June 5, 2006

Undelete 5 (**** out of four) replaces the Windows Recycle Bin and adds several other valuable features. One of the most valuable is the Version Recovery. Undelete 5 will make a copy of any Microsoft Office document’s previous version before it is overwritten by a new version. What that means is that if you accidently overwrote a document and thought you had lost the original text you changed, you can now right click the file name and select "Previous Versions" from the menu and recover the previous version(s). This feature alone is worth the cost of the program. We can remember too many occasions where we could have saved hours of work and anxiety and frustration.

Version Recovery works with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and html documents and will even work with documents that are located on a server or documents deleted from a Command line. You can select the number of previous documents to be saved and the maximum file sizes. You can set up a single recovery bin for all disk volumes or separate bins for each disk volume.

Since the Undelete 5 recovery bin mimics the structure of your disk, it’s easy to find recoverable files directly or by using the included search function. If you really want to delete a file so nobody can recover it, the program includes a SecureDelete option where the file is overwritten with random data, never to be seen again. A standalone module included with Undelete 5 is Enhanced Emergency Undelete. This module can be run from the CD-ROM before installing Undelete 5 and can recover files directly from the disk provided they haven’t been overwritten.

Home, small or large businesses can vastly benefit from the features provided in Undelete 5, especially the Version Recovery.

Street Atlas USA 2006 Handheld (****) has been updated to include 268,000 additional roads and thousands of new lodgings, restaurants, fuel stops, retail stores and four million places of interest, all located with GPS accuracy. You need to install the software on your desktop or laptop computer and create the maps and routes you’ll need, then download (synchronize) the maps and directions for viewing onto your handheld computer, PDA or smart cell phone. Traveling in a caravan? Then beam your map and directions to your friend’s handheld devices.

Once the maps and directions are downloaded you can view them or create address-to-address routes directly on your handheld. If you like, you can even use addresses from your contact list or address book as a target or start/stop/finish spots in your route. If your handheld uses memory cards, store the maps and directions on the card. Street Atlas USA 2006 Handheld display features high contrast map colors for easy viewing, even in high glare conditions. If you’ve got a GPS receiver integrated with or connected to your handheld Palm OS or Pocket PC device, you can get voice prompts as well. Better yet, consider the DeLorme’s Blue Logger GPS Bluetooth receiver, which will wirelessly connect to any bluetooth enabled handheld. You can get the voice prompts and also track yourself in realtime and log your journey for later playback.

The handheld program also works with DeLorme’s Topo USA 5.0 topographical mapping program, making it great for off-road cross-country trekking or hiking. Contour lines will show on the display, so you’ll know a steep incline is coming up. Using the Topo USA 5.0 Aerial Data Packets, you can even download aerial maps, satellite images and USGS 7.5 minute topo map files.

Birthday or special occasion coming up? Street Atlas USA 2006 Handheld is an exciting, thoughtful and even caring gift for the owner of a handheld.

From DeLorme (www.delorme.com), desktop or laptop computer: Windows 2000SP3/XP; handheld: Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Pocket PC, $39.95, bundled with the Blue Logger GPS receiver, $149.95.

First Grade Learning Fun (ages 5-7)

Didi & Ditto First Grade: The Wolf King (****) features two colorful beavers (Didi and Ditto) who lead children through activities that help with learning first grade math, reading, writing, science and technology, music, social studies and art. Children can go through all the activities as a learning adventure or focus on just one or more areas to strengthen and practice specific skills. Each category has several subcategories, so there are plenty of activities to keep children participating for a long time.

The learning and activities are all part of an adventure that begins when the Wolf King rules the Valley by stationing a Wolf Lieutenant in each area. Didi & Ditto decide to help end the Wolves’ rule by proving that beavers are smarter than wolves. To begin the activities, children choose to play as either Didi (the girl) or Ditto (the boy) and then choose from the three skill levels of play.

During one of the activities, children identify items shown on the screen and then fill in the missing letters to spell the name of the item. In another, children learn to mix colors by using a paintbrush to blend the two colors on a palette.

The program is the second in the series (there’s also a kindergarten one) and uses the same brilliant colors, lively characters and engaging activities to help children have fun while learning. A fun way for children to strengthen their learning.

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