E-Press Easy Office Suite
Review By: Ann O’ConnorRequirements:
Computer with 32MB Ram
Windows Operating System
60 to 300 MB Disk Space
Minimum to Maximum InstallThere are not many alternatives around to Microsoft Office Suite, the sole american com-petitor being its predecessor: WordPerfect. Here is a very interesting Canadian office suite, EasyOffice, that is not only multilingual but also is easy to learn and easy to use. It installs with a minimum of fuss, simply asking for language preference and user ID. My version was EasyOffice Premium, version 6.227.
Once installed, it was easy to find a list of newbie questions under EasyHelper that you just click on to see the answer. Tutorials are provided for all parts of this office suite, to get you oriented and off to a good start. Basic features are similar to other office suites so the learning curve is not unduly steep. Regular help files are provided for each signifi-cant part of the suite, so there are lots to consult, if you want to understand better how each program works. The FAQ is maintained on the E-Press website and are up-to-date.
There are three ways to write out text: EasyPad, a simple text editor (like NotePad), SimpleWord, a basic word processor for older, slower systems, and EasyWord, which is the full-featured word processor program. Click on the button marked ‘All’ and you will see all the buttons available, clearly named and with icons. Spellchecking and a thesaurus are included too. There is compatibility with Word files.
The EasySpreadsheet program is very easy to use for simple addition: just fill in the cells. There are total columns at the left and bottom which instantly display the sums created. This is much easier to use than Excel, as buttons clearly indicate how to subtotal and total columns or cells that you select. EasySpreadsheet2 is slower to load but interacts better with Excel files. Spreadsheets can be saved in .ess or.xls (again, compatibility with other formats).
EasyDatabase makes starting a new database surprisingly easy. The program doesn’t even show you all the buttons you need, until you open a database. There is 7-step wizard to ensure your setup is in the right ballpark, then all you need to do is to specify your fields. Like the other programs, the database is sensitive to being compatible with other files, like FoxPro and dBase. There is even a diagnostic test program, TestDatabase, to make sure that the full database will run correctly on your computer or network.
EasyPresent is the slideshow program. There are a good range of possibilities presented for your selection, and I made a simple slide show in a couple of minutes. With the formatting already set up for you, you can focus on the content and produce slides quickly.
EasyCalculator is straightforward to use. It comes with many keystroke shortcuts, and I especially liked the F12 to make 00, either before or after a decimal. EasyCalendar is also quite straightforward and will import information from Microsoft Outlook.
EasyVoice is a powerful feature that allows you to converse with your computer. EasyVoice4 will read your email to you. EasyVoice5 will learn your voice. EasyVoicePro will enable you to dictate. Having a newer computer will aid these features, although having an actual sound card may be necessary for them to work well.
EasyOffice contains: EasyBarcoder, EasyBookkeeper, EasyCalculator, EasyCalendar, EasyDatabase, EasyHelper, EasyImage, EasyMail, EasyOfficeBackup, EasyPad, EasyPresentation, EasySimpleWord, EasySpeaker, EasySpellingChecker, EasySpreadSheet, EasySpreadSheet2, EasyThesaurus, EasyVoice4, EasyVoice5, EasyVoicePro, EasyWord, and EasyZip.
Check out E-Press at www.e-press.com and see what a good package EasyOffice offers. With its ease of use and extra features like bookkeeping and voice recognition, it offers a powerful and useful tool for managing your affairs.
E-Press Corporation
www.e-press.com
908 Promenade Station
Thornhill, Ontario L4J 8G7 Canada
Price: $28 for online download version
$44 CD-Rom version
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