The October, 2006 issue of Research Magazine contains a review by Tim Macer of Techneos Entryware 6, a software package that works primarily with Palm handhelds (but also with Microsoft based handhelds) to create surveys and collect data in the field.

Tim liked the fact that the software works either online or offline and isn’t dependent on a permanent internet or wireless connection and that its automatic reminder function made it a great tool for self-completion diary studies. He didn’t like the fact that it is a standalone mobile and web solution without support for CATI or paper and that it offers only basic, inflexible reporting.

During my time at Paramount Parks I was actually a Techneos customer and was very pleased with both the flexibility and the ease of use of the software (we used the professional edition rather than the Enterprise edition). It has a thoughtfully designed interface, both in the survey designer and in the data collection module. The only thing that didn’t work for us was the pricing scheme, but I will readily admit that this was very likely tied to the unique way in which we were using the software.

Read Tim’s full review at Meaning.

U.K. based Research journal reviewer Tim Macer recently published a review of ETabs AutoGraph 2.0, a program designed to assist in the “desktop creation of indivudual or repetitive charts and tables from most industry-standard tables for output to Excel or Powerpoint including Quantum, Merlin through TabsML, Pulse Train’s XtabsML, Wincross, Quanvert, Snap, Dimensions, Mentor, and SPSS tables, or direct imput from Pulsar.

Macer rates Autograph as a 4.5 out of 5 for ease of use; 5 out of 5 for cross-platform compatability; and 4.5 out of 5 for value for money. To read the complete review, visit Research Magazine.

For more details about AutoGraph from the company, visit the E-Tabs web site.

In the July, 2006 issue of the Market Research Society’s Research Magazine, Tim Macer reviewed Perseus SurveySolutions 2.0, a multi-user online survey solution with integrated sampling, invitation management, report preparation and publishing, which is aimed at large enterprises wishing to consolidate and co-ordinate all their research and feedback activities.

Tim liked the Word-like interface for designing surveys, the centrally controlled ‘profiles’ that allow direct links to enterprise databases to provide "real-time and moment-of-truth sampling" and the simple results portal; he didn’t like the fact that there was no intelligent support for coding or consolidating open-ended data, the limited range of statistics, and the fact that it was labourious working with open-ends.

Read Tim Macer’s full review of Perseus Survey Solutions EFM 2.0

In the June, 2006 issue of issue of the Market Research Society’s Research Magazine, Tim Macer reviewed Monitor Group’s MarketSight, a web based survey analytic tool for researchers and end-users, with an emphasis on interactive hypothesis testing.

Tim liked the expert-system approach which automatically applies appropriate statistical tests, the highly intuitive interface which makes analysis quick and easy, and the simple import and setup from SPSS or SAS formats. He didn’t like the fact that it doesn’t support multiple response questions, that it works only in IE6, and that there is no local support in Europe.

Read Tim Macer’s full review of Monitor Group’s MarketSight.

In the May, 2006 issue of issue of the Market Research Society’s Research Magazine, Tim Macer reviewed Merlinco’s MerlinPlus, a powerful end-user analysis suite which can be fed either by surveys in industry-standard formats or by data collected using built-in modules for web surveys, handheld CAPI, touchscreen self-completion or simple standalone CATI.

Tim liked the easy but versatile analysis and cross-tab capabilities, the support for touchscreen kiosk interviewing applications and the fact that it is easy to import or export data in many formats and that it outputs directly to MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for reports. He disliked the fact that there were no charting capabilities and less than friendly file management system.

Read Tim Macer’s full review of Merlinco’s MerlinPlus.