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Education & Reference |
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The Complete National Geographic: 112 Years Collector's Edition
Studio : Encore Software
by Encore Software
Brand : Encore
Model : 705381169000
Platform : Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 95
Release Date : 2001-10-15
Publisher : Encore Software
Availability : This Item is currently Not Available
EAN : 0705381169000
UPC : 705381169000
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 11 reviews)
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works with Windows 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / XP
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Americancivilwar.com Review |
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National Geographic magazine has been published since 1888, and for some people it is an absolute must-have. Older editions are especially difficult to obtain, however, and would-be collectors search high and low for them. Therefore, anyone interested in having access to the magazine but who doesn't have the space for all the paper editions (or the money to pay for them) should be tempted by National Geographic: 112 Years Collectors Edition. Its 31 CDs provide scans of every page of the magazine, cover to cover, from its very first edition through the December 2000 issue. Obviously what you don't get with the electronic version is the thrill of having the paper magazines readily at hand. But strong compensation for this is the search engine that allows you to look for articles, illustrations, the famous National Geographic maps, and even advertisements on whatever topic interests you. Some of the scans of earlier magazines can be a little difficult to read (the paper quality was poorer, we suppose), and because these are straightforward scans of entire pages, you can't cut and paste text or search the full texts of articles. But you can print pages to read away from the computer, and browse, browse, browse as well as research specific topics. National Geographic: 112 Years Collectors Edition is a superb collection--and it is even packaged so it fits neatly on your bookshelf. --Sandra Vogel |
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National geographic 112 year collection |
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I bought this collection when it first came out and I think it is wonderful you might have a hard time reading the articles but that's what the magifing glass is for I also use it for my grandchildren's school projects they don't have to cut out pictures from the magizines all you have to do is print out a copy |
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Not perfect, but worth it |
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The software package does not have all the bells and whistles that I would like, but I get hours of enjoyment reading old articles. Despite what you have read in other reviews, the articles are perfectly readable when viewed in a magnification mode. Some of you reviewers better see an optometrist. I found the browser to be very straightforward and easy to use. It has the feel of actually flipping through the magazine, but you don't get the benefits of viewing an electronic document because the pages (text included) are jpeg files. No cut and paste here. You can however search for articles by subject and flip through magazines by page, article, year, or decade. My primary complaint is all of those CDs--a DVD collection would be more convenient. 32 CDs occupy a lot less space than 112 years worth of magazines though. Hopefully National Geographic can work out its legal problems with this software package so they can release an update that addresses some of the complaints you have read about here. Right now it's the only game in town. |
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buyers beware |
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Although national greographics is such a wonderful magazine, this release is not worth your money.The scan resolutions are so poor, the text barely readable and 31 CDs is too much. Even the user interface is not friendly and does not allow multiple pages to be opened simultaneously. I say this is one of the worst products available and its a complete waste of money. |
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inferior product |
The scans were made at horrible resolution and quality such that it's nearly impossible to read as the other reviews say. Some of the more recent issues are scanned at higher quality, but it's easier to obtain hard copies of those issues.
The viewer software could also be a lot better. It doesn't let you zoom in past 100%.
32 cd's is an awful lot to keep switching, especially if you're looking for a specific topic and the results are spread between several CD's. A DVD version with 4 or 5 CD's would be much more appropriate.
On the positive side, having all the issues available in an electronic format is a great idea and that's why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. The poor software design and scans make it impossible to appreciate.
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Don't buy this product or the Maps! |
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Two years ago I received the complete NG set along w/ the maps as Christmas gifts. It soon became readily apparent that the images were very difficult to read. No matter what I did would change it. They have this slider bar thing that makes the text darker and lighter, but this is just a feeble attempt to get around their problem. I returned the product to Best Buy, and have hoped ever since that the company that makes this product(Topics Entertainment) would eventually re-due it so that the images would be readable. When I saw this "new edition" come out (NG 112 years) I promptly bought it for myself as a Christmas gift. Being a bit leary, and knowing that Best Buy doesn't let you return opened software, I emailed the company (Topics) to ask if the problem had been cleared up. I waited at least a week and did not receive a response. Tonight, being Christmas Eve, I couldn't wait any longer, and promptly opened the box and tried it out. To my dismay, nothing has changed. It is the same old piece of junk as before, with a few more of the difficult-to-read issues thrown in. In my opinion, this product is terrible. I honestly can't read more than a couple pages without starting to get a headache. It is an embarrasment that a company as well-known and respected as NG could have allowed a 3rd party software company make such an inferior product! Oh, well, I guess I will have to wait until the next edition comes out and try that. By the way, I'm still going to try to return this product as I feel it is clearly defective. Hope this helps anyone else that may have similar concerns. |
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