Anyone reading this post understands the importance of reliable, functional software. Incidentally, word processing software was required to compose this article, and web-based software will be required to publish it. For our generation, software is the equivalent of the organ systems of the human body – without them, our functions cease and productivity is slowed to a halt. Software even interacts with other software, forming a web of applications that generate our user content. We rely on software for many of our everyday needs – web browsing, listening to mp3’s, burning CD’s, editing photo and video, creating and printing documents, securing our digital files and so much more. Considering that much of our time relies on coded application and web software, I decided to highlight some highly-notable titles that are crucial to productivity in their respective fields of use.

1. ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE CS4

With the advent of 64-bit processing and ever-faster computer systems, software developers are scrambling to get the most from these meaty machines. That’s why Adobe Creative Suite CS4 is making the rounds on 64-bit Windows Vista OS. With built-in support for 64-bit processing, the 4 GB memory barrier inherent in 32-bit OS is scrapped, giving editors of large photos and design projects the memory support necessary to eat through even the most daunting tasks.

Adobe develops software with the speed designer in mind. The new Creative Suite 4 touts itself as the fastest suite yet, with many nifty time-saving tools. One interesting feature of the suite is the new Live View feature added in Dreamweaver CS4, which gives designers a real-time view of their code changes via an in-application web browser. The Live View makes it easier for designers to make changes to their work based on the real-time preview.

The new 3D features in Photoshop CS4 make it easier to create 3D variations of 2D images, like adding depth to a company’s 2D logo. A new background removal plug-in makes it easy to remove pesky backgrounds, including leaves and hair.

2. NUANCE DRAGON MEDICAL 10.1

With the introduction of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enacted by Congress in February 2009, the push to make medical records electronic has been at the forefront of Health Information Management. The act calls for the digitization of all medical records by 2014. Still, in today’s world, the most common types of health information exchanges are typically paper copies of paper medical records. To date, there has been very little automated data exchange between hospitals and physicians.

Although software was developed in the 1980’s for physicians and nurses, there has been little interest in utilizing digital information exchange routes until now. ARRA creates funding mechanisms for incentives to be paid directly to hospitals and physicians that adopt electronic medical record systems of "meaningful use" by 2014. Conversely, practices that do not switch to digital records by 2015 will be penalized. That’s where Dragon Medical steps into the big picture.

Dragon Medical 10.1 is speech-recognition software that makes transcribing medical records into a digital format a breeze. Physicians, forget hiring a transcriptionist to get your medical dictations into digital shape – all you need is a license of Dragon Medical, a microphone, and your voice. Dragon Medical is 99% accurate out of the box, and includes medical vocabularies covering nearly 80 medical specialties and subspecialties. The advantage of physicians dictating their own records in real-time is they can instantly review, edit sign and make their notes available for other clinicians. Using Dragon Medical, physicians will save on transcription costs, and will ensure the office as digital-ready for ARRA incentives.

3. SIBELIUS 6 PROFESSIONAL

For composers and songwriting musicians, there is no alternative to Sibelius. Sibelius makes music composition quick and simple, resulting in beautifully constructed sheet music for print reproduction. Sibelius 6 brought many new features and enhancements, improving upon previous versions of the industry-leading software.

The Magnetic Layout feature of Sibelius 6 is going to save plenty of composition frustration. In prior versions, entering lyrics, dynamic markings and other staff text could result in objects overlapping. With the latest improvements, elements on the page either attract or repel their neighbors, and user-defined rules allow the composer to tweak the feature based on his or her needs.

One of the most useful enhancements for students and teachers is the added version tracking and commenting feature. Each time the user saves a score they can save it as a new version, allowing the user to go back in time to make revisions on previous versions. This can be extremely useful in an academic setting, enabling teachers to track revisions on several different drafts of the composition. Teachers can also place sticky notes throughout the composition, highlighting important revisions.

To order any of the above titles, visit our store online at www.Academic-Softwares.com