The Tempest

Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Dawn Bonner Software availabe at Solano College bookstore.

Being a Solano College student has more advantages than you may realize. My valid student ID helped me save $3,098. Yes, you read that correctly.

Recently, when I was on a hunt for the best deal for Adobe Creative Suites 3, my friend told me about www.uscollegebuy.com. It can be reached through the SCC bookstore link at www.solano.edu. The CS3 Master Collection sells for $519 for Windows and Macs. The Master Suites collection contains tools for designing print, web, interactive, film video and mobile content. The software retails for $2,499.

This software is the full professional version, is updated, and can be upgraded when CS4 comes out. It works like butter, smooth and fast.

Photoshop Extended CS3 can be purchased for $179; CS3 Web Standard, $214; and Acrobat 8 Professional is $64. There are more products at this site with substantial savings. SCC is approved, all you need is to fax or email a copy of the front and back of your validated student ID.

ComputerLand will send you an email when you have been approved, which took one hour for me. You can then order the software and shipping is fast. This process took less than a week for validation, ordering and receiving the product.

The bookstore doesn't carry CS3, but it does carry Adobe Photoshop CS2 for $299 and the upgrade from CS to CS2 for $169.

Also through the SCC bookstore site you can access www.journeyed.com, which offers special buys for Microsoft software with savings of $300 or more. For instance, QuarkXPress 7.0 for Win/Mac is $99.98 versus $749 at retail. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade is $99.98 vs. $399.

A great deal is MS Office Pro Plus 2007 at $99.98 instead of paying retail at $699. MS Office Pro 2007 includes: Access, Communicator, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word (all 2007 versions).

There is an even better deal at www.theultimatesteal.com for the same software, which costs $59.95 until April 30. SCC is an approved college but students need an email that ends in .edu for validation of being a student.

The Information Tech Department said they never give students .edu email addresses, said Marty Kulmus. The vendor for the Ultimate Steal deal is going to see if there is anything they can do for SCC students to get validated.

Gerri Dyrek, head of public relations for Ultimate Steal, said, "It will take some time to see if we can find another way to do this, since your college won't give you .edu emails. I will see what I can do."

One other great deal worthy of mentioning is a software program called LoJack for Laptops. This is found at journeyed.com through the SCC bookstore website.

The site description says it is the ultimate mobile theft protection service. It tracks, locates and recovers stolen laptop and desktop computers.

The software works with the local police department, and if your stolen computer is not recovered in 30 days, you will receive a full refund for the purchase of the software.

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