Entrepreneurs are ahead of the pack by nature-early adopters and
innovators-but no entrepreneur would bet the farm on something just
because it's new, any more than he or she would go along just
to be part of the crowd. That's why, in Entrepreneur's
annual evaluation of software, we profile both the bestselling
software and the lesser-known but hot titles and new gizmos that
have their own claims to fame. Sometimes the "off" brand
will do the job and save you tons of money; other times the
bestseller is best in every sense of the word. In each of 13
categories, we review several products. The first product in each
section is the current bestseller according to SofTrends, the PC
software tracking service of The NPD Group Inc., a market research
firm in Port Washington, New York. We also profile exceptional
products worth a mention in the "What's Hot"
sections. All the products reviewed here deserve your
consideration, especially since you can down-load free trial
versions of many of them from the publishers' Web sites before
doling out any cash. Download directly from the publisher whenever
possible, and always isolate new software and check it for viruses.
The Web addresses in each listing can also lead to special offers,
the most current product information, network pricing charts, and
detailed product specifications and requirements. So fire up your
Web browser!