Links To Success

Products or companies we list here meet our test of optimal value. Somewhere behind the products and companies that we deem "best" are many more still that to us, come close. For purposes of this link page, only those that we deem best are listed and discussed. Keep in mind that we have not reviewed every offering out there but we do endeavor to stay within the cutting-edge arena of products and companies as we seek to continually improve our business. It is our hope that these recommendations might assist you in making intelligent purchase or attention choices, as there is indisputably an excess of undervalue being peddled today to the unwary consumer.

As online competition becomes increasingly competitive and market niches splinter and become redefined, more companies find the challenge of keeping their footing on the slippery slopes of modern-day business a constant and difficult challenge. We feel an inevitable by-product of this challenge is that many struggling companies caught up in the "blur" of the paradigm shifts find their technology or approach are under par and become frantic to retain an eroding profit margin. So what do they do? Simple. They paint their pigs with marketing lipstick and giddy them up with gimmicks hoping to snag the weary travelers (you and us).

Thus are born the misinformation tactics that are designed to distort and mislead customers (you and us again) about the company or products' actual value. As such, "truth in advertising" becomes an impotent and virtually unenforceable catchphrase, especially on the internet. So the bottom line is simple. We consumers have to exercise diligence and reduce our buy-in gullibility through reasonably attentive analysis of the market offerings.

Since there are literally hundreds of thousands of both companies and products on the internet that are being offered, this "discovery process of identifying optimal core-value products" is an impossible feat for the general consumer and many sites that appear on the surface to be "objectively devoted" to this very process (that of comparing and analyzing companies and products) may not always be showing their true hand. We're not claiming or attempting for that matter to test or discover every "can't-live-without" product out there. There are far too many out there. But we do promise that as we find them, whether by rote, irony or sheer happenstance, we will pass the goodies along to you without hype or ulterior motive with the hope it makes your life a little easier. So enjoy!

 Microsoft OneNote 2007

Microsoft OneNote 2007 is a virile fresh overhaul of the 2003 version. If you haven't tried it for any reason, there is no reason not to, as they have just released a Free Microsoft OneNote 60-day Trial. It's a multimedia/organizational powerhouse on steroids. Had we not taken this software on an in-depth test drive and subsequently purchased it, we, like many still, having somewhat ambiguous or disgruntled recollections and experiences, even if confined to hearsay, of the old 2003 OneNote, would have surmised the 2007 version away as some 'test-drive toy' Microsoft had created one day and subsequently abandoned the next day to the equally abandoning market. I am very glad we saw the light. OneNote 2007 is a jam-packed virtuoso of complimentary (yes, and practical) cutting-edge applications that will not escape the discerning eye. It has an excellent, almost uncanny, intuitive interface that steps up to the plate when called upon. Features include tagging, capturing, limitless notebook creations and sections, complex e-mail organization and archiving capabilities, diverse linking features, importing, exporting and design placement of multimedia like typed or handwritten text, pictures, graphics, photos, and audio/video recordings, team options, sharp tablet-PC recognition and compatibility and surprisingly stable Outlook, Smartphone and PDA integration. As such, we consider Microsoft OneNote 2007 a gold-medal software worth maximum stars with a well-earned spot on this page. Also, a most laudable virtue of this software is that of "instant-save", (i.e. once a page or other action is performed within the NoteBook, it self-saves without the user needing to click on "Save". This feature alone is an invaluable time-saver and very handy in the event of a crash. Speaking of crashes, OneNote 2007 has become a virtual stranger to them. It has just been outfitted with another broad sweep of tweaks to further enhance its reputation as a superior stable software. To put the breadth of this program through any conceivable panting ringer would require far greater skill sets and creativity than most computer-aficionados possess. Microsoft OneNote 2007 full version can be purchased online directly from Microsoft for just under $100.00, the upgrade can be had for about $80.00, and in our opinion it's worth every cent.

RoboForm

 

Passwords are an essential, bitter pill we all must swallow. Not only can you rack up quite a few of them during your online life, but you need to keep them safe and super-secure and you need to remember them. RoboForm does all this for you in supreme warrior style without missing a beat. We'll put it like this. If we had to choose just one piece of auxiliary software, it would have to be RoboForm.

Don’t let the compact file size or inexpensiveness of the Pro Version of RoboForm fool you. It's flies past the competition as the hardiest, most user-friendly, stable and secure password-storage/manager software program available on the market today. A key feature of RoboForm is its uncanny intuitive interface and the awesome ability to apply new updates smoothly as butter and still remain strong as iron in the process without needing a babysitter.

For the miniscule price of around $30.00 for the Pro Version, you get lifetime updates. Just buy it. We promise you will thank yourself a million times over you invested in this magnificent software that not incidentally has a 5-Star Rating from CNET and tons of praise by software industry people and Fortune 500 endorsers that make it their business to know. Trust us on this - the Pro Version of RoboForm is definitely worth the $30.00. (Point being it's worth ten times that much so get it while it's cheap!)

 

GoodSync

PS: The Roboform people also offer GoodSync, a very hardy folder sync tool which also stays fresh with constant updates and has the similar intuitive, enormously pleasant user-friendliness to it that Roboform has, not to mention it gives excellent quick results and feels at home in both Vista and XP. The nice folks at Roboform currently offer free lifetime upgrades, not only with Roboform but also with GoodSync, so doing the math that's a very huge plus. I highly recommend that you treat yourself to the good life and snap up the pair of them online before the developers change their mind and rack up the price.