Norton WinFax Pro v10.0 product reviews

Winfax pro is one of the most interesting and useful programs that I have had the privilege to install on my computer. On the first glance it does not look like much, but let me assure you that it is well worth the money and time to go and get this one. The feature that I liked the most is the one where you can create your own stationary. I liked it so much because I thought that it was easy to use, it is as simple as copy and pasting to get the logo displayed in the place that you want it, and in the type of format you want as well.

When it comes to faxing, the program uses your outlook address book to find the fax number that you want, and this is just one of the most handy features because who wants to create or type in a number that you already have? That is the whole point of an address book in this day and age.

The modem in the pc can be turned on and the fax will initiate as soon as it gets the carrier signal. The only drawback is if you have a phone on the line of the fax it will pick it up and the caller will get modem tone in the ear, but on the up-side it is a very good program, and I would use it any day too, in my place of business

Long ago, there were facsimilies, also known in hip circles as Mojos... they took an amazing 15 minutes to send 1 US Letter page of double-spaced text. We're talking like 300 baud here... a tiny 1/48th of the speed of today's standard faxes.

Eventually personal computers across a range of platforms started to get in on the act with plug-in fax/modem units. Not only could you dial a BBS, but you could have your machine as a paper-free fax system. And if you were crafty, it gave you a B&W 100dpi scanner as well. (You faxed yourself the image through a second phone line.) Crafty little devices.

Sadly, not much has changed in the 10 years since those days. A boost in speed that still lags behind the modem speeds, a little-known and underutilised technology for colour faxes, and that's about it. So it's no surprise that this software has some dinky extras features that only the die-hard marketing dept is going to make use of. For a home user, 'overpowered' is the word.

With the ability to send fax files attached to emails, requiring the recipient to download a stand-alone decoder and viewer utility (though it is free) seems a little pointless to me. Attach the word doc, attach a pdf, attach a jpeg even... why add fax-files to that list? But, in case you can dream up a way to make this a workable option, just forget it and focus on the rest.

VERY easy to install, with a little clicking for the adventurous user in Custom Install, I was surprised to find no reboot required before it was fully functional. This was a most pleasing discovery, as it meant I could test it right away, despite it being nearly 1am at the time. So, a superfast install, fire up Publisher, slap together a dinky looking fake promotional flyer, and hit print.

Chose the Fax Driver, it whirred a sec rendering the image, then up pops the message manager with a series of simple to understand text gadget boxes. Type in the recipient's name, fax number, company name, choose some coversheet options, or turn it off, and hit Send. Open line, hear dialtone, quickdial and connection in progress to a known destination.

It was a big, detailed picture, and I had it on standard mode (100dpi) - 5½ minutes later it hung up the line. Whew! Overall time from pull CD out of box to confimed send of first fax: A stunning 14½ minutes!

Overall, a highly functional package, fun for the home user, powerful for the corporate of SOHO market, with simple printer-driver integration allowing maximum creation options. Fax from Photoshop, Excel, Word, Publisher, Freehand, whatever your suite of choice. Lost a point for GUI'ing too much like Outlook for my liking. Though it is simple to operate and navigate, I just don't like the way they allocate the screen, and the lack of customisation options. Small iconbars are tidier and allow maximum workspace... IMHO.