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ALTHOUGH LOTUS Development Corps SmartSuite for Windows, Release 3.0, still isn't as strong a value as Microsoft Corp.'s Office Professional, Version 4.3, we recommend it for offices that are already standardized on one of the SmartSuite applications or on Lotus' workgroup product, Notes. SmartSuite's level of integration is superior only when using Notes, and the individual applications don't score as well as comparable Microsoft applications in Info World reviews.
In our comparison of office suites (see June 27, page 104), SmartSuite for Windows, Release 2.1, places second, a full point behind the score of Microsoft Office Professional, which had just been released. Despite the strength of SmartSuite's individual applications, its integration just wasn't up to the standard set by the new Microsoft suite.
With the release of SmartSuite 3.0 for Windows, Lotus has strained to dose the gap. SmartSuite comes with Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows (Release 5.0), Approach 3.0, Ami Pro 3.1, Freelance Graphics 2.1 for Windows, Organizer 1.1, and ScreenCam 1.1. New features include a centralized installation program and a stand-alone command center, SmartCenter (used for loading applications, switching between applications, and support), that is no longer tied to Ami Pro. Lotus has also gone to great lengths to standardize most toolbars and dialog boxes across applications.
Two of the constituent applications of SmartSuite have been significantly upgraded: There are new versions of 1-2-3 and Approach. Both programs raise the suite's overall strength and value, though neither application quite manages to dominate its product category.
SmartSuite is the only office suite that includes a personal information manager (PIM), Lotus Organizer 1.1. And ScreenCam 1.1, a multimedia screen and sound capture utility that lets you create movies for training or demonstrations, is new with this version of SmartSuite.
Data sharing is marginally improved in this version. Although both Approach and 1-2-3 support OLE 2.0, Ami Pro only supports OLE 1.0, a critical limitation when you consider that the home base for most data sharing is the word processor.
Like the previous version of the suite, SmartSuite 3.0 has special capabilities when used with Lotus' workgroup product, Notes. For example, using Notes Field Exchange (Notes F/X) you can have Notes automatically process certain data about documents created in SmartSuite, making them easier to search and retrieve.