                        Desktop Value Bundle CD-ROM
                          Review by Tony Taglieri

        Many computer users have succumb to the realization that the PC
world is moving to Windows.  We all want to get the most out of our
investment while at the same time being able to show our peers "Look what
this can do!!!"  In this vein we search for the really cool utilities to
enhance our computer to user rapport. The Desktop Value Bundle is a CD-ROM
aimed at just that, a few utilities to make our lives at the desktop more
interesting and less tedious.  Unfortunately, given the enormous selection
of available shareware and retail tools, this particular culmination may not
be the best alternative to either end.
        The combocalc is a tape calculator that functions as anything from a
simple to a full blown scientific calculator.  The thing that sets this one
aside from the others is that it has a tape function that has the ability to
cut and paste previous formulas to the current line. This can be beneficial
to the user who needs to reuse results from a previous exponential equation
to a derivative on the new entry.  In practice, it seems that the windows
built in calculator is as adept at most of the functions available in this
add-on but at a much reduced price...FREE
        Many avid computer users are familiar with compression programs that
reduce the  space files take up by storing them in a format that is more
efficient yet unreadable until the file is uncompressed.  The command line
to do the actual compression and decompression is scary at best.  Multiple
switches and options can intimidate the best of us. Thus the need for a
friendly user interface. The "TLC Packer" allows the user to compress files
in any of  three forms, the Standard "ZIP" and "LZH" packers as well as a
built in "PDH" format unique to this software.  Although each has its own
command line syntax, this packer allows you to click on the options you want
and simply hit go to perform the compression, making this software close to
on par with many shareware programs that have more  options. Unfortunately I
can't give you any statistics on the compression ability of the "PDH" format
because I can not get it to function.
        Also included in this bundle is an icon editor.  It is the most
useful of all the programs when pitted against their shareware competitors.
This utility enables the user to grab an icon file from any program's .ico
file or one of the hundreds supplied with the CD-ROM  and edit it to their
liking.  The difference in this editor is the ability to open multiple icons
at once and cut and paste sections.
        If you know you wrote a document about a particular subject, but can
not remember what you called it, Find and View can help. This utility can
search the contents of drives, directories, or files for a specific word or
combination of words. You can use AND/OR logic in performing the search.
Once a list of files containing the specified text has been generated,
double clicking on a file name will attempt to view that file using built in
viewers. Although the file may not be opened in its native format, you can
at least get an idea of what is in that file without having to open each
individual application up (Word, 1-2-3, etc.). A zip file will be recognized
as such, and the contents of the compressed file will be listed, but there
is no obvious way to look at a file within a zipped file. WAV files will be
played, and .GIFs will be displayed graphically. In my experience, a utility
with these capabilities has certainly come in handy.
        Another utility that comes with the package is the TLC Phone Book.
This program  is similar to the Cardfile that comes with Windows, but is
much fancier. It looks similar to the type of phone book you would buy from
a stationery store, in that it has "tabs" to turn to a specific "page" to
look up people alphabetically. By making you type information onto a
person's card in specific locations, this phone book can (theoretically)
automatically dial numbers for you of people at home or at work. I was
unable to get this feature to work.
        The TLC Phone Book also has a primitive perpetual calendar built in
that displays the days of any month you want, for any year you want. Unlike
most calendars however, it does not allow you to put any information onto
the days. The Contact Manager feature looks like it could be useful.
Theoretically, every time the Phone Book dials a number for you, it can keep
track of the duration of the call. It also provides a free-formatted text
area for typing notes about the call. This feature would not work for me
since I could not get the auto-dialer to work.

Minimum System requirements: 386 IBM PC compatible, Windows 3.1, CD-Rom
drive.
 
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