Navigating to websites is just the tip of the iceberg of what ActiveWords can do for you.  You can also use it to launch programs, substitute text, correct misspellings, open documents, send email – you name it.  You can even have the software suggest "active words" to quickly open up and make use of the programs you use most frequently.

It’s a little difficult to understand what this software actually does, so let’s go over the basics.  Going to www.google.com or any other website is as easy as assigning the site a name and typing it followed by the function key.  I’ve changed my default function key from "F8" to hitting the space bar twice.  So for me to go to the Google homepage, I just type the word google and hit the space bar two times.  Once you assign an "active word" to other sites you frequently visit, like your firm’s homepage, the bar association website, findlaw, Amazon or any other site, you just type in the word, double click the space bar and you’re there.   The software does what you command no matter what program you’re using – or even if you’re staring at your empty desktop.

If I want to use my calculator, I don’t have to use my mouse to click Start | Programs | Accessories | Calculator.  Instead, I just type "calc" and double space.  As John Madden would say, "bam."  There’s my calculator.  If I want to open my Outlook to send an email message, I just type "email" and then double space.  My computer then opens up Outlook and begins a new message – it’s that easy.

ActiveWords PLUS gives you lots more features not found on the SE version.  How?  With PLUS, you get access to separate "applications" which you can choose to add-on to your software.  These applications are small programs that make the software much, much more powerful.  For example, there’s

a Misspellings application that that fixes 1800 common misspellings "on-the-fly."  What this means is that as soon as you misspell the word, the program corrects it.  No highlighting in red and using the mouse to choose another spelling – the program just corrects it.  As soon as you spell "beleive" and hit the space bar to type your next word, the program changes it to "believe."

ActiveWords PLUS has an application called "Windows" that allows you to type in basic Windows commands without using your mouse.  If I want to minimize the program I’m in, I type "min" and the program in minimized.  I have similar active words for shutting down Windows, exiting the program, opening and closing documents, even printing them.  Again, all without using the mouse.

Another useful feature is the add-in application called "Knowledge Access" which allows you to run a Google search (or a search with the search engine of your choice) for any term you come across.  Let’s say you’re reading an article someone sent you, or an email, or viewing a website, and you want to know more about software programs that make time lines.  You remember a program called TimeMap and want to know more about it.  Simply type the word "TimeMap" in the ActionPad and press ENTER, or highlight it from wherever you’re reading it and press F8 and Google pops up with a complete web search for you.  Slick.

There are many, many for features that I haven’t even touched on yet.  There are downloadable applications that deliver ABA litigation codes in response to an "active word."  For example, ActiveWord "depositions" will be substituted with "L300," the ABA billing code for discovery depositions.  There are applications that allow you to assign words to any of the complete set of standard ASCII symbols. For example: enter "copyright" and receive ©.  In additions to the "Misspellings" application, there are other ones for "Capitalizations", "Contractions", "Hyphenations" and many more.

In addition, I can’t stress how customizable this software is to your own needs.  You can add new words that you misspell differently from most folks and they’ll be automatically corrected the next time you type them.  You can use your own terms to give commands so that you’ll remember them easier.  You’ll find easy ways to substitute text ("tks" becomes: Thank you for your attention to this matter." in my letters).  I find more uses for this program every day.

I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention the top-notch support.  During the 60 day trial period, or after you first purchase the program, you’ll get around a dozen emails giving you tips and ideas on how to use the program and recommendations about some of the free add-on applications.  I wondered why they didn’t just load all the applications into the program in the first place and wrote to customer support with my question.  Within two hours, I’d received an email that explained it this way:

"This is a matter of experience. We originally distributed ActiveWords with all the content only to find that users were overwhelmed and never realized the scope of the functionality that already existed within their installation. I can tell you that when we unbundled the content and began the sequence of follow-up emails discussing the various ActiveWord applications, our adoption rate increased by a factor of 10."

Their support is refreshingly fast.  Whenever you send them an email, you get an automated response that says you’ll receive a personalized answer, usually in less than 24 hours.  I wrote to ActiveWords support on four separate occasions.  Each time, I received a personal response within two hours. 

            

I whole-heartedly recommend that you download this product and try it yourself free for 60 days.  Take the power of your computer away from your mouse and put it where in belongs – in your own two hands.