You might have thought that the once dominant word processor, WordPerfect has long since gone but it’s still out there.
You might have thought that the once dominant word processor, WordPerfect has long since gone but it’s still out there.
Corel have just released WordPerfect Office 12 Home Edition which is squarely pitched against Microsoft Works for the home users.
Priced at just US$90 it compares favorably with MS Works at US$95-99 though in both cases there are better prices to be had in the real world.
In both cases there’s extras beyond the core program.
MS Works 2004 and 2005 come with Microsoft Word 2002 plus very cut-down spreadsheets and other Office-like features. Depending on the Works bundle you choose there are copies of MS Money and Encarta Standard. Works Suite 2005 has Word 2002, Encarta Standard 2005, Picture It Premium 10, Streets and Trips. Works Suite 2005 retails for $100 though Amazon discounts that to $89. There’s also one of those dreaded mail-in rebates which I personally ignore due to the slow and often nonexistent arrival of the check.
WordPerfect Office Home Edition costs less with Amazon selling it for $75 with no pesky and fanciful rebates to bother with, though the Corel website has it for US$69 with a rebate.
(We do wonder why Corel hassles its customers with a mail-in rebate when you are buying from them direct? There’s no middle-man so the rebate could be given at the time of purchase. Yes, we understand why there are mail-in rebates but examples like this show why it’s a bit of a scam).
As well as the word-processor there’s Quattro Pro 12 as a spreadsheet.
Corel has included some impressive security products in their bundle – Norton’s AntiVirus, Personal Firewall, Privacy Control, AntiSpam and Parental Control are in the box as is Corel’s own Photobook and PhotoAlbum. Important to note that the Norton products only come with 90 days of Live Update support to get virus and other updates, compared with the one year you get with the stand-alone package.
Pinnacle’s Instant CD/DVD is yet another piece of burning software. The Encyclopedia Britannica Ready Reference 2005 is there as well.
Neither bundle has an email client or PIM, though surely that has to be on the marketing radar for the future. But any Windows user has the perfectly adequate Outlook Express for their email.
If all you want is a word processor and some of the extras appeal then WordPerfect’s Office 12 Home bundle is worth a look. The price is sharp and the package might suit a new computer owner with no previous experience. If you’re wondering about WordPerfect then you can download a trial edition (152MB) from the Corel website and go to Downloads.
Of course, Microsoft is betting that you’ll stick with the devil you know and get MS Works with Word rather than some other package. Works comes with the option to upgrade to MS Office later, which doesn’t apply to non-Microsoft products these days.
