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TreeDraw enhances family trees imported into the program from "Kith and Kin Pro" databases or from GEDCOM files produced by other genealogy programs. Once you import your family tree data into TreeDraw, you can add text, photos, and graphics to the file or combine family trees.

TreeDraw's interface is easy to navigate and use. The Help file automatically launches the first time you open the program. It offers tutorials on getting started with TreeDraw as well as a PDF version of the user manual. TreeDraw is a great application for genealogy buffs who have family data saved … Read more

Garden Organizer Deluxe aims to help coordinate gardens and remember all the fine details that go into growing plants. While its intentions are good, we hated operating this claustrophobic program.

The program's interface got off to a bad start with us and things didn't really improve. While we generally viewed gardening as a happy, fun hobby, this program did nothing to reflect that spirit. With its gray layout and enormous collection of microscopic command icons, we felt nothing but dread navigating our way through this program. We needed to seriously study the Help file's instructions because nothing … Read more

3D Rain Forest Adventure turns a computer desktop into a lush Amazon scene. With beautiful visuals, realistic sounds and a surprising feature, this program will make nature lovers happy.

The program's interface is exclusively through Windows' screensaver menu and was a breeze for us to access and navigate. We enjoyed watching the screensaver's animated, but lifelike, scene operate. A white, splashing waterfall crashed down among dense green ferns, vines, and trees that swayed in the breeze. Brightly colored birds swooped in and out of the frame while all this happened. We found the sound effects to be subtle … Read more

Maple Professional allows users to create tree-style hierarchies to organize information. Although the program is fairly simple to use, some of its functions didn't perform as expected.

The program's interface is basic and intuitive. The screen is split into two parts, with the user's tree on the left and the contents of each node of the tree on the right. Users can easily add nodes to the tree with the click of a button. Most of the other buttons on the interface are related to text formatting and should be familiar to users of Microsoft Office products. … Read more

Whether you are a professional academic or a family-history hobbyist, GenoPro 2007 can undoubtedly meet your genealogical needs. GenoPro lets you do everything you would expect from genealogy software, such as create family profiles, link individuals, and add such information as birth and death dates. But where GenoPro excels is in the collection of additional metadata.

The best example of this is the program's options to characterize the emotional relationship between two people. The software cuts to the chase, offering such unique descriptions as Violence, Cut-off/Estranged, and Manipulative. Moreover, you are not limited to creating families: the software … Read more

Add Google Mortgage to the list of potential services that might soon appear on Google's Web site.

The New York Times noticed a lawsuit pending between LendingTree, an online mortgage quote service, and a company called Mortech, which helps LendingTree run its site. The connection to Google is that apparently, Mortech is gearing up to sell that technology to Google, which LendingTree thinks is a breach of the deal between Mortech and LendingTree.

LendingTree believes that Google is planning to launch the service in late August or early September--basically now--according to the complaint. Google is supposedly going to offer … Read more

Christmas Card provides users with a way to send warm wishes to others with an animated, multithemed card. Its smooth animation and fun images are sure to please family and friends.

The program's interface is not really an issue. There is no way to customize it, and there is no Help file. Users simply open it and it runs through its cycle. The card itself begins with a twinkling animated Christmas tree framed within a border and surrounded by colorful gifts. Smaller windows float by, one with a red candle that says "Merry Christmas," and another with … Read more

Reunion is a popular, long-lived, Mac-only genealogy program that can help you organize, view, and show off your family tree. Of the many genealogy options out there, Reunion tends toward the higher end, but it comes with many extras--and boasts a long, stable track record--to justify its price.

This app comes with much of the functionality you might expect, making it easy to quickly add family members (with predictive text), fill out notes and various data fields, cite source documentation, quickly perform searches, import data from other programs (essentially, from any app that uses GEDCOM files), and even run customized … Read more

Fonolo, the Web service that helps you reach the inner depths of even the largest company telephone directories, has put out a big update that adds new tools for users and companies alike.

The biggest new feature of the bunch is call recording, something I pined for in previous looks at the service. You're now able to record the entire call for playback later, something that can be helpful when citing good or bad customer service experiences. It's honestly one of the most fantastic features I've used in a long time.

The best part is that call … Read more