you are or which computer or device you use, log in to your computer using any web browser. You�ll have fast, easy, and secure access to all your important files.

Having DesktopNow means you never need to worry about not having that file you need. You�ll always be able to log in to your computer to upload, access or retrieve files.

And this first release of DesktopNow Remote Computer Access Software is just the beginning. Future releases will include additional features for controlling your computer and desktop from remote locations in addition to the current file management features.

Upgrades to MixPad Music Mixer include VST plugin support

For recording your band, creating voiceovers, or mixing music, MixPad Multitrack Audio Software has always been a valuable tool. It's both easy to use, and robust enough to handle your biggest audio production projects. And most recently MixPad has had some significant updates that include a tabbed interface for quick access to all of the music mixing and editing features, VST plugin support to apply extended effects to your projects, improved selection making mixing even faster and improved effects chain allows you to apply non-destructive effects to individual tracks. All of these upgrades are available now with the same great small download size to get you working on audio production projects in mere minutes without taking up your valuable disk space.

Create Your Own Photo Mosaics for the Holidays

Give a unique and personalized gift this holiday season as well as share and preserve memories, make a photo mosaic image with PhotoPad photo editing software. The photo mosaic feature is similar to the collage feature but it builds a larger, composite image out of your photo collection using many small images. Unlike the mosaic posters and photos you may have seen on sale at the mall, the mosaics you make with PhotoPad can contain dozens of pictures all of your family and friends.

This a really fun tool to play with since there are a lot of different options and settings to experiment with as you edit the photo mosaic to get the results you want. You can change the numbers of tiles, swap out the template image which is the "big picture," change the folder that the tile images will be taken from, and the size of the image. I changed the background color of the image and made the mosaic smaller to add border around my mosaic.

On the Insert tab of PhotoPad's menu, click the mosaic button and select the image that will be used as the template for the mosaic. The level of detail in the mosaic is proportional to the number of images in the Tile Collection folder and the number of tile columns and rows specified in the Mosaic Image Properties. The default amount of tiles is rather low, so I recommend increasing the initial numbers. I also encountered mixed results when I only had 20 images in my Tile Collection folder. I saw a much greater variation in my final mosaic image when I had dozens of images in the Tile Collection folder, so make sure you give PhotoPad a good variety of photos to choose from.

PhotoPad is free, so download PhotoPad today and try out the mosaic feature. And if you like PhotoPad, check out more of our software gift ideas including PhotoStage slideshow software for another fun way to combine your photos into a unique and personal gift.

Easy Email Encryption Software

Have you ever worried about sending private information via email? Needed to send sensitive information to someone that could cause problems if it fell into the wrong hands? Privacy and security are of growing concern in the digital world with the rising levels of crimes such as identity theft. This doesn't mean that you should not send sensitive information, but it does mean that you need to be cautious about how you do it. An easy method of protecting sensitive information is to encrypt it.

With MEO File Encryption Software encrypting files, folders, and emails is easy. If you want to encrypt an email, you simply hit the Encrypt an email button from the main window of MEO and type in the To:, Subject: and Body of the email, add any attachments and hit Send. You will need to set a password for the encrypted file, keeping in mind that all of the rules you know and love regarding password strength still apply. Finally, you need inform the person receiving the email of the password or they will be unable to open and read what you sent them. It is up to you to choose a method to share the password with your email recipient, you may tell them on the phone, in another email, or even send them a riddle to figure it out. The original email they receive from you will let them know that they need MEO to decrypt the attachment. Since MEO is a free encryption software, that's really no problem at all!

Make Animated GIFs from Video Files

Did you know that Prism Video Converter can be used to convert video clips into animated gifs? In addition to sharing video files, animated gifs are also a popular way to share short or funny video clips on websites without needing to embed and wait on larger video files to download/buffer.

To create an animated gif simply add the video clip in Prism and select .gif as the Output Format. You should also consider resizing the video in the Video Options, to make an animated gif at a smaller resolution that will be better suited for posting on the web.

Express Scribe Pro for Mac

Following the September announcement of the new professional version of Express Scribe, we are pleased to say that now the Mac version of our extremely popular transcription software has followed suit and now there are both free and professional versions of Express Scribe available for Mac OS X as well. Features of the professional version include video playback and support for proprietary audio file formats including dss, ds2 and mvf for those professionals working in legal or medical transcription.

Productivity Increase on Ebay with FastFox

These days it's impossible to go anywhere without running into someone who's bought or sold something on Ebay. At any given time there are over 100 million active auction listings and each one of those was added by a seller. That's a lot of hours of work if you have several items you are selling on Ebay. I have been a seller on Ebay, and the biggest annoyance and time waster for me was repeatedly typing similar Ebay listings. Or at least it was until I found FastFox.

FastFox is a text expander for Windows or Mac. A text expander, or textexpander, is a form of shorthand software that allows you to paste a chunk of text by typing in a predefined shortcut term. This is much more valuable than a normal copy and paste feature because it can hold many shortcuts each with it's own text value associated with it. How a typing expander works is you set your shortcut term, then set your expanded text in FastFox, and once you type the shortcut term in any browser or program you have instant text conversion to the expanded text.

Now you must be asking "How can this help me to be faster when listing on Ebay?" Well, if you're like me you've dealt with listing hundreds of similar products at one time. Repeatedly typing similar text into my listing software feels like a waste of time. What I like to do is create FastFox shortcuts for all of my auction elements that are the same or remain very similar, and then make small edits as needed. It has quadrupled my productivity while listing.

My example deals with selling baseball cards. I would list a couple hundred baseball cards on Ebay at one time. All of them were from the same year and all of them were similar quality of cards. An auction title read something like: "1961 Topps - Harmon Killebrew #80 - Excellent Condition." The only things that would change in each new auction was the player's name and the card number. With FastFox I could create a basic shortcut that said: "1961 Topps - # - Excellent Condition" and fill in the other information for each card. As soon as I typed in my shortcut, "TITLE," I had most of it finished.

Where this really picked things up was in the category and description of the auction. All of my auctions were in the same category, so filling that out was as simple as typing one shortcut. It really helped to not have to go through and find the correct category. It also eliminated me putting a few cards in the wrong category. Lastly and most important was the description. No more Description Builder! With FastFox I could create a description one time and simply enter the shortcut and add in the player's name and card number. This new way of listing products really sped up my Ebay auction listing process and ended in higher profits over a shorter timeframe.

Learn more about FastFox typing expander on the NCH Software website.

Lecture Recordings and Audio Software

Guest Post by Brittany Lyons

With the onset of the digital age, access to resources online has become the norm. The majority of students are digital �natives,� able to find textbooks, academic articles, study help, and any number of other aids for their courses, or even earn entire PhDs, without ever moving from in front of their computer screen. But the one resource not always available to them? The lecture itself. However, many professors have begun to change that, as there are many advantages to having recorded lectures available for students to listen to online at their leisure. But what's the best technology to use for this purpose? And how can non-digital native teachers tap in to the power of that technology?

What makes online recordings so great is that they give students access to the information as many times as they need to hear it. Repeated exposure to difficult concepts can really help students wade through the information, especially if they have an auditory learning style. Knowing the material will be available later also cuts down on students asking for repeated explanations of the same material in class, which means more information can be covered in one lecture period.

Similarly, online recordings provide a ready resource for students who are absent, or for those who are falling behind in class. Rather than having to repeatedly re-teach material during office hours, the professor can refer students to the online recordings to gain at least a basic understanding, and meetings with the professor can then be spent clarifying things the student doesn't understand. This makes one-on-one meetings with students more effective and productive.

Of course, despite the potential benefits of making lectures available online, many professors have concerns. One major concern is that having recorded lectures available will lower class attendance. While this may seem valid on the surface, ultimately it does not appear to be a problem. Glogoff (2009) reports that class attendance is not negatively affected by having recordings of lectures available online; instead, students use the recordings as an additional learning tool on top of attendance. Many use the recordings while reviewing class notes, often adding additional information and solidifying their understanding of the course material. Plus, with the information readily available online, students worry less about taking studious notes, which means they're paying closer attention to the lecture itself.

So the biggest challenge for lecture recordings, then, is acquiring and understanding the technology necessary to produce them. Many professors have trouble with this because they are not digital natives. However, there are many easy options, especially when you consider the programs available through NCH Software.

The most straightforward of the options is RecordPad audio recording software, which will record up to two hours of audio in a single file. The program is easy to use, and can run concurrently with other programs. This means that professors can easily record their lecture on their laptop while running presentation software for their class. Once they've clicked the button to start recording at the beginning of class, the professor can forget about it until afterward, when recordings can be easily uploaded straight from the hard drive for student use.

For professors who want to edit their class recordings (for example, if there was a piece of information intended only for present students, to penalize those who skipped lecture), is an excellent companion product to RecordPad. This software allows pieces of recordings to be cut, copied, and pasted, so that material can be removed if needed. For classrooms with poor acoustics, WavePad audio editor also offers effects such like amplification and noise reduction, which will improve the overall quality of the recording.

NCH Software�s RecordPad and WavePad are user-friendly tools for classroom recording and audio editing that can easily and effectively create lecture recordings appropriate for online use. Both are available for Windows or Mac (including the iPhone), and RecordPad can even be used on an iPod if professors don�t wish to carry a laptop to class. WavePad is available for iPad, making it possible to edit from anywhere�even between lectures. Downloading is quick and easy, and free versions are available for both programs if a financial investment doesn't seem to make sense. And while purchased versions offer many interesting and useful additional options, they also offer free trials so you know what you're getting for your money. For even the most techno-phobic professor, these tools make recording and posting lectures so easy it would be silly not to do it.

Brittany Lyons aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

Business Software On the Go: Web Access

Do you feel tied down to your business? You shouldn�t; try taking it with you! Many of NCH Software�s business solutions have a web access feature that lets you check your business info and run your business no matter where you are. You can check sales data, create invoices, manage stock and keep your business running smoothly whether you are in your office, at any of your business locations, or on the road with these cost-effective business programs:

Express Invoice

Create and send invoices, print receipts for �quick sales,� and view client contact info and statements while you travel. Download Express Invoice and watch this tutorial about setting up the web access feature.

Express Accounts

Manage every financial aspect of your business, including sales and purchases, accounts receivable and accounts payable, access reports, and reconcile your accounts. Download Express Accounts and set up the web access feature. Also be sure to check out our essential guide to bookkeeping.

Inventoria

A great solution for a single or multiple locations, Inventoria�s web access feature lets you order stock, receive stock, manage stock, and view reports. Download Inventoria and watch this tutorial about setting up the web access feature.

And for those days you are in the office, check out our other Business Software for everything from customer relationship management to employee time management software.

Easy Chroma Key Video Overlays

Often during editing you will want to remove the background from a video. This is commonly seen with television newscasts or interviews where the video of the person is overlaid onto a different video backdrop, or a logo animation is overlaid on a background. Chroma Key is also commonly referred to as green screen. Sometimes videos will have a transparency or alpha channel that you can adjust to remove the background, but more often than not, you will have to utilize Chroma Key tools in video editing software to remove the backgrounds.

Proper lighting makes using Chroma Keys far easier. Ensure the subject(s) and background are both well-lit. Solid color backdrops work the best. You can buy professional blue or green fabric backdrops or special Chroma Key paint. Avoid having shadows or hot spots on the background or unnecessary detail in the background as it will make it harder to �pull a key� later. Natural sunlight can often make the foreground subject bleed into the background when trying to key a color, so it�s best to use artificial lighting.

NCH Software�s VideoPad Video Editor has the ability to select a Chroma Key color with its Overlay feature. Add the video as an overlay track, and select the Use Chroma Key checkbox to bring up the Chroma Key preview window.

Select the Chroma Key color by clicking on the color you want to key out in the preview image. Then, using the preview image as a reference, adjust the Background and Foreground sliders until the desired transparency is achieved. Note you can click different positions on the timeline to see how the video will look. Click OK to apply changes.

If you would like to make changes later, first select the overlay in the list on the Overlay tab, and then click the Change button next to the Use Chroma Key checkbox.

Below is an example video we made using the Videopad Chroma Key feature. Download VideoPad for yourself to try this and the other easy video editing features for yourself.

Wedding Slideshow Creation with PhotoStage

One of the the truly wonderful things about PhotoStage slideshow software is that it can be used for so many different things. We've had stories in our blog about making stop-motion videos, digital storytelling, making a music video and more. PhotoStage is ideal for preserving memories of all kinds of events, and one of the big events that more and more users are beginning to use PhotoStage for is making a wedding slideshow to share with friends, family, guests and more.

The Daily Wedding Blog recently wrote about creating wedding slideshows with PhotoStage as a digital addition to the traditional framed photo and photo album that couple keeps. Just one of the great things about putting together a slideshow is how easy they are to share, whether you post the finished slideshow to Facebook or burn them to a DVD and send them out with your thank yous. The possibilities are endless and there is no reason to limit yourself. You may only get one wedding album, but there is no reason you can't make multiple wedding slideshows, maybe one for the bridesmaids that also includes pictures from the bachelorette party and another version for the groomsmen. If you're getting married we hope you will use PhotoStage for making wedding slideshows, and for more inspiration and tips on planning a wedding without breaking the bank visit the Daily Wedding Blog.

Award-Winning Software from NCH

The true test of a software program is how well it works for the people who install and use it. The number of people downloading and using NCH programs everyday (roughly 3 million downloads every month) suggests our focus on creating powerful, easy and intuitive software is working well for a lot of people out there. And while you have the final word on if a program is right for you, we still appreciate the feedback of reviewers recognizing the work that has gone into making our software programs both powerful and easy-to-use.

Here is a peek into our trophy case, and just a small sample of the award-winning software titles in the NCH Software collection:

WavePad Sound Editor

WavePad has long been praised by reviewers for its easy and powerful, yet lightweight interface for audio editing.

"In spite of its tiny size, WavePad packs a big audio punch."
     - CNET

"WavePad has a lot to offer to the amateur audio editor, while still providing enough tools to make it a useful program for more seasoned audio editors."
     - TopTenReviews

Switch Audio Converter

Switch is not only easy to use, it supports more audio formats than the competition, making it a clear winner.

"Switch is just as useful for professionals that need to convert many songs into multiple formats as it is for the average person who knows they want to convert an AAC file to MP3. Switch is able to handle many different audio formats and has the largest selection of output formats of any program we reviewed."
     - TopTenReviews

VideoPad Video Editor

VideoPad has quickly become a major player in video editing with upgraded features, putting even more advanced options at your disposal.

"NCH Software's VideoPad Video Editor Professional is a full-featured video-editing tool that is surprisingly easy to use... It's a rare video editor that you can just fire up and start making movies with, but that's what we did with VideoPad."
     - CNET

PhotoStage Slideshow Software

PhotoStage lets you bring your digital photos to life and make easy-to-share presentations of every memorable occasion.

"PhotoStage Slideshow Producer shows that slideshow makers don't need to be difficult to use to produce great results."
     - CNET

"PhotoStage is intuitive and savvy photo slideshow software that enables you to assemble artistic, personalized picture slideshows with total ease."
     - TopTenReviews

Zulu DJ Mixing Software

Zulu is the complete DJ software solution for both amateur and professional DJs alike.

"In an extremely competitive field of DJ software, Zulu stands just a bit taller than all of the rest. The intuitive and advanced features of this program, including a user-friendly, simple and straightforward interface, helped it rise to the top of our rankings."
     - TopTenReviews

Inventoria Inventory Management

Inventoria allows businesses of all sizes to efficiently track all their inventory processes, whether for one small retail outlet, or a chain of stores and warehouses across several locations.

"The versatility of Inventoria is an excellent reason to purchase this product. It offers numerous helpful features such as the ability to add notes and photos to each item in your inventory. In addition, you have the opportunity to allow more users to access the program, which can increase productivity and ultimately enhance your bottom line."
     - TopTenReviews

Check out the complete range of NCH Software programs for more easy-to-use and award-winning software solutions for all your software needs.

Show Personality With Your Business Cards & Win Business

Guest Post by Adam of SoloPress

Business cards are not only for the self contrived egomaniacs in the business environment, they are a much smoother and more efficient way of handing out your personal details without subjecting the target to having to disconnect from your attention whilst punching in your details on their phone.

The business card should represent who you are and give the recipient a fair understanding of what it was that made you stand out over the other people they may have picked up business cards from. If you are looking to stand out above the crowd then there are certain fundamentals that you should be meeting.

Be Creative and Original

Too many times an individual comes to us with a business card design straight out of word art or styled in Comic Sans, this may be all well and good if you are only trying to promote to parents or the elderly, but you can do a lot more even in the very limited space of a business card to make an impression about who you are and what you do. Having a polished design gives an added impression of credibility that will affect how people feel about you and your business.

So take the time to create a design, or invest in someone to carry out the task of designing you a business card, the money you will pay for a business card design will be steep, but when you consider that a good business card design can last you a lifetime, win you contacts, contracts and repeat business, the initial investment will recoup the costs in no time.

If you need a little bit of guidance or don't have the budget for a graphic designer try using CardWorks Free Business Card Software to customize a business card design to fit your business. You can achieve a very professional result with a software program to help you along the way.

Be Memorable Yourself

Often overlooked at a big networking event is aligning your business cards with the image you are portraying of yourself. One of the best ideas I have experienced in my years of business card printing is one customer who wanted his contact details in the shape of a black tie, when I questioned him as to the choice of his design, he enlightened me that he always wears a white shirt and black tie to all his networking events and business meetings. I doubted his tactic at first, but to this day I can remember his name, and would almost certainly be able to guess what he’ll be wearing if I meet him again.

You need to have a clear idea of how you wish to represent yourself before you start putting designs down. Brain storm words and attributes you would like to have people think about you, pick your favourite few and brainstorm the ideas from there and in no time at all you will have a rough idea of what you want your business card to look like.

Andy is an entrepreneur and has a lot of experience with business printers, flyer printing and leaflet printing, in design but in distribution and the strategy surrounding it. Comment below for any tactics you have found to work in flyer distribution.

HIPAA Compliant Dictation Software

With HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, in effect, medical dictators and transcriptionists have to be wary with the use or exchange of patients' Protected Health Information (PHI) in their dictation transmissions. As a medical transcriptionist (MT), they have to maintain the privacy of every patient record being transcribed.

To protect patient confidentiality, it is recommended that your computer comes with at least the following:

• Firewall protection with solid password protection for user accounts
• Regular Windows or MAC updates for computer security
• Up-to-date antivirus software
• File encryption software (e.g., Dial Dictate, Web Dictate, or Express Dictate)

The recent stimulus plan (or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) included a specific act � called the HITECH Act (or the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) which has specific requirements for the electronic transmission of patients' health information. For this reason, NCH Software has created a medical user version for its dictation software applications which integrate seemlessly with Express Scribe on the transcription side to maintain patient privacy through the transcription process.

Dial Dictate: HIPAA-compliant encryption to secure medical patient data when recording as .dct files.
Express Dictate: Supports HIPAA-compliant encryption, perfect to secure patient or client data for transmission over the Internet.
Web Dictate: Recording can be HIPAA-compliant encrypted for privacy and security.

Given that medical transcriptionists receive, send, and store confidential patient data, it's vital they recognize and adhere to HIPAA rules on privacy, security, and confidentiality. If this is accomplished, patient records are secured, data efficiency is obtained, and more importantly customer confidence is increased.

HIPAA offers a set of strict guidelines for protecting patients' privacy and information. Seeing as a lot of health organizations utilize NCH Software for dictating and transcribing medical records, we have carefully considered the best way to sustain these guidelines. MTs can rest assured that NCH Software will assist them in paving the way to a HIPAA-compliant future.

Doxillion Document Converter Now For Mac and PC

With the Mac release of Pixillion image converter back in July, and now the first Mac release of Doxillion document converter, all four cornerstones of our converting software suite are officially available for both Windows and Mac, making NCH the place to turn to if you can't open file, no matter the file format or the platform.

Doxillion Document Converter is a multi format document file converter that is very easy to use, quickly converting text documents within minutes of downloading. Plus take advantage of batch converting to convert large numbers of files at a time, or set up one-click conversion options for even faster access to format conversion to your most used formats.

Check out our full range of converting programs:

• Switch mp3 converting software
  
• Prism video converting software
  
• Pixillion image converting software
  
• Doxillion document converter
  
• Golden Records Vinyl to CD converter
  
• Golden Videos VHS to DVD converter
  
• Verbose text to speech converter
  

Growing A Quality Transcription Business With Express Scribe

Guest Post by Annalisa Holmes, Director of The Transcription People

We have been using Express Scribe transcription software in our Australian-based outsource transcription business for years and we love it. Why? I have a list, so here goes:

Cost Effective

You can't get more cost effective than free software. For as long as I can remember Express Scribe has been free. This continues to be the case with a free version still being offered alongside a new paid Pro version.

In my business I employ a mix of transcriptionists; we have some work onsite in our office but the majority are work-from-home micro-businesses. Included in that mix are a wealth of "old school" typists and "wannabe" transcriptionists. Old school typists are used to the cassette tape days of micro and mini cassette dictation and are very experienced at transcription. Wannabe typists have time on their hands, want to learn a new job skill and possibly work from home or for an employer.

Express Scribe is perfect for both these dynamics, experienced typists can very quickly switch their mindset to the digital way of doing things and with the option of a USB foot control, can make the transition very quickly from tape to digital transcription with a free download and a low-cost foot pedal. Those new to transcription can have the software installed in minutes and have the flexibility of training themselves using the configurable control keys. For a zero dollar outlay Express Scribe is a very attractive tool to those looking to start a career in transcription.

Multiple Use Scenario

Most people think of Express Scribe as just a tool for transcription typists. That is true for the majority of people, but in my business we also utilise Express Scribe for our proofreading team. My company is renowned for producing high quality, accurate transcription and the way that we do that is with a two-step quality assurance process. Step one is the traditional transcription typist who listens and transcribes. Step two is where the quality and consistency across clients is provided by our proof-reading team. The proofreaders do not transcribe, their role is to apply customer-specific formatting and act as a second set of eyes over the transcript, ensuring the highest quality.

My proofreading team use Express Scribe to play back audio whilst reading through the transcripts. Typically they prefer the control key functionality and love the variable speed playback, one of the many features in Express Scribe.

Very Easy To Set Up, Install and Use

Express Scribe can be installed and up and running in minutes. For users of all technical levels we have found Express Scribe to be a breeze to get working and get used to. People of all transcription abilities get used to Express Scribe very quickly. As we all use the same software throughout my business, we have a pool of experts within our own teams who can help each other out with any questions.

From a business point of view, all my staff are on the same page when it comes to transcription and proofreading software. We don't need to waste time supporting various vendors' software. Consistency across the team makes for a smoother transcription and proofreading workflow.

The Future

I really can't see my business moving away from Express Scribe, there is no need. It has served us well for years and will continue to do so for years to come. We are particularly excited about the new Pro version of Express Scribe which can now process the DSS Pro audio files created on the latest Olympus and Philips digital dictaphones. Before the Pro version came along we had to include an extra file conversion step from .ds2 to .dss. Now NCH has that covered.

Thank you NCH for your excellent software, which has helped my business get to where it is today.

Annalisa Holmes is the director of The Transcription People Pty Ltd, one of Australia's largest outsource transcription services. Annalisa started as a transcription typist in the early years of forming her business and now oversees a large team of transcription typists across Australia and New Zealand. The Transcription People service clients from across Australia, the USA and the UK and boasts AMP, Holden, Ernst & Young as some of her clients.

Burn and Label CD and DVDs on Windows or Mac

NCH Software provides a wide range of multimedia software allowing you to record, edit, convert and combine digital photos, audio and video files. And what comes after your digital remastering? You can take advantage of the Upload to YouTube feature built into many of our software programs, but another great option is to burn your projects to CD or DVD. With Express Burn Disc Burning Software you can burn audio, video and data to CDs, DVDs and even Blue-Ray discs in a variety of file formats. Simply drag, drop and burn and in minutes you have a finished disc. You could stop there, or maybe scribble something on the disc with a sharpie, but if you want to really make your burned discs stand out you can create customized CD and DVD labels and cases with Disketch Disc Label Software for that finishing touch and to help keep your discs organized.

Disketch Labeling Software was recently released for the Mac for the first time, making it easy for anyone to create personalized labels and cases by adding text, color and images.

Set A Time Limit On Computer Use

If your children wouldn't do anything other than play on the computer if given the chance, then the newest feature added to Verity Parental Control Software maybe exactly what you need. A new Time Limits tab has been added to Verity's Parental Controls allowing parents to set time limits on computer usage according to the day of the week or the time of day. You can also set program or website exceptions that won't count toward the allowable quota, so it will still be possible for your child to type a report in Word or practice their typing skills with KeyBlaze Typing Tutor, without eating into the allowable game time your kids crave.

Do More with Audio - Blog Carnival October 3, 2011

Here are this edition's entries to Do More with Audio:


HBAJAKE presents Should You Use Compression In Audio Recording? posted at Home Brew Audio

Martha presents Katy Perry Ties Michael Jackson's Record; Will She Break It?, saying, "Katy Perry is no one-hit wonder. This week, her latest single reached number one on Billboard�s Hot 100 chart. The track is her fifth number-one single off her latest album, which ties her for the most all-time off of one record. Michael Jackson was the only other artist to ever reach that number."

Danielle MacInnis presents Podcasting for small business posted at Flying Solo

Kelley Wilson presents 10 Reasons that iTunes is So Popular posted at MacApper.

Ken presents Top Audio Editor Even More Affordable In September posted at Pro PC Audio Recording on a Budget

Lisa Hood presents 10 Groups That Need to Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posted at ZenCollegeLife, saying, "Each year when the nominations are announced for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, people often pay more attention to who's not on the list than to who actually might be inducted."

bristolstudios presents Recording: Home Quality vs. Studio Quality posted at bristol recording and voice studios

Marie Kazalia presents Making Music From Everyday Objects, saying, "Sound artist R. Weis created his new Excitable Audible CD over a period of more than two years using recordings of many commonplace sounds found in his home."


You might also be interested in:

• Convert and Compress Audio, and other Files
  
• WavePad: New Look, New Tools, New Features
  
• Hamish and Andy use WavePad to detect lies
  
• Practice Typing from Audio
  
• New Wave TV Review of NCH Golden Records
  
• Ductoid Review of NCH Audio Essentials
  

That concludes this edition of Do More with Audio. Be sure to Submit your audio articles for the next edition.

Scribe Excels at Thesis Transcription

Guest post by Clara Bianchini

I was transcribing the interviews for my master thesis and, like every student in this situation, I didn�t have enough time! I was using the software that my teacher recommended, but it was still taking too long and it wasn�t pleasant to use. To listen and type at the same time I had to reduce the speed, but the voice got distorted to the point that some of the transcribed sentences didn�t make any sense when you read them back. I had already transcribed two interviews and I had 17 more to go. Since quality and timing were crucial to my work, I decided to ask Google about better software.

On the first organic result that Google gave to me I came across a comment that caught my attention. I am normally the type of person that is a little skeptical and will investigate at least three options, but when I read the comment that essentially said, "Express Scribe made my transcribing work 5 times faster, without distorting voices. You should try!" I stopped. It was later than 10 P.M.; I was tired and frustrated with my teacher�s software so I decided to give it a try.

I Googled for where I could download Express Scribe, and in few short seconds, it was in my computer. I opened it, and the first impression was already better: it looked MUCH better than the other software. I opened one of my audio files there, changed the speed from 100% to 50%, crossed my fingers and waited to hear what the sound would be like. To my surprise, the voice was totally clear, almost without distortions, and there was a typing box right there, almost smiling at me and waiting for me to have fun.

The next day alone I transcribed two more interviews, at an incredibly fast pace. I was so happy that I shared my discovery with all my classmates. I am pretty sure that without target="_blank"Express Scribe I would be still transcribing interviews right now. It really made all my work much faster and easier.

Clara Bianchini is a student of Imagineering, a Master's degree in Strategic Business Innovation from the experience perspective, a new program about how to design companies towards co-creation of value. In a more participatory approach, business is done together with stakeholders and value and experience are co-created. Some people might say that this is the next stage of Marketing. In order to understand how to design the participation of stakeholders during her thesis research, Bianchini conducted qualitative research which included one-on-one interviews that were transcribed for analysis.

New Typing Game Makes Typing Fun in KeyBlaze

Everyone has a slightly different learning style, but learning by doing is one of the most effective ways to ingrain something in your memory. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect," but there are some things that just aren't any fun to practice. Touch typing has the potential to be one of those tedious task, but we have been working to keep KeyBlaze typing tutor software out of the realm of typing tedium by making it a fun way to learn the vital skill of touch typing.

One of fun ways KeyBlaze does recognizes accomplishments is by awarding certificates as you test your typing speed and accuracy throughout the lesson structure. Another, that we recently added, is the addition of a typing game where words fall down the screen like rain drops. You have to type the words correctly to prevent them from hitting the pavement, bringing the competitive edge to touch typing practice by providing a challenge in the heat of the moment while you try to outdo your high score. So whether you have kids who need to learn to type or you want to improve your own typing skills, take a look at KeyBlaze for more than just typing lessons, but a fun way to practice and learn how to type.

The End of Accounting Nightmares

Guest post by John Chellan of ISOBE Soft Pvt. Ltd.

I am a small software business owner with lots of experience in software development, but little real knowledge of accounting. Sure, I have done my taxes online, but had never balanced a balance sheet or did any type of journal entry work. Honestly, I�d rather not think about accounting, and just spend my time being more productive developing software and meeting clients.

But at the end of every month, I knew it was inevitable that all those transactions needed to be somehow entered into Excel and create some kind of crude income statement. That was all I could do, and that is all I knew how to do. In the back of my mind, I realized there is was lot more information in those numbers, and I needed either a professional accountant or software to get to that data. So I called a few accountants. Ouch, they were expensive! Next, I tried the trial versions of the two most popular, very expensive accounting programs and I couldn�t figure out what to do�and trust me I spent days trying to figure out what I was doing. Then I tried some free programs off the internet, and they were just silly with no good reports and user interfaces that looked like they came out of the Stone Age of programming. Almost at the verge of going back to Excel, I ran across Express Accounts.

I was skeptical at first and didn�t expect anything different from what I had seen from the trials of the other software. Well let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, Express Accounts was easy to install and quick, too. The interface was broken down in such a manner that one only needs to understand how the sales and purchase process works, and how to enter in expenses. The interface is quite user friendly and intuitive. The wealth of reports was the big thing that really impressed me about the software. Setting up the electronic invoicing and purchase ordering system was also very easy.

I have been using this software for 6 months now, looking for something to go wrong. The reality is, the more I use it, the more I become accustomed to its wealth of functionality. I really think this is one of the best cost-saving tools for small businesses that can�t afford to put up a professional accounting staff and need to streamline the accounting process and produce business data on the fly. Express Accounts has made the end of the month a stress free time, and now I spend my nights dreaming of growing my business.

John Chellan founded ISOBE in 2009. ISOBE started as a humble English language training center in Tamil Nadu and by 2010 had evolved into an educational consultant for colleges, schools and business. In 2011, ISOBE became ISOBE Soft Pvt. Ltd; and began to develop its own home grown software for small to large businesses.

Star Trek Software and Technology

The blogosphere has been inundated lately with people talking about the Star Trek 45th anniversary, and I have to admit I have been intrigued with some of the coverage, like the Star Trek Gadgets That Are No Longer Fiction list that Mashable put out, which is what leads me to software. It is absolutely amazing to think of how far software and technology has taken us in its short lifetime. How much longer before all of our once wildest fantasies become possible?

The computer on the deck of the Enterprise that answers to voice commands always seemed so convenient. We are approaching this type of technology already with voice activation. We've already seen voice activation being used with programs like Express Dictate. And we certainly take our technology with us by loading apps to our cell phones and tablets (see our pocket software including WavePad audio editor for the iPhone and iPad), not to be confused with communicators, tricorders audio the pad of the star fleet. We might not have transporters or replicators just yet, but new hardware and software is being created every day, so I can't help but wonder how close to the mark we will make it by the time we really do reach the 24th century.

Convert and Compress Files

Whether you're on a Mac or a PC, these conversion applications cover nearly every file type you'll run into, making them the most complete and reliable software for converting and compressing files out there.

Switch Audio File Converter

For your music, presentations, or audio projects, Switch Audio Converter lets you put your music anywhere at any time. Convert music for your iPod, PSP or phone. Compress audio to save hard drive space. Create a ringtone on your phone by converting the format, or even extract audio from video files.

Prism Video File Converter

Your computer might only be able to open certain video file types. Use Prism Video Converter to ensure you'll always be able to watch your videos. With Prism you have complete control over video settings such as compression and encoder rates, resolution, frame rate, and size output. You can also batch convert thousands of files at once and preview videos before conversion.

Pixillion Image File Converter

Pixillion isn't just image conversion software, there are many additional settings to make adjustments to your images while converting including adding watermarks, adjust the image quality, size or resolution, or even crop and rotate photos.

Express Zip File Compression Software

Express Zip is currently the only application on this list that is only available for Windows, but it is an extremely valuable compression tool. Use Express Zip archiving software to create, manage, and extract zipped files and folders. Plus extract files from a variety of other archive formats including rar, cab, iso, tar, and 7z or convert those archives into zip files. You can also easily email zipped files from the program or simply compress files to save disk space.

New Express Scribe Professional Edition

Express Scribe, one of NCH's most successful products and a favorite among transcriptionists worldwide, is going Pro. With the extreme popularity of the program, we have decided to offer some of the functionality in a professional version for a nominal fee that will help us better support users, fix problems, and implement new features and improvements. The free version of this popular transcription software isn't going away, but advanced features like video playback and support for proprietary audio file formats (e.g., dss, ds2, mvf) will now be supported in the professional version.

Retail Update: Hopping the pond to the UK

NCH Software continues to expand our presence in retail stores worldwide. Most recently, with the help of Channel Assist, you can now find several NCH Software products on the shelves of retailers like Dixons PC World in the United Kingdom. The UK is already one of our largest online markets, and we know that being in retail stores will only strengthen our presence there. Software titles available include Golden Records, Express Invoice and essential software suites of our audio software and business software products.

Learn 10-Key with KeyBlaze

You are probably already aware of the importance of knowing how to touch type, but did you stop with the QWERTY portion of the keyboard? From data entry to math calculations, there are many professions where it is also very useful to be well-versed in using the number pad, or 10-key typing. Similar to touch typing, the benefits of practice and proficiency include increased speed, efficiency and accuracy, which can make tasks like entering data into a spreadsheets both faster and less painful.

Especially in data entry occupations, acquiring superior 10-key skills will result in higher paychecks. Many employers expect you to have a minimum of 8000-10000 keystrokes per hour (KPH) with 100% accuracy, while experienced clerks tout average speeds around 15000 KPH and above. Practicing 10-key on a computer program will also translate to increased skills on an adding machine, though there are some notable differences. KeyBlaze Typing Tutor has lessons for 10-key typing, in addition to touch typing, so that you can practice and improve your skills in both areas. So whether you are trying to improve your words per minute or keystrokes per hour, KeyBlaze is all you need.