The .mobi feature wasn't as easy to use as I'd hoped. Creating a .mobi project brought up a window advising that I needed to tweak certain menu settings, and it wasn't until late in the process that I learned I would also have to download some software from Amazon in order to preview the ebook.

The on-screen tutorial was helpful with general instructions; when I previewed my book, however, the formatting was off (text did not flow automatically, causing odd line breaks), and I was on my own to figure out how to fix the problem. Still, the ebook feature holds promise for self-publishers, especially since you'd otherwise have to invest in third-party software.

Corel VideoStudio Essentials seems like a bit of an outlier for an office suite--it's basically an Adobe Premiere Elements competitor. But it certainly one-ups Windows Movie Maker, and it makes for a nice bonus. The inclusion of WinZip, which costs $30 bought separately, is definitely a good deal since WinZip is far more capable than Windows' built-in zip utility.

Corel hasn't done much with Quattro Pro, Presentations, or Lightning this time around; all three applications are full-featured, but recent versions of Excel and PowerPoint have pulled way ahead in making it easy to add spiffy graphics, and Lightning isn't keeping up with OneNote features such as SideNote, which lets you add content even when the full application isn't open. These applications seem to target people who prefer toolbars to the Ribbon.

Corel has added an Android viewer to the previously available iPhone and iPad viewers, but none of those tools support edits or file creation. And even if you normally prefer desktop software, Web-app support for Office formats gives Microsoft a real edge.